Smog

A while back I mentioned the trip my wife and I took to Wyoming. One of the most stunning differences between Wyoming, and here on the east coast, was the sky.

Not the fact that you could see so much of it. Not the fact that you could see why the Milky Way is considered milky. It was simply the clearness of the air.

Landing in Philadelphia, we descended into a brown haze. I guess living on the east coast, and in NY city, I never really noticed how prevalent it was. But you literally felt like you were slowly dipping into cloudy lake water.

'Well, this is Philly', I thought.

But lately, as I drive into Harrisburg, I'm noticing the brown cloud that hangs over the city. And not just the city... but out into they nearby suburban developments, where kids play in their tiny backyards, and drink from the garden hoses fed by the river.

Don't get me wrong. I'm no tree hugger. I've wasted my share of resources. I put my recycling out. I try to re-use what I can. (I'm part swamp Yankee, and we'll save just about anything, 'just in case'.)

But I drive by myself from Lebanon to Harrisburg, a 45 minute drive. I know I'm putting unnecessary chemicals into the air. But I also feel strapped as to what I can do about it. It'll take an efficient car priced below $10k before I can join the 'green' driving elite.

And I'm not against public transportation either. But I'd have to drive to get to a bus stop, and then wouldn't get dropped off anywhere near where I work.

So, I wait, and watch that cloud every morning, spewing more out of my exhaust, but hoping I don't get any on me.


In the spirit of this post, here's an idea to make the most of your internal combustion engine.
http://www.wikihow.com/Cook-Food-on-Your-Car%27s-Engine