Friday, April 22, 2011

Earth Day

Happy Aloha Friday. That said, I don't know how people will be able to survive on this planet 50 years from now. You may not agree with my statement. And, in that you're not alone, for everybody else that I've said the same thing to, reacted like I was some kind of official purveyor of doom. However, if you factor in the world's population 50 years from now, plus the pollution, household garbage, lack of fuel source, lack of fresh water, insufficient food supply, and the list goes on, life on earth as we know it today won't be possible 50 years into the future, or possibly less than 50 years from now. Be happy that your existence on the planet is today. Yes there'll be medical discoveries that'll snuff out diseases that plague today's human race, and faster airplanes that'll take you thousands of miles in a matter of minutes, but otherwise, life necessities will be scarce. Incidentally, I just got working on that Lowe's site which opened today with a fanfare of traffic galore. I was under the impression the Lowe's site was the most contaminated site on the island, but actually it's "in the entire nation." Talk about Earth Day.

5 comments:

Kay said...

Really? How come? Are they burying stuff over there? In the nation? Good grief!

Kay said...

Forgot to mention that I agree about life being more difficult 50 years from now. I think we'll still be here, but at the rate of contamination and stripping the earth of resources... it won't be good.

OkiHwn said...

It's not "the most contaminated site on the island" as get plenty others. Also depends on what is meant by "contaminated" - petroleum-based, pesticides, chemicals, heavy metals, etc.

RONW said...

Kay- dig into the earth 4-feet below ground level and oil oozes out of the layer of soil. There's hazardous waste team on site monitoring the air any time a trench is excavated or people are working in the open trench. It's very expensive for the general contractor, but Lowe's probably picks up the tab, being that the site was bought cheap. Oh, and about the 50 years deadline, that's mainly to get people thinking, generally everybody presumes a new technology breakthroughs will follow in the footsteps of steampower, electricity, vaccines, X-rays, etc., to make life better, but the rapid succession of those inventions might have been a fluke. At any rate, having worked in the trenches stepping in decades of accumulated pollution makes me realize that it ain't that easy to get rid off, or would manufacturers be forthcoming disclosing the nature of the contaminated byproducts, and sweep every regulartory rule under the rug. Another scenario is where are we to bury all the dead people ater the world's poplulation qaudrubples. It will be against the law to die.

Nate- indeed there are sites that are more toxic on the island, but the reference was to sites that people actually have the pleasure of working on, at least, according to the company's disclosure to employees. Some people who I had worked with took their work clothes to the laundrymat to wash instead of the washing it at home. I don't even grab my cigarette out of the box using my fingers, I tip the cigarette box and try grab the filter tip of a cigarette with my lips. That's the old Brewer Chemical site. If any site was 2 parts per million more contaminated, I don't believe the health dept., etc, would allow anybody to build on it. Did I mention I glow in the dark.

OkiHwn said...

I was going to mention about the oil seeping out into footing excavations all over Pearl Harbor, and parts of Hickam. Certain areas of Schofield have sites where no habitable structures can be built unless the contaminated soil is removed or mitigated. Usual thing is to make them into paved parking which is a form of mitigation.