Climate Change

The facts supporting climate change have been widely reported across numerous media outlets; I wanted to post this to add one more blog to the list in support of making drastic changes to our lifestyles.

Climate change is just one of the many ills our society suffers because of our addiction with fossil fuels.  Looking for purportedly cheap coal, we send fellow citizens to work in coal mines; once the vein dies or becomes too expensive, we raze the mountains and dump the top into the surrounding valleys creating wastelands in lieu of forested habitats.  Those stream beds supply someone’s water somewhere in the chain are then filled with poisons and waste from the mining, and during rainy years like this one the fills can create huge landslides (which if it doesn’t kill you isn’t covered under a homeowner’s policy).

Our love of the automobile has lead us to build massive expanses of blacktop.  The power of the car has allowed us to move further and further from work and commercial centers which leads to more traffic congestion then demand for less congested roadways.  The fuel for these vehicles will not last forever, and even if it did, its exhaust is killing us.  Furthermore is the fuel worth the national security risk; what would the economy do if for whatever crazy reason OPEC decided to stick it to us tomorrow?  Public transportation was squashed by domestic automakers, and many people still argue public transportation will never be self-sustaining (thanks for a good jab, Doug Gibson!).  Funny how the sweetheart lease deals we make with big oil doesn’t impugn them.  However, as our population grows the stress on the current roadways will increase while the demand for housing increases, and no one wants to live near the noise and smell of major roadway.

Our food is tied closely to energy prices because almost everything Americans eat is soaked in oil starting from the time the seeds are delivered from Monsanto to their drive to your home in plastic bags in the back of your car.  If you are eating processed foods then you have even more oil on your hands not to mention the spare tire around your middle.

Even if our elected officials refuse to act, we can each do something small like grow some food, bring your own boxes and bags to the store, do without the car, or insulate your home.  These little things when compounded will help, but a phone call or email to elected officials can’t hurt.

Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle

Last week’s Change the World Wednesday challenge from Reduce Footprints really got me thinking about how many plastic bags I use without even noticing them.  I hate getting them at the store but only at the checkout line; when I’m in the produce or bulk section I think about how much I need to get reusable bags, especially for the mushrooms, but week after week I use one or two new bags.  I do save and reuse the old ones, but those thin produce bags tear if you look at them wrong so I usually only get one or two uses.  I do better with the zip top sandwich bags that I put herbs in, and for the heavy bulk (rice, beans, tofu, etc) I bring some plastic storage containers.

Single use bags are just plain bad.  Americans waste about 12 million barrels of oil annually in the production of plastic bags, and if you use paper, we harvest about 14 million trees each year.  Aside from being a waste of a valuable, finite resource, plastic bags are here to stay.  Like the bag scene in American Beauty, they float and fly and land in trees and in the water.  Once in water they can resemble prey causing some obvious issues for the unlucky predator.  Even if the bags don’t retain their original shape, once they get into the water they flock; the Northern Pacific Garbage Patch is bigger than Texas.  To help protect their seascapes, several coastal North Carolina counties are thinking of joining the growing global ban (as reported on Morning Edition last week or so).  A few of the local green grocers (Earth Fare, French Broad Food Coop, and with Greenlife leading the way) began to charge for plastic bags this year, and even if the stores didn’t want to charge, couldn’t they give a credit like Earth Fare used to that the shopper can donate to a charity (which both decreases single use bag usage and gets the company a tax deduction).

Paper at least breaks down when thrown away, and all of our textbook covers were repurposed grocery bags.  However, paper still wastes plenty of resources.  Some of those trees may be old growth stands while others could be from GMO tree plantations, but either way a whole bunch of trees go down.   The GMO trees for paper production are being selected for less lignin which makes them easier to process.  The issue is that lignin makes trees strong (literally it fills the spaces between the cells’ walls), and it also helps the tree conduct water efficiently (sounds like a recipe for more less efficient water usage and increased pesticides).  On the carbon side, it also plays an important role in carbon sequestration.  Even if you recycle your bags a great deal of energy is used to do so (in both transporting and processing).

My organic cotton bags have another one up on plastic and paper: they hold pounds more.  Two bags can easily handle a week’s worth of groceries (I usually keep the delicates, like bread & fruit, in their own bag).  On the downside, baggers at the Ingles are so used to flimsy plastic bags that might hold ten pounds, I bag my own groceries which saves Ingles on labor costs (I avoid the stupid robo-checkouts) as they will invariably use half the bag then resort to plastic.

This weekend I will make or buy some reusable bags for my bulk items so I cut the plastic bags out all together.

Before and After

 

 

rainy Hendersonville and Royal Pines bus stop

sunny day with a sidewalk at Royal Pines and Hendo

 

 

 Although it is only a tiny section of the road, at least there is some progress (the before is November 08 and the after is last week).  The next few photos show the most dangerous part of my walking commute (between the 2nd and 3rd photos there is a muddy/straw covered/sparsely grassed lot that has plenty of room to walk away from the road).  The strip of shoulder is narrow and really overgrown with itchy, irksome interlopers; it is also a favorite spot for littering (mostly of the twenty-two ounce variety, although there are also some forty and twelve ounces too).  During Strive Not to Drive, I walked this stretch complaining to myself about how weedy it was only to encounter two women and a large stroller heading north along this very same foot path.  Recently some government agency or contractor dug up the pavement, but even though this stretch is within the city limits, it doesn’t look like the sidewalks are forthcoming.  It was my understanding that an ordinance a few years ago required any new construction or large enough renovations to install a sidewalk; hence all of the sidewalks to nowhere (e.g., the eight foot stretch near the new South Asheville Dunkin Donuts that promptly ends into a mess of overgrown weeds or any number of stretches of Merrimon Avenue).

 

 

North on Hendo

 

 

 

On the bright side, an entire street of my walk has a nice sidewalk.  The stupid and ironic thing about the sidewalk shown below is that it isn’t new; it is a reclamation of a long neglected sidewalk.  There is another stretch of the lost sidewalk along Royal Pines Drive, but as anyone familiar with the area can attest that walking (much less taking photos) along that road is scary especially during the high volume times of evening and morning.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Strive Not to Drive!

With the summer driving season quickly approaching (hello $2/gallon gasoline), Strive Not to Drive is next week.  Join me in taking a moment to think about you might be able to complete a few errands or a few commutes using the bus, walking, cycling, or carpooling.  With the weather clearing up, I plan on packing my lunch, clothes, and a book so that I can walk to and from work.  For our elected officials I will be photographing the most dangerous parts of my route (especially where road construction has recently occurred but no sidewalks have appeared).  Take that Big Oil!

Victory Garden and Mountaintop Removal

It has been a good week for environmental awareness and stewardship.  I was thrilled that Mrs. Obama broke ground on the first victory garden (in lieu of the Axis I think of unsafe food and corporate agriculture) since Mrs. Roosevelt; sixty years is too long to wait.  While I applaud the thought of it being organic, its proximity to swaths of golf course looking lawns might render the harvest much less than organic.  One step at a time, though, and I really am quite pleased.

The garden was the cherry, but the sundae came later.  On Tuesday announced that the EPA will stop issuing permits for mountaintop removal mining.  I have never encountered one of these wastelands, but the pictures are eerie.  Although this stops new mines, there are still existing mines.  Ashevegas mentioned this earlier this month.  Representatives Pricey Harrison, Phillip Haire, Susan Fisher, and Julia Howard are the primary House sponsors for H340 (Senator Steve Goss is sponsoring the sister bill, S341).  I hope you will join me in taking the time to say thanks as well as question the missing Senators Nesbitt and Apodaca and the missing Representatives.

Thank you!

Pricey.Harrison@ncleg.net

Phillip.Haire@ncleg.net

Susan.Fisher@ncleg.net

Julia.Howard@ncleg.net

Steve.Goss@ncleg.net

Those that have yet to sign on:

Martinn@ncleg.net

toma@ncleg.net

Don.East@ncleg.net

Sarah.Stevens@ncleg.net

Cullie.Tarleton@ncleg.net

Shirley.Randleman@ncleg.net

Phillip.Frye@ncleg.net

Joe.Queen@ncleg.net

Mitchg@ncleg.net

John.Snow@ncleg.net

Roger.West@ncleg.net

 

To toot our own horn, we are thirty weeks into our one car household adventure.  Admittedly my wonderful husband deserves the bulk of the credit as he sacrifices the most sleep and convenience.  However, I am stoked that the bus stop we use is finally getting a sidewalk, so I will have to ride the bus more to enjoy it.

One Car Household Week Twenty-Two

We are fast approaching the half year mark, and I am so amazed about how easy this has been.  In honesty, I must say my husband bears the greater burden.  Now that we are not suffering from the bitter snowless cold, I plan to resume my Thursday treks home.  I actually walked past three other pedestrians in the neighborhood, and I also felt like an old lady as I wanted to yell at a few cars to SLOW DOWN as they whizzed by me.  Although I spend much time complaining about the dearth of sidewalks, I must say I do appreciate the good long stretch of new sidewalk on my amended route.  The sad and inefficient note about this stretch is that they had sidewalks already, but no one had bothered to maintain them so they became a part of people’s yards.

Speaking of public transit and government waste, I wanted to give thanks to Doug Gibson over at Scrutiny Hooligans for his great comeback: “When did I-40 start making a profit?”  How can public transit be profitable if we live so far from everything and we don’t pay tolls?  How much sense does it make to spend millions on a parking deck then charge one dollar an hour to park there with an eight dollar per day maximum?  The newest downtown parking deck was estimated to cost $12 million dollars for 650 parking spaces, which breaks down to over $18,000 per space.  The notice doesn’t mention if this lot will be like the other decks that give the first hour for free, but I assume being closest to the courthouse this will not be an option.  

I think the economic stimulus will push us in a new direction as far as our transportation priorities fall; gas prices will rise again as oil is not a renewable resource, and the demand for transit will increase.  The Asheville Transit System seems really interested in listening to its ridership; hopefully, more service will arrive before Strive Not to Drive.

Rainy Day Bus Stop

Please do not think I am complaining about the rain; since we are in the midst of a multi year drought, I refuse to complain about the rain.  I am, however, complaining about the city expecting it not to rain.  At least we have the bus service, but I do not believe there is a single covered bus stop on the entire route six.  As the two examples below show, not only is there no shelter, trash can, or bench, but one cannot even avoid the deep mud puddles when getting on the bus.  Please either provide more service or show some love to the existing riders on the especially unloved route six.  I must note that I am not a dedicated bus rider, and I am fortunate enough to have the car for inclement weather commuting days.

rainy Hendersonville Rd bus stop

rainy Hendersonville and Royal Pines bus stop

* I would like to note that we are just passed the eleven week mark as a one car household in spite of the less than ideal alternative transportation options.

One Car Family – Week One

So we tried back in 2005 right after Katrina to be a one car household, but alas the experiment failed after less than one month.  I did not have the dedication, but I also feel like more of the sacrifice was mine.  Last week my husband had an automobile accident, in which (thankfully!!!) no one was injured.  However, his car was deemed a total loss.  Rather than deal with a salvaged title, we decided that we could try again to become a one car household.

So it has been a week, and we are both still hopeful and enthusiastic about our decision.  We have a new mantra about this is going to save so much money, and how we are doing something more for the environment.  We have been using fluorescent light bulbs for the past three to four years; we recycle and reuse all that we can.  We have used cotton bags for the past few years, and we have composted our food waste for the past several years.  For the ten or so years that we have lived together we have never really eaten meat, and I rarely order it when we go out.  But this seems like a major step.  We are both proud to ride the bus and walk.  Once I get the brakes on my bike fixed, I do plan to put the bike back into the transit plans.  Everyone has laughed and said this won’t last long; how can you possibly do without two cars since you both work?  I think this is good for me especially as I am competitive, and I do relish proving people wrong (yep that is my mean streak).

Whoo Hooo! We are a one car family.

Rebuttal for Senator Bond’s Opening Remarks 22 July 2008 in the Senate Environment and Public Works hearing on Global Warming Science

Recently I happened upon the Senate Environment and Public Works committee’s hearing on the science of global warming, and unfortunately I only caught the opening remarks.  I was struck by Senator Kitt Bond’s comments; they so irked me that I felt compelled to rebut (albeit my rebuttal will not mirror Senator Bond’s remarks).

No doubt that Senator Bond is hearing from his constituents that their budgets are being gravely affected by the precipitous rise in gas prices over the last several months.  Of course the price of fuels is adversely affecting everything else that we purchase so the damage is compounded.  However, there are several dangerous attitudes and policies that have brought America to this crisis level.  First, the denial that oil is a non-renewable resource coupled with the fact that we have so much space in this country.  Secondly, the free market so proudly expounded by Republicans is addicted to graft which has encouraged stagnation and greed rather than innovation and true resourcefulness.  Finally, this republic needs to live up to its ideals and think forward rather than cling to the same old decaying matter.

 
As President Bush so simply stated, we are addicted to oil.  Therefore, anyone suggesting that more oil is the answer is concerned at best with winning political points for a seemingly quick, short term solution or at worst appeasing their lobbyists.  More drilling is not the answer for the current sharp increase in oil; as we have not been able to grasp with the failed war on drugs, the problem isn’t supply.  It is our unceasing, constantly increasing demand (coupled with growing worldwide demand). Not being intimately knowledgeable about the worldwide oil supply, I want to push the debate to the future.  The supply may or may not have reached or surpassed its peak; it does not matter because the oil will not flow forever regardless of its current status.  The other growing economies in this world will be vying for oil just as we are.  Another regime change could cut off supply drastically tomorrow.  Therefore, it would behoove us to find cheaper and less detrimental forms of energy.  America should lead by example in this front, but we first have to recall that neither drilling for oil now nor creating new energy and transportation infrastructure will produce instant relief.

Producing this new infrastructure would create new industry and jobs, however.  What a wonderful solution to the jobs Senator Bond spoke of being shipped off shore.  My region, too, has seen the loss of good paying manufacturing jobs; these jobs have been replaced by low paying service sector jobs that rarely offer benefits or rarely have a full time work force.  Although we have a few bright spots were a plant has actually hired new employees, the bulk of those employees are temporary, and any recent expansion or move to the area is incentivized by tax money.  Our region is also incentivizing current employers who are threatening to relocate without the incentives.  As tax dollars are already subsidizing the industry, the money would be better spent on creating renewable energy infrastructure and public transportation options like light rail or increased bus service in more suburban areas.  Green collar jobs are the future of American industry as well as of our economic health and literal health.

Of course the most obvious way to prevent the hemorrhaging of good paying full time employment is to stop free trade deals that do not require reciprocal labor and environmental standards.  Although this option would not likely effect fuel prices in the direct sense, families would probably be more able to cope with the increase if more Americans were fully employed rather than being either underemployed or unemployed.  Furthermore, holding businesses to the high American standards for cleanliness would encourage them to innovate in order to maintain their bottom line which would reduce pollution and insufferable labor conditions worldwide (again not an instant fix).

Failing to let go of fossil fuels will leave this country crumbling; we cannot stand idly by, clutching our dirty energy security blanket.  The American Dream is about living better than your parents, but we cannot, while holding on to any scrap of our ideals, pass the buck and let our future generations take the fall.  Upholding our own labor and environmental standards will stanch the flow of outsourced jobs while helping to peacefully export our ideals.  Ending corporate welfare will encourage American firms to undertake the task of weaning us off of non-renewable energy by fostering innovation and resourcefulness rather than encouraging stagnation and sloth.  Times are not easy nor will they likely become any better until we free ourselves from oil domination.