Earth Day / LJWorld.com

Earth Day

By John Bond, Lawrence

April 21, 2012

To the editor:

We should celebrate Earth Day, April 22.

Let us rededicate ourselves to greatly reducing air, water and soil pollution in order to save the Earth’s environment.

Let us use more mass transportation and drive gasoline-fueled, air-polluting cars less.
Let us keep sewage and manufacturing waste out of lakes and rivers.
Let us protect wildlife and provide numerous parks and nature preserves for it.
Let us reduce the use of polluting pesticides on crops.
Let us develop more water, wind and solar power.

This is the only Earth we have. Let’s make it livable.

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cato_the_elder 1 year ago

"This is the only Earth we have. Let’s make it livable."

Agreed. Let's resurrect a space program gutted by Obama, develop a rocket to Mars, and send all of the environmentalist wackos there.

merrill 1 year ago

Thanks John Bond for your friendly reminder.

And allow us to assist rebuilding our economy through cleaner energy as Union of Concerned Scientists suggests:

The Plan: http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/renewable_energy_basics/renewing-americas-economy.html

Wind http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/renewable_energy_basics/how-wind-energy-works.html

Solar http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/renewable_energy_basics/how-solar-energy-works.html

Bio Mass http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/renewable_energy_basics/offmen-how-biomass-energy-works.html

Geo Thermal http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/renewable_energy_basics/offmen-how-geothermal-energy-works.html

Hydro Power http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/renewable_energy_basics/how-hydroelectric-energy-works.html

jhawkinsf 1 year ago

If it's yellow, let it mellow. If it's brown, go and drown.

snap_pop_no_crackle 1 year ago

I got yer bio mass right here!

I often take the bus and there are always lots of people there, except at certain slow times of the day. Considering that you have never ridden the T, and don't even live in town you wouldn't know the reality. Of course, not knowing the facts has never stopped you from making them up, has it?

grammaddy 1 year ago

You don't live here or pay taxes here so why do you care how the community spends their money here?

DougCounty 1 year ago

Funny you mentioned spring--it's no joke that we've had an uprecedentedly early spring in the eastern half of the country. It appears to be one of the most extreme meteorolgical extreme events in the past 135 years. For a fascinating review of the facts, check out the excellent 2 part series on this by Peter Sinclair: http://newenergynews.blogspot.com/2012/04/climate-denial-crock-of-week-weird_21.html

And all of the concern about massive wealth transfer associated with green infrastructure development is pretty funny: the burgeoning renewables and green infrastructure industry is out there for anyone to join and make money on, and so what are US manufacturers waiting for? It seems that it took the collapse of the auto industry in the US to wake them up enough to get with the game, not that there weren't plenty of signals that were ignored to make a more efficient automobile. The early start in the wind industry that the US had was deep-sixed by the Reagan Administration, which undercut all supports to the fledgling industry, and as a result some key individuals in the industry moved from the US to Denmark and elsewhere, where they built up their huge wind manufacturing capabilities and are now national heroes--in Denmark.

Centerville 1 year ago

Whatever you do, don't question wind power. The natural gas industry is laughing all the way to the bank.

pace 1 year ago

Clean coal ads don't bother anyone. Dry water, new antiques, a deal too good to be true, buy it fast, tomorrow will be too late.

I say celebrate, think about how you live. And for the goofy antiants. think. You could use a change. Adult diapers coming to you soon, I hope they soothe your worry.

ProfBob 1 year ago

Every serious student of the overpopulation problem realizes that there are too many people and not enough resources. But politicians will never suggest reducing people's traditional right to have children. That right comes from a tradition of need for larger families to do more work. That need no longer exists. The unemployment rate in the world, particularly in the West and particularly with young workers, points out that there are too many people and they cannot all have jobs when robots and computers are making many humans, especially those without higher education in math and the natural sciences, superfluous. The best and most comprehensive series of books on the subject are free e-books. I suggest that people read them at http://www.andgulliverreturns.info. The series is heavily documented even though the odd-numbered books are in the science fiction realm. But the even numbered books are definitely nonfiction. Some of them discuss why people don't want to change what they see as their “rights.”

rtwngr 1 year ago

OMG, I hope you aren't really someone who, based on your username, is an instructor. This has to be one of the most obtuse posts to ever appear on these blogs. We are all more stupid for having read it.

DougCounty 1 year ago

Translation: I'm too....no....gotta resist.....whew! That was close!

LesBlevins 1 year ago

Think about it; the greatest generation was the generation that saw the need for and knew how to manufacture and use ships, tanks, guns, planes and munitions to win the war against our enemies in World War 2. This effort from 1942 to 1945 led the nation into a 50 year booming economy where all could get a good paying job who wanted one. And think about it; our biggest threat now isn’t Germany or Japan or Russia or Iran or North Korea,, it’s global warming and the climate changes it produces. Thinking people will realize that the way to put the United States back to work is do declare war against global warming and forget about diversionary fiascos like breaking meaningless and obscure Guinness world records. An all-out effort to win the war against global warming will create a revitalized America in manufacturing and deploying clean, alternative and renewable energy technologies here and abroad.

LesBlevins 1 year ago

Higher temperatures, more intense storms and increased drought will plague Kansas this century because of rising carbon dioxide emissions, according to a study by Kansas University scientists that was released Tuesday.

The study details numerous dangers posed by climate change and should serve as a warning and prompt new policies that reduce CO2 emissions, the scientists said.

“What’s important to remember — these are projections,” said Johannes Feddema, a geography professor who is a member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The study by Feddema and KU’s Nathaniel Brunsell, also a geography professor, was done for the Salina-based Land Institute’s Climate and Energy Project.

By 2100, if greenhouse gas emissions continue to increase as projected, temperatures in Kansas will rise an average of 2 degrees to 4 degrees, the study said. Southwest Kansas could see an increase of 8 degrees.

LesBlevins 1 year ago

By 2060, winter temperatures will stay mostly above freezing. That means more insects, diseases, and the need for farmers to increase the use of costly pesticides, the scientists concluded. Higher summertime temperatures will also hurt crops and livestock and increase the need for irrigation. Climate change will also cause more extreme weather patterns, including intense rain and flooding, but because of higher temperatures, soil moisture will decrease, and that means more intense drought. “What hurts Kansas also hurts the nation,” the report said. “Climate change will increase stress on America’s breadbasket, risking our food security.” An earlier study by the National Council of State Legislatures estimated that climate change could cost Kansas $1 billion per year.

rtwngr 1 year ago

Climactic change is a lie and you are merely perpetuating that lie. Please stop.

Paul R. Getto 1 year ago

-1 There is only one question: "Is this a disposable planet?" If the answer is "no," we all have work to do.

DougCounty 1 year ago

Les, thanks for the summary of this important paper, which is available free online: http://www.climateandenergy.org/_FileLibrary/FileImage/FeddemaSummary.pdf

Any Kansan who is interested in the real situation surrounding climate change would do good to read this paper.

rtwngr 1 year ago

My generation invented Earth Day. We were the ones that started it and it had nothing to do with conservation, love, peace, or any of that crap. It was the one day each year that reminded us of which planet in the solar system we inhabited because we were so stoned every other day of the year and had no clue where we were!