h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

cos it looks good


Seriously, this something that has to be funded at national level - with a long term plan over 20 or 30 years - problem is as far as I can tell there is a very low level of environmental awareness in the US (please correct me if I'm wrong) which means there is little pressure on the politicians to do anything. Here in Europe the politics of the environment are very much part of mainstream. I’m only in my early 30’s yet I have noticed the change in weather patterns over my lifetime – it scares me to think what it might be like when I’m my grandfathers age, but on the brightside we haven’t fried the planet with nuclear war which back in the early 80’s I was convinced would of happened by now (the night the Berlin wall fell was a most wondrous one).

yeah, they do like that status symbol thing.....

Actually, I think a lot of people in this country are quite aware of enviromental issues.... but this country is so vast that even though we do have areas that are quite smoggy, there are also areas where the air is always fresh and clean because the population is not so concentrated. I'm thinking of areas west of the missippi before you get to the california cities - with the exception of some large cities, that huge chunk of the country is mostly farmland and very sparsely populated. Even Amy can see a considerable difference between the area where she goes to school (in the mountains of Va) and this area - it simply is not as heavily populated, and therefore the air is a lot cleaner and fresher.

We do have mandatory recycling in this area (bottles, cans, newspaper, plastic #s 1 and 2), and if one wants to go way out of ones way, we can recycle styrefoam at a local styrefoam plant (and of course we have to drive there....ironic)

I think almost all of the grocery stores in this area now give a few cents credit for reusing bags - I made canvas bags years and years ago, which I use over and over and over then wash and use over and over and over again - I'm quite sure they've paid for themselves many times by now. But they still insist on packing some things in those nasty plastic bags - the things theyr'e afraid will leak all over my "nice canvas bags". And sometimes I stop at the store on the way home from other errands, and don't have my bags with me. But then I usually remember to ask for paper bags, because at least I can reuse them for other things. I do make sure to save the plastic bags that don't have holes in them for small stores to reuse - the amish stores are very glad to not have the expense of buying bags all the time.

We have what they call "ozone action days" in the summertime... when the ozone levels are so high because of the heat, humidity and stagnant air that they ask people not to drive any more than absolutely necessary, not to use gas powered lawn equipment and not to fill their gas tanks during the heat of the day if at all possible. People with respiratory problems are advised to stay in air conditioning those days.

There was actually an article in the paper today about a short line railroad between two towns in Oklahoma and Kansas - but that's way out in those sparsely populated plains states I was talking about earlier. We do actually have a short line railroad in Lancaster county - it runs from strasburg to paradise... but the thing is, it's really just a tourist attraction because it's doesn't really go anywhere, just a few miles. You could get off at one point and have a picnic, but that's it as far as useful travel on that railroad.

Developments are generally built on old farmland. Now granted, when this country was first settled, most of the east coast was woodland, and of course a lot of that was cleared for farming long ago, but generaly speaking, very little wood is cleared expressly for the purpose of building new developments. Occasionally there are some extremely expensive developments built in woodland, but most of the trees are left intact - just enough gets cleared for a small yard around each house, and many of the trees are even left in the yard area - mature landscaping is a lot more attractive than saplings, and an expanse of woodland between houses gives more privacy.

It might be possible to develop some kind of 20 or 30 year plan to improve the public transportation here.... something practical would have to be developed..... however, I was thinking about the idea that a town of 2,000 could have their own train station (who was it that mentioned it? Vogo?), and I realized just the three developments in this immediate area probably house almost that many people, and if we don't have that many people in this immediate area, there is a townhouse apartment complex and a condo complex within about 2 miles (just the other side of the no pedestrian crossing intersection), so that surely would add up to a population of 2,000 all together.... and even though I can imagine several places that a small station could be built... I'm not seeing anyplace where track could be run in and out of the area without creating real problems. But back to the feasibility of it all.... the whole thing is only practical if pedestrians have safe walkways to get to the station. But sidewalks are not likely to be built because of the type of roads involved...

It would take someone with far more ability than I have to plan this kind of thing.

thats why we elect other people

Some stuff I’ve been reading on the net – maybe others will also find it interesting



Human Activity Raises Level Of Sulphur Gas That Affects Ozone Layer
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/MediaAlerts/2002/200205169339.html


Changes In Rainfall Patterns Spur Plant Growth, Carbon Absorption Across U.S.
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NasaNews/2002/200205169337.html


The First National Scheme In The World For Trading Greenhouse Gas Emissions Has Opened In Britain
http://news.bbc.co.uk/low/english/sci/tech/newsid_1906000/1906322.stm


Campaigners Say European Union Boats Are Wasting West Africa's Rich Fishing Resources by Discarding Most Of Their Catch
http://news.bbc.co.uk/low/english/sci/tech/newsid_1898000/1898815.stm


For The First Time in 30 Years of Record Keeping, Some New York Lakes Failed To Freeze This Past Winter
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/MediaAlerts/2002/200203218320.html


Report Supports Sustainable Food Production
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/MediaAlerts/2002/200203208319.html


Antarctic Ice Sheet Key To Sudden Sea Level Rise In The Past
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/MediaAlerts/2002/200203288330.html


Isn't the Internet a wonderful tool.

one last one
Floating wind turbine could whip up rain
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99992309

There's always Strasburg... but you only get to Paradise and back...

I dont know about the US but anywhere here wiv Paradise in its name almost always tends to be the biggest dump you could imagine

Depends on what you consider to be a dump I suppose....


Paradise, Pa is a quaint little town in the heart of Amish country, meaning there's not much at all there.

In Londow you will see shops called Paradise whatever or small streats called Paradise whatever and without fail there in places where you make sure the central locking is on in the car

Ah, I see...

This place was named paradise by the german settlers who came to this country... it's just a quaint little town. Probably a lot of tourist trap to it, but not the kind of paradise the shops you're experienced with are trying to promote...

On the other hand, we also have towns with names like Intercourse, Bird in Hand, Lititz and Ephrata... again, they're just small towns named by the early german settlers in the area...

wasn’t trying to promote, just commentating on my experience of Paradise in London - just for the record the two shops I can think of wiv Paradise in the title are a Fish bar & an outsized lady's dress shop

oh, no... I didn't mean you were trying to promote them, only that they were probably trying to promote unsavory things, but it doesn't sound like it if they sell dresses and fish!

no - you find thos sort of shops in Soho - which is quite a safe part of London.

ah

it is - its one of those wierd palces where the nice mixes wiv the not so nice but the nice tends be wot you remember - that and the fact theres lots of policeman around

not that apear to do a lot - but at least they are there

and yet it's the bad areas that really need the police presence... and they send them all to the good areas instead?

centeral london is compact - its near some important places - but at least the police pressance means the drug dealers & pimps are well mannered

lovely.