Discourse for all interested in all things air-quality related
At 19, in 1972 in September, I got my first real taste of smog. You see, it was on a visit to Fullerton, California, that I really took note. What I saw was this grayish-colored haze permeating the air. Ports, steel manufacturing, transportation corridors and hubs (including airports) and more, contributed; that plus area land … Read more
What should be the aim of transportation development? Place-to-place mobility? Efficiency? Connectivity? Economic prosperity? Environmental sustainability? All of the above? All of the above. It isn’t enough anymore, or so it would seem, just to be able to travel, move cargo from one location to another. That was fine for an earlier time – life … Read more
It cannot be emphasized enough the need to reduce pollution in air. According to Environment America, people in 72 metropolitan areas located across the U.S. were exposed to unhealthy particulate matter levels in 2015 on 100 days or more, information brought to bear in the concern’s new report: “Our Health at Risk: Why Are Millions … Read more
For yard cleanup work, for me, using a broom and dustpan, suffices just fine. Nor would I rule out vacuuming. Leaf blowing, as far as options go, is just not for me. That said, many a leaf blower is made use of for just this very activity – yard cleanup work. Though I understand why … Read more
I’m thinking of the scene in the movie “The Day the Earth Stood Still” – the original (1951) “The Day the Earth Stood Still,” motion picture, a classic, with actress Patricia Neal and actor Michael Rennie, each of whom had leading (starring) roles – that shows a blackout of sorts: anything and everything electricity-driven is … Read more
May is always a good time to talk transportation. Amtrak, the national passenger rail carrier, as of May 1st has offered rail-based passenger service in the 48 contiguous-states region of the U.S. for 46 years. May, apparently, is a good time, too, to bike, the month being designated National Bike Month. Meanwhile, this year National … Read more
There is this old saw: “If it ain’t broke; don’t fix it.” All well and good if it can be determined unequivocally if some “thing” is working properly and therefore is not in need of fixing. To toot my own horn, that’s a pretty good analysis if I do say so myself. This is not … Read more
Along with California’s San Joaquin Valley, the South Coast air basin is known notoriously for having the poorest quality air in the entire United States. A title like that no place wants. So, when an entity aspires to want to not just change but improve the environment in which it exists, operates, conducts business, it … Read more
Particulate-matter pollution, a multi-dimensional air contaminant, is of particular concern, especially a finer version of it or that known as PM 2.5 or fine particulate matter less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter (about 1/30th the width of a typical human hair). That PM 2.5 is present in the air is on account of the incomplete … Read more
Researchers in Belgium have created a device which can convert polluted air into energy. That’s just one of the device’s capabilities. The other is its ability to make air pollution harmless. The catch: light from the sun is needed to facilitate both processes. “‘We use a small device with two rooms separated by a membrane’, … Read more