Friday, June 3, 2011

Oh hazy day

Late last night I smelled a fire burning. I wasn't sure if it was burning garbage, wood or someone's house. After going outside to investigate I turned on the news (around 11:00pm) to discover that the haze in the sky was due to a wildfire burning in Arizona. Local news stations have recommended that people with respiratory problems stay indoors and refrain from using swamp coolers.

I think that this is sound advice to everyone with or without respiratory problems. The air is dryer and hotter than usual and the haze is making my eyes burn and my throat feel dryer than usual and I don't have respiratory problems. It must be extremely uncomfortable for people with asthma, and severe allergies.

Most wildfires are caused by some's careless actions like throwing a burning cigarette out a car window or failing to properly put out a campfire. Most of New Mexico has had severe fire warnings for the last couple of months. On Memorial Day open fires and grills were forbidden however saw several residences in my neighborhood using charcoal grills.

The quality of the air we breath is equally as important as the quality of water we drink. So lets be responsible and make conscious decisions to reduce pollutants. Drive less, Albuquerque has a decent bus system that services most of the city and costs a mere $2.00 for a day pass. Some residents are riding their bikes to work instead of driving or taking the bus, even better your're killing two birds with one stone, reducing air pollution and getting some exercise! Take a walk! If you live in an area where there are a lot of local business walk to the business where you need to do your shopping. You're killing three birds with three stones this way by getting exercise, reducing pollution, and supporting local businesses. Please note I am using the phrase "killing two" and "three birds" as a euphemism. I like birds and I would prefer not to kill them.

I understand that today is National Doughnut Day. If you've done at least one these this week to help preserve our air quality then by all means reward yourself with a doughnut.

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