Earth Day: Too Little, Too Late?

14 藝文新聞 F E A T U R E S THURSDAY, APRIL 23, 2009 • TAIPEI TIMES Earth Day: too little, too late? llen Mackey circles the paradise of drought- Los Angeles. running out of arable fertile land, of topsoil, we’re were in 40 years ago.” tolerant plants edging her model eco-home and But environmental action did not, necessarily, make running out of carrying capacity of our oceans. We’ve Rogers, of Earth Day Network, says it’s incumbent pauses before its electric meter, triumphant. for an entirely healthier environment. been losing species at an accelerated rate.” upon the environmental and corporate communities to E Its wheel is turning backward — her 36 Global warming, habitat loss and hunting put one In 1970, the Earth was home to 3.7 billion people; invest in green technology. rooftop solar panels injecting juice back into the city’s out of four mammals — including the Tasmanian devil today, there are 6.7 billion, an 80 percent increase. In “We all need to become political,” she said. “I power grid. — at risk of extinction by the end of this century, the same period, the US population grew from believe in volunteerism, but 99 percent of Earth Day is “I use so little electricity the DWP [Department according to a 2008 report by the International Union 205 million to 306 million, while California’s civic action, it’s public policy. It’s getting out there and of Water and Power] tells me I’m one of their worst for Conservation of Nature. population nearly telling other people in charge, ‘We’re not going to put customers,” said Mackey, 57, of Sun Valley, California. In addition, overfishing doubled to 40 million. up with it any more.’ “If every LA homeowner set up solar ... we could and acidification of the seas When the first Earth Day took Meanwhile, climate “Because of climate change, we don’t have the severely limit our use of electricity, reduce fossil fuels, threaten coral reefs and place in 1970, American change has boosted the luxury of sitting around anymore as citizens and waiting limit global warming and stop giving money to people marine species such as the average Earth temperature for something to happen.” who hate us.” Chinook salmon. Dead zones environmentalists had good by 0.7° C, enough to melt Back on April 22, 1970, the ecologist had joined now lurk off the West Coast. reason to feel guilty polar ice caps and raise the NOT A MOMENT TOO SOON 20 million Americans in a grass-roots call for “In many ways, things sea level 7.6cm. Mackey and her daughter, Alexia, weren’t about to environmental action they named Earth Day. They have gotten better, in Carbon dioxide, a wait before transforming their 1950s tract house into a were angry that acid rain fell in the East, rivers burned many ways, they’ve gotten greenhouse gas blamed model eco-home. in the Midwest, and Los Angeles choked beneath a worse,” said Ashwani BY DANA BARTHOLOMEW for global warming, has Ellen Mackey was 19 when she demonstrated in the thick brown blanket of smog. Vasishth, professor of urban NY TIMES NEWS SERVICE, LOS ANGELES increased 18 percent. The 1970 Earth Day in Haverhill, Massachusetts. Mackey joined a projected 1 billion people around planning at California State impact of climate change, “We didn’t know what to do,” she said. “So we the world yesterday for an Earth Day rally to safeguard University, Northridge, and according to federal picked up trash. We talked about whales. About clean Mother Earth. founder of the year-old environmental regulators, water. Clean air. Pollution. Healthy issues. Nearly 40 years after the first widespread call for Institute for Sustainability. ranges from drought to floods to more intense storms, “We wanted to change the world, to make a environmental protection helped spawn a tangle of While Southern California’s air is visibly cleaner, in addition to harming water resources, agriculture, difference. I guess I never grew up. I still believe that regulations against pollution, the air looks cleaner, with fewer extremely smoggy days, Vasishth said that wildlife and ecosystems. one person can make a difference — that I, and my the waters appear bluer and the roads seem to draw overall particulate levels have increased. “It’s the population, it’s killing us,” said Bill Patzert, daughter, can make a difference.” less litter. “What we call pollution is shifting,” he said. “How a research oceanographer at NASA’s Pasadena-based Mackey, now a senior ecologist for the Metropolitan But despite such gains — and a global we measure harm to the environment is changing. Jet Propulsion Laboratory, who for a decade has Water District, has co-authored a book on Southern consciousness gone green — many scientists say the We’re better informed. We’re more aware of lectured on the dangers of climate change. “We’re California’s native plant gardens. She’s also a past planet is in jeopardy. Oceans are sick. Forests are our risks. worse off than we were before. president of the Theodore Payne Foundation of Sun clear-cut. And plant and animal species face extinction “If there’s one thing we “The bottom line is that, Valley and the Eco-Home Network of Silver Lake. from climate change and a critical loss of habitat. need to be concerned in spite of all the good When she bought her 1950s home 12 years ago, her “We all agree that we’re in much worse shape than about, it’s climate intentions of Earth first water and electricity bill was US$238. in 1970,” said Kathleen Rogers, president of the Earth change. We’re Day — and all the That was before she converted the 167m² house on a Day Network, the group that organized Earth Day. running out do-gooders like suburban cul-de-sac to an affordable-energy and water- “We’ve cleaned up the stuff we can see. But it’s the of water, me — we’ve conservation home. stuff we can’t see — particulates in the air, toxins, the we’re dug our- First came the US$17,000 solar energy system impact of persistent organic pollutants that turn male selves into — funded by a 70 percent rebate fish into female fish — that are more prevalent. a deeper from the Department of Water “We have a major battle ahead of us.” hole and Power. than Then came US$10,000 in ‘ONE PERSON AT A TIME’ we double-pane windows. Nearly Earth Day festivals in the San Fernando Valley at the US$1,700 in insulation in the weekend featured attractions from yogis to attic, walls and floor. And a host zero-emissions cars. of personal touches, including a But can individual contributions like recycled glass-and-granite countertop, curbside recycling, canvas shopping composite wood hot tub deck and bags or native plants help avert a a needlepoint that reads “Reduce pending environmental cataclysm? Reuse Repair Recycle.” “It takes one person at a time,” said Outside her home is an Stephanie Lallouz, producer of the Topanga extensive low-water garden that Earth Day Festival. “It’s an awakening.” includes native flowers like purple Flashback to 1970. sage interspersed with organic Protests against the Vietnam War spilled over to foods like tomatoes, blackberries outrage about industrial pollution: Oil that fouled and crook-neck squash. Santa Barbara beaches. Bald eagles threatened by Today, her highest utility bills are DDT. The Cuyahoga River in Cleveland again aflame. US$70 for two months of winter heat. In response, US Senator Gaylord Nelson proposed In summer, she employs a swamp cooler, Earth Day, the first nationwide environmental protest. but pays no power bill. When it’s 37.7° C A modern green movement was born. outside, it’s a temperate 23.8° C inside. “It sounds as if the land has gone mad, and in a “We have a planetary problem,” said Mackey, way some of it has — mad at man’s treatment of his standing next to a barrel used to catch rainwater. “We environment,” said Life magazine following the first need people to know they can do this, on their budget, SERVICE Earth Day event. NEWS reducing their consumption of water and electricity. TIMES The green-flag event helped launch the NY “It’ll make a difference, to the state, to the nation, Environmental Protection Agency and passage of the ILLUSTRATION: all the way to the polar bears ... You have to believe Clean Air, Clean Water and Endangered Species acts. you can make a change. Since then, the smog alert has largely vanished from “Or you’d give up.” [ te CHNOLOGY ] Understanding Intel’s new technologies What are the differences between Intel’s i7, Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Quad processors, and is it worth shelling out for a computer with the latest chip? BY Jay DOUGherty DPA, WASHINGTON Intel’s technology leads the way when it comes to cores can go into a zero-power mode when it’s not to those who use them, however, extreme capacity as digital video recorders. A specific set PC hardware today. Unfortunately, the company is being used, thus lowering power requirements of processors offer an “unlocked” multiplier, which of technologies — include dual or quad core chips, also good at confusing consumers with its myriad the chip and the system as a whole. allows enthusiasts to overclock the chips — or push high definition audio, and certain Intel chipsets brand names and labels. There’s the i7, Viiv, a Right now the i7 is a desktop-only chip, but you them beyond their rated speeds — by adjusting — combine to make a PC worthy of the Viiv logo.

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