Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Happy Earth Day

Today is Earth Day, which is a time to look at the amazing world we have been given.  Think of it as your home for life, and treat it like that home you would want to live in.  Clean up after yourself, try to keep it nice for guests and don't shit in the living room.
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It is easy to look at what has gone wrong.  It is, in fact, impossible NOT to face the mistakes we have made.  Making mistakes is what allows us to correct them.  We have corrected many and are correcting others.
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When I was young, in the 60's and 70's, Stage 1 alerts were not all that rare in Los Angeles.  In the 1950s and 1960s we had Stage 1 Alert levels most of the year.  (The numbering was different, but we are setting all Stage 1 at current levels, which is .2 ppm of ozone.)  If you have ever been in a horrible Stage 1 alert in Los Angeles, at .2ppm, imagine in 1957 when the ozone was over 4 times that.  It topped out at .9ppm of ozone!
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But, with unleaded gas and catalytic converters, the smog got better.  We planning, conservation and lead free bullets, Condors have made a comeback.  With marginal recycling, the constant need for landfills has slowed.
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So things can get better.  Let us strive for that this Earth Day, rather than focus on the worst.
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Let's help save these damn cute things....
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