I hate the pollution here - and despite what the community leaders say, the air was much better when ISG was closed... I'm sure there are many other new offenders (GEM) but overall we are moving in the wrong direction with our regional environment. I'm not doing enough to have an impact about that, and am interested in how to do more to raise awareness of the right issues, at the right levels - the closest I've heard discussed is the work of the Great Lakes researchers including John Klien. Any thoughts what we can do to help the big picture are welcome.

On Memorial Day I had a very small eco footprint - my family didn't use AC - we didn't drive all over - we didn't BBQ or cut grass and weedwack - we went to the community pool to cool off, and rented a movie. All those things were done in consideration of their ecological impact - and I'd like to bring more ways to conserve the Earth into my life. Who else is thinking about this, and what?

I started my short drive into Downtown today with a great deal of excitment... summer weather is here!!!!   Then I hit a "brick wall" of reality.  As I crested the hill on I-90 to get on the interbelt bridge I saw something that drained every ounce of excitement from my body... Clevelands Skyline drenched in a cloud of polution.  The BROWN hase of Cleveland seemed almost surreal, was my windshild THAT dirty?  I actually stuck my head out the side window hoping that my eyes were playing tricks on me... they where not.  It is with great dissapointment that I contiunued on my way to my appointment.

This past weekend, and ever since the weather has warmed up, I have been trying to walk more and drive less. I probably spend more than 10 hours a week walking now, more than I spend in the car. I am fortunate to live in a community where I can walk to almost everything anyone might need -- everyone should. I am trying develop a love for the outdoors and physical fitness in my children. We have a great time walking to the playground, the park and local shops. More people should try to live in a community where there are alternatives to driving to everything.

Norm, 

Automobiles are by far the largest air quality derogators.  Take all the gasoline that is sold everyday in NEO and blend it with lots of air in a hot engine - and spew it thousands and thousands of miles around the countryside - and we have an atomized invisible poison of which anyone trained in chemical warfare would be proud.    Day in, Day out...Ozone City on a Lake...

By contrast, Gem is just a little blip.  GEM is actually an important player in recycling, it is just that no one seems to be minding their store, not the owner who allowed welding near explosive fumes, and not the federal, state, or local regulators who are out to lunch.  I assume that GEM allows (encourages)  volatilization of everything they can get to evaporate which they can’t sell to a greenhouse or wherever as fuel,  but their evaporated volumes are miniscule compared to cars.   In Southern California the Air Quality Authority would see that every tank on the GEM property was sealed to volatile evaporation - but in NEO?

The steam heating plant just below Terminal Tower is a point source candidate for a pollution award though.   I don’t think they have any gas or particulate recovery on their stack.  The coal cars come in, are dumped, and go directly up the chimney.  Solid to gas – like magic!  Who owns that facility, anyway?

And of course there are the steel mills and their coking operations...