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Tour offers solutions to pollution Photo by Steve Johnson A small solar radio-flashlight was just one of the many energy-saving gadgets that Eric Dickinson, left, and Jessy Jordan played with at the Pollution Solutions forum Monday afternoon at Southern Oregon University. Helping the planet can save money, advocate says By PAUL FATTIG ASHLAND -- Eric Howard sounded a bit like a fire-and-brimstone preacher warning the world of the end times. "The sea levels will be rising -- the intensity of hurricanes will increase," he predicted. "There will be increased droughts, something that will hurt farming. "The cost is going to be very, very high for all of us," he added. "This is very serious." But Howard, whose voice is actually quite calm, wasn't talking of a biblical Armageddon. Rather, he was talking about the sins of a polluting society. "When we are more friendly to the Earth, we can reduce pollution and save money," said Howard, a member of the nonprofit Pollution Solutions tour, which stopped at Southern Oregon University Monday. Sponsored by the National Environmental Trust, the tour is aimed at educating the public about reducing pollution such as carbon dioxide believed by many scientists to be heating up the Earth. The tour, which began in New Orleans in mid-March, will be in Eugene today. "What we're telling people is that they can easily save money while reducing global warming pollution," he said. "The expense of global warming is going to be very, very high. Computer models are showing us that the problem is serious, very significant." Last fall, the Climate Impacts Group at the University of Washington announced that the Pacific Northwest climate is already heating up. Using a climate model, the 19 scientists and policy analysts in the group predicted that the next 50 years will bring an increase of five degrees in average temperature to the region, along with reduced winter snowpack, more winter rain and hotter and drier summers. Not everyone agreed. The region's weather is determined by wet and dry cycles, not global warming, countered Oregon state climatologist George Taylor. Other scientists believe that human activity has an impact, but the bulk of the change is part of a larger natural cycle not yet understood. Even if global warming were not supported by most in the scientific community, those in the Pollution Solutions tour noted that reducing pollution will save the average person money while cleaning the air. They demonstrated several energy-saving gadgets, from an electric bicycle to a car that gets 70 miles per gallon. "One of the easiest things to do to save money is to switch to compact fluorescent light bulbs," Howard said. "It uses one quarter of the power a regular light bulb uses." While they may cost more, they also last for seven years, he said. "That will save you in the long run," he said. "You won't be paying as much for utility bills and you will be buying a lot less bulbs. "If every household in the country switched to three compact fluorescent light bulbs, you could get rid of nine power plants in this country. It really adds up," Howard added. Pollution Solutions is also trying get the government to do more to promote and make renewable energy a priority. "For instance, the government can raise the standard for fuel efficiency for automobiles," Howard said. "The technology is here." As evidence, he pointed to a Honda Insight used on the tour that is equipped with an electric engine to assist a gasoline engine and gets 70 miles per gallon. "Compare that to the average car today which gets about 19 miles to the gallon," Howard said. "This car never needs to be plugged in because it charges itself up when you decelerate." The Honda Insight also turns itself off when it comes to a stop light, thus saving more energy, he observed. The truck pulling the Airstream trailer housing much of the tour equipment operates on natural gas. "It's better than regular gas because it's 30 percent cleaner," Howard said. "You pollute less and it's cheaper. So it makes sense for communities to change their buses over to natural gas." More information on Pollution Solutions is available at the following Web site: www.hotearth.net Reducing pollution at home The Pollution Solutions folks say the solution starts at home with the following steps: Next time you replace your most frequently used vehicle, buy a fuel-efficient car that gets at least 32 miles per gallon. Insulate your home, tune up your furnace and install low-flow shower heads. Replace two of the five most frequently used light bulbs in your home with compact fluorescent light bulbs. Leave your car at home two days a week if possible. Recycle all of your home's waste newsprint, cardboard, glass and metal. Install a solar thermal system to help provide your hot water. When you replace your washing machine, buy a low-energy, low-water-use machine. Make sure it has an Energy Star logo. Buy food and other products with reusable or recyclable packaging. When you buy a new refrigerator, purchase a high-efficiency model with the Energy Star logo. Plant a few additional trees and plants around your home. Today's Edition : News | Sports | Business | Weather | Tempo | Classifieds Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA