Earth day

This day for what used to be called ecology has actually had quite an effect since it started in 1970. Before the first Earth Day there was no EPA, no Clean Air act, and little focus on protection of drinking water. In the US this really put us ahead of places like Europe which for the longest time had no equivalent of the EPA for environmental considerations like we did in the 1970s. They did eventually when the German Green Party(and later around the world) the brought issues of nuclear proliferation and pollution as well as social injustice to the forefront in the 1980s.

Consider the world before and after in a few examples - with the advent of ban on lead paint and gasoline and car catylyzers (all of which were fought tooth and nail by the big 3 auto makers) our air quality and lead levels (measured in children's blood and environment) were much worse than today. Our cars are more efficient and safer also now.

Bald eagles were near extinction thanks to DDT, and wolves and other species were also endangered. Both of those are now off or soon to be removed from the endangered species list.

With the focus now on global warming thanks to Al Gore's 20 something years of advocacy and Nobel prize we stand at the dawn of a new era in global cooperation, both out of necessity and when you read the data determined self-interest.

What it comes down to according to clever folks like Amory Lovins from Rocky Mountain Institute is that unclean practices usually indicate waste, and an opportunity for saving resources (including money). I think if we're wise we'll get out in front on global warming, energy conservation and cleanup issues locally and as a nation. We can't afford to pollute, squander and waste like in years past.

I'm encouraged by even local candidates who seem to get it on these topics, and when I speak with community activists like Bob Platukis (you need to be online Bob in this day and age!), who has been investigating wind energy for the town. Change does start small, but the effects scale and can make a global difference.

There's still work to do also on the health front - the rise in asthma may be linked to increased ozone levels due to air pollution. There's evidence an increase of smog leads to premature death according to recent information. Being at the crossroad of so many highways we should take note of this.

On a town level, don't forget btw to bring your mercury to the BOH (daily) and other household hazardous materials on Saturday May 3.

Here's a couple more links:

The Freecycle network is a networking site for promoting reuse.
Find recycling centers near you with this link.