Chasing Clean Air

Fresh Air: What Made Me Happy This Week

You might imagine focused on smog, I'd miss the oxygen floating through the fine particulates. And you'd be right except I enjoy oxygen, too. So part of my fresh air assignment this week is recounting what went right. What I'm grateful for. This week's mini and not-so mini milestones: 

How To Clean Mexican Gulf Oil Spill. BP Listen Up

BP oil, give these guys your clean up job!

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How I Lost Weight Effortlessly

Imagine.

Rolly-polly.

Me?

I confidently carried a vision of myself as thin the way others carried lipstick.

But as I hiked up a Santa Monica mountaintop, I asked my hiking buddy, "What one word describes me?"

I didn't hold my breath knowing the answer would be within the realm of...

Useful Hiking Gear: Vasque Hiking Boots

Update: January 1, 2011. For new year's I took my Vasque Breeze hiking boots with gortex for a cold wet, muddy hike. They were amazing; and now I declare Vaque my hiking boot for life. I can't imagine a better boot to keep me dry in all weather conditions, with a great sturdy fit, and traction for rough terrain. Wet, mud up ahead! No problem. At least not for me. Vasque with gortex. Way to go. Just make sure you get the right size.

In search of the most useful traveling gear, and in need of new hiking boots, I chose Vasque's Breeze Hiking Boot with Gor-Tex. 

I'd just returned from the rain forests of Kauai and I have a love affair with wet British Columbia, hence for usefulness, I chose gor-tex, a waterproof and breathable material.

And this is how my first hike in Vasque boots went:

60 Minutes on BP Oil Spill

I'm watching 60 Minute's investigation into the BP Oil Spill--60 Minutes did an amazing job--and BP.

Oh my.

BP.

How dare you?

How do I express how irresponsible the fighting executives were who couldn't fix what was known to be a broken thingymachig that led to the huge oil spill?

I'd call them jerks but it's worse.

It's criminal. 

It's dead sea-systems, eco-systems, dead fishing industries.

According to a man interviewed, a man who was fired from BP for telling BP the unpleasant truth about one of their other oil rigs, which, he said, may soon contribute to an even worse catastrophic accident than the one that just occurred in the Gulf of Mexico--he said BP is acting irresponsibly to the point the next oil spill will make this one seem like a tiny blip.

Then 60 Minutes had a commercial break sponsored by Clean Coal.

Let's pause on the irony.

The sadness.

There is no. NO. No such thing as clean coal.

Coal is filthy. It kills people, rivers, pollutes our air. Global warming, too.

America's current system is dependent on big business. Big business even 60 Minutes depends on.

A big problem.

Solar is safe. Wind is safe. People like you and me figuring out how to live car-less is safer. I haven't figured that out yet.

Boy, do I ever have to revamp my life. I wonder if this last oil spill will help spur me to figure out a car-less existence. Above photo is from last year when I test drove the Chevy Malibu Hybrid and parked along PCH in Malibu. Near an area, until this oil spill, was being considered for off-shore drilling.

Let's do our best to use less oil. Consolidate trips. Take the bus. Walk.

Will I ever live in a place where I can take the canoe to work? The grocery store?

Change is hard but needed.

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How To Talk Free Anywhere In The World! Or Mom Learns Skype

Mom? Yes, dear. Will you bring me smog photos? Well, that depends. I'm a busy woman, you know. Yes, I know. I'm learning Skype. I'll be touring China. You do have Skype, little girl. Yes, mom. I have Skype. I'll call you on Skype from Beijing. If I can figure it out.

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