The Four Elements, Part VIII
Posted April 23rd, 2010
Part VIII – Thick Air
by Jhan Hochman, email hidden; JavaScript is required
Air is thick with a number of noxious, obnoxious, and decadent emissions: by gasses and particulates, by light and sound, by broadcast junk- and misinformation. Noxious emissions can cause disease and malformation; obnoxious emissions, disruptions of life processes like sleeping and mating; and inferior information, decayed and stagnant thinking.
So, in order to darken, quiet, and clean the lit, loud, and dirty air—turn off, turn down, and turn away. Specifically, cut electrical and motor use and its products, working away from the fossil-fuel triad of coal, oil, and natural gas toward more sustainable and cleaner energy sources from wind, certain kinds of wood, solar, and human-power. Here are ways to stop haunting the air we see, hear, smell, feel, and breathe.
- De-lawn (or use a non-motorized push mower), plant natives, and garden (with seeds from ACG!) eschewing power mowers, blowers, edgers, trimmers, and tillers.
- Turn off electricity when not in use and attempt to forego electricity whenever possible, especially outside lights.
- Be local: travel fewer miles, favoring train over plane, Zipcar over personal car, scooter or mass transit over Zipcar, bike over scooter and mass transit, walking over biking.
- Hang-dry clothes (ACG has clothespins!).
- Buy unpackaged, especially avoiding petroleum-based plastics (ACG has a great bulk and produce selection).
- Disturb air with less volume from car stereos, motorized equipment, and vehicles.
- Buy less stuff, generate less garbage. http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/13/should-the-u-s-burn-or-bury-its-trash/?scp=2&sq=trash%20incineration%20landfill%20&st=cse
- Study and suspect the media (but there is no better disturbance of Portland air than KBOO, especially mornings).
As long as we continue filling air with pollutants, we just might find nature disappearing—not into thin air—but its opposite.
The most apparent protectors of our air: http://www.oregon.gov/DEQ/AQ/
A local initiative: http://www.cleanenergyworksportland.org/
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