So, while my day job makes it rather easy for me to become obsessed with the river of oil spewing into the Gulf of Mexico from the sunken BP oil rig, I am also worried about how its spread will affect families in Lousiana and possibly my own.
I wrote to my dad this morning asking-- if things did get bad down by him-- if he would take photos, "iReport" back, tell the stories of his neighbors, his friends etc. both because I was interested, and I thought that some OnEarth Greenlight readers might be interested too.
As a matter of context, I should note that my dad is not a scientist, or a biologist. He just lives on the Gulf. He was raised in an Air Force family and is, by many measures, a conservative. A doctor by trade, he loves to cook, loves to go fishing, and thinks that if he takes me out on a boat every time I visit someday I will start to love fishing too (usually I just get sea sick). We don't always agree, but here's what he had to say about the spill:
Check out this is the NOAA site- pretty good info -
Re blogging: I might blog, should we become directly involved (which means oil in or near Destin). Unfortunately, I feel this is likely.
This spill is immense and we are totally at the whim of currents and winds. Any South wind pushes oil directly to the beaches and marshes.
This spill will have a devastating effect on the coastal economy- our Florida economy is directly dependent on tourism which affects all walks of life here- hotels, restaurants, fishing charters, hospitals - and yes, even gas stations. This occurs in an era where many of the fisheries have had reduced seasons, limits or closed completely...
The long reaching effects of the contamination of the Louisiana marshes is incalculable: this area is a very important ecosystem for developing fish, shrimp and other sea creatures which later move to the Gulf of Mexico- providing for the seafood and fishing industry.
Sugar white beaches of Destin hold a universal appeal- but not so appealing should they become blacked. Any positive outcome? Maybe people will think a little harder about how high we live on the energy curve and what these "safe" offshore drilling risks really are.
Dad
I think that about summs it up.
]]>Today, EcoGeek reported in their blog post “EcoGeeks get all the girls” that “It turns out girls dig guys who dig environmental technology.”
Where are they getting their information? From Big Three automaker GM.
Fancy that.
As it happens, GM did a study this year as part of their Challenge X competition (“a yearly competition among college students to make GM vehicles more efficient”)- the results were probably pretty shocking to GM Exec Bob Lutz, who just a few days ago suggested to Steven Colbert that aside from cheaper fuel (i.e. < $1 per gallon) the new Chevy Volt electric car would help Steven attract a particularly elusive type of woman: the hippie chick.
Well, read this Mr Lutz: eco-cars don’t just attract hippies anymore.
According to GM’s own research eco-friendlier cars attract nearly 88% of women overall. In fact
“Eighty percent of American car buyers would find someone with the latest fuel-efficient car more interesting to talk to at a party than someone with the latest sports car.”
As an environmentalist non-hippie chick, and a former psych major, it makes sense to me.
Women are shown in studies to be attracted to intelligence and (to put it simply) stability— two things that are generally held by people "who dig environmental technology.”
I think 88 percent of women have come to face facts: we’re pulling resources from the ground about as fast as we’re pumping carbon into the air --- oil is running out fast, prices are skyrocketing faster, and natural gas and other fossil fuels aren’t going to take us far before they run out too.
Oh yea, and dollar for dollar investment in green energy will create more jobs than investing said money in.. say.. oil.
Something’s gotta give.
So a person who understands that the best blue and true solutions are…well… green…is probably going to be the one that girls like myself will flock to.
So if a girl wants a smart companion, a stable companion-- someone who gets it and is planning for the future-- who is she going to chase?
The choice is clear, Mr. Lutz – most girls are going to chase that person driving the small, efficient, eco- friendly car.
I think speak on behalf of 88% of my fellow ladies when I say, please, keep those efficient eco-friendlier cars coming.
]]>