Natural notes: A letter to my neighbor 25 minutes up the road

December 26, 2013

President Obama:

            I am writing to urge you to stand down any legislation that would move the Keystone Pipeline project forward.  I know that we are in an economic bottleneck and that we need to create jobs and build back our economy sooner rather than later.  The Keystone Pipeline does sound promising with all of its presumed “job creation.”  But I hope you do NOT let this project go forward during your rein of power.  This pipeline has enormous environmental consequences looming beneath it, and as you know environmental depletion and economic degradation are intimately linked.  If we let this project move forward, we will further compromise America’s natural resources, including endangered natural capital such as brook trout and other sensitive wildlife, and the greenhouse gas emissions that result from this dirty energy production practice could vastly accelerate climate change.  Also, let us not forgot the high risk of oil spills, chemical leaks, habitat fragmentation, depleted real estate values, and more! 

Why not focus our energy efforts on clean, renewable sources such as wind, solar, geothermal, and food-based fuel sources (such as biodiesel)?  Wouldn’t this bring more jobs and prosperity to America?  And what about all of the energy we waste?  Think about the last time you were out at night and saw billboards blazed with spotlights or gas stations with blinding illumination that can be seen from miles away and high in the sky!  We could potentially reduce how much energy we think we need by 25% or more practically overnight - and without much compromise to convenience - if we thought about the level at which we inefficiently use energy and resources. 

I hope you will take this seriously and not let money or politics cloud your judgment.  Please do not allow this disastrous Keystone Pipeline project to move forward.  Instead, help us move forward towards environmental sustainability which can and will translate to economic vitality. 


Thank you for your leadership and have a happy New Year,


Alex Palmer

Hyattsville, MD

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Windy City Cactus: Eastern Prickly Pear Cactus

Image
When you think of Chicago, you probably don't think of sand dunes, prairies, or large oak trees.  Yet despite Chicago being the third largest city in the United States and heavily impacted by urban sprawl and industrial blight, there remains thousands of acres of greenspace with wetlands, open woods, sandy beaches...and some rather surprising flora. The pictures below were not shot in Arizona nor in Southwest California, but were in fact taken at the 63rd street beach on a recently restored sand dune near Hyde Park in Chicago, Illinois.  They are the eastern prickly pear cactus ( Opuntia humifusa ) . Figure 1:  Eastern prickly pear cactus, a native plant to the Chicago region and the only native cactus to the Great Lakes area.   The genus Opuntia is much more common out west where they have many different species, but in the Great Lakes and Midwest regions, the eastern prickly pear is the only native cactus.  It tends to be a little bit smaller than its western counterp
Read more

Natural Notes: Animals of the Night

Image
Are you a night owl?  If you're an Illinois wildlife species, than chances are, yes!  However, many animals besides owls are active at night.  In fact, the majority of wildlife species in Illinois are hunting, gathering mates, establishing territories, and moving about during the nighttime hours! A daytime walk on a trail through a forest preserve might yield some common wildlife sightings such as gray squirrels ( Sciurus carolinensis ) or sparrows.  Most animals that people see around Illinois are active during the day, or   diurnal.   Humans are a great example of a diurnal animal.   Other animals though are most active active at different times of the day (figure 1).  Late in the afternoon or early in the day, many folks encounter white-tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus ).  Deer are a great example of a wildlife species that is crepuscular , or active at dawn or dusk. Figure 1:  In Illinois, most wildlife species are more active at certain times of the day.  For thos
Read more

Virginia Pineapple? The fascinating family of Bromeliaceae

Image
Who hasn't tried pineapple before?  It always seems to end up in fruit salads at family reunions, there's always someone in the crowed ordering "Hawain pizza", and the grocery stores always seem stocked full with showy pineapples displaying their rough-textured, compartmentalized skin with bizarre green leaves on top (Photo A).  To most people living in temperate regions such as most of the lower 48 United States, pineapples are nothing short of exotic and unusual - and not like anything we have growing in the wild on our landscape...or do we? Photo A:  A pineapple grows wild along a woodland edge in a tropical park in  Ecuador, South America. Pineapples are in the family Bromeliacea, which includes a large group of mostly tropical plants that are primarily  epiphytes - plants that grow on top of other plants (see photo B). Photo B: Bromiliads, shown in the center of this photo, are a common group of tropical epiphytes throughout rain forests and
Read more