Discourse for all interested in all things air-quality related
I love that commercial, you know the one, where the main character thinks everything smells fine when, in actuality, the family, vehicle occupants, etc., know differently. The whole point is to promote an air-freshening product. Which brings up the question: What smells are we smelling that maybe we just aren’t cognizant of because we’ve gotten … Read more
Have you heard? Elon Musk, founder of Tesla Motors, has this idea about boring a tunnel on the eastern seaboard between the Big Apple and D.C. Its purpose? Transporting people between the two cities and in 29 minutes, no less. Proposed too are stops in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Baltimore, Maryland, based on what I understand … Read more
There are two primary reasons for emissions reduction: through means coming from without such as through regulation and enforcement or employing a market-based mechanism like cap-and-trade; and due to voluntary (internally motivated) action. I have arrived at the conclusion that there is no one best approach to emissions mitigation. Adopting a multi-lateral strategy to fix … Read more
Fuel cells have been around for a while now. So, it would make perfect sense that fuel-cell technology would eventually find application in the railway domain. And, now it has. Alstom, the French company, is one manufacturer getting into the game. “The Coradia iLint is the first low floor passenger train worldwide powered by a … Read more
There are resources and then there are resources – such that prompt sitting up and taking note. “Cities100: 100 solutions for climate action in cities,” a Sustainia, C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group and Realdania collaboration, now this is a resource! “Cities100” is a document that, in very clear terms and concise and structured form, provides … Read more
Oppressive is how San Joaquin Valley, California summertime heat can be. Temps of 104, 105, 106, 107 and higher aren’t uncommon. Heat as high as that becomes more than a bit uncomfortable and gets old rather fast the longer those triple-digit temperatures hang around. When that happens, talk about such in these here parts seems … Read more
This year, the American Lung Association in its 2017 “State of the Air” report was clear: four-in-10 Americans live in counties with unhealthy air. That’s not too, too bad considering six-in-10 don’t. When you think problematic air, there are a whole slew of so-called “hot spots.” The more familiar ones are such cities as Beijing, Delhi, … Read more
A growing population means increased mobility; no ifs, ands or buts about it. It’s a given. Mobility – or more precisely, locomotion – is nothing more than place-to-place moving. And, mobility, at its most fundamental level, is no more complicated than putting one foot in front of the other. But there is more to mobility … Read more
Amazing, incredible, miraculous is how one could characterize the resilient, successful and unrelenting rail enterprise that the Northwestern Pacific Railroad is. At the same time, it’s about as uncharacteristic a railroad-development story as there is. That said, in going from near-ruin to getting re-railed so to speak, it has been an arduous uphill climb and … Read more
Air conditioning: an ingenious invention – an almost indispensable addition to the home, that is, where appliances are concerned. Whether inside or outside the domicile (and automobile too, if you want to get real about this), being able to take air and “condition” it so as to provide one a level of comfort, most especially … Read more