Discourse for all interested in all things air-quality related
The message: Don’t pollute. Easier said than done, right? It is here, exactly, where three books can be of immense help. And, these are three of my absolute all-time favorites. They are: 30 Simple Energy Things You Can Do To Save The Earth by EarthWorks Press, Inc. and distributed by Pacific Gas & Electric Company … Read more
When it comes to air-pollution-related analysis, the World Health Organization (WHO), regarding its most recent, has determined that the world over, 92 percent – or better than nine-in-ten – breathe polluted air. Details “A new WHO air quality model confirms that 92% of the world’s population lives in places where air quality levels exceed WHO limits,” … Read more
On Sept. 21, 2016, The Fresno Bee Editorial Board printed an op-ed, the crux of the editorial having to do with work in California and the San Joaquin Valley centered on helping “economically disadvantaged communities” better deal with the effects of poor area air quality. This was indeed a big part of the story. Brought … Read more
The good news is that more and more Americans are utilizing transportation methods that 1) don’t pollute at all, or 2) pollute less than the so-called “standard internal-combustion-engine powered motor vehicles.” What’s the bad news? With American drivers having driven 3.148 trillion miles in 2015 – the highest in recorded history, carbon dioxide and other … Read more
This year marks 25 years of Amtrak California Capitol Corridor service in December. The Capitol Corridor train was a late-comer in the grand scheme of the nationalized Amtrak passenger rail program. And, the success story that CC service is more or less mirrors that of Amtrak itself. Each are remarkable stories in their own right … Read more
San Francisco has its beloved cable car. New Orleans its fabled streetcar. And, what has Fresno? FAX, for Fresno Area Express, is what. In the big raisin (among locals, the word-pair an innocuous, cheery substitute for the city’s name), big changes are a comin’. Not only are new high-speed railroad structures and tracks being built … Read more
It was just a few days ago that I received a Measure C annual report for the 2014-’15 reporting year. Measure C is a local Fresno County transportation improvement “program,” not unlike those in neighboring counties, this particular iteration an extension of the very first Measure C initiative. As a ballot referendum voted on by … Read more
In “American high-speed rail building in full swing: An update,” it was explained what the progress on high-speed rail building is in the U.S. In this second section, detailed is how America got where it is today, high-speed rail advancement-wise; discusses some high, low and in-between points, and what it is about this transportation mode … Read more
America’s drivers are at it again: Behind the wheel, logging more and more miles, year after year. (My driving miles are actually decreasing). In “2015 On Pace to Be Most Heavily Traveled Year, New Federal Data Show: U.S. Driving in November 2015 Continues Record Setting Year” press release, in which the U.S. Department of Transportation … Read more
This post picks up where Part 2 left off and the first installment can be accessed here. California’s San Joaquin Valley Fact: With just north of 4 million people the Valley is comprised of an area covering slightly less than 24,000 square miles. Fact: If an independent state, the Valley would rank among the nation’s … Read more