Snortblog

As global climate change threatens life on earth, Governor Perry has fast tracked hearings for eight coal-burning power plants. With conservation and use of some of the best real estate for wind generation, Texas has other options. You can object to the fast track permitting by sending a fax and have your objections be made part of the official record by printing a hard copy of the fax and mailing it to:

I took a few pictures when I rode my bike downtown early in the morning.

After we arrived in Santa Fe, New Mexico, we went on a bike trail called the Santa Fe Rail Trail. We picked up the trail from somewhere along Rodeo Road, where it turns to dirt. The trail itself is pretty smooth, with some gullying and mild ups and downs. I rode my commuter bike, not the best bike for the job, but with the exception of a few spots, it was smooth biking. It was a nice ride that paralleled the train tracks, all the way to the train depot at Lamy, where we found picnic tables. We were disappointed to find out that the train doesn’t run into Santa Fe, given the historical importance of the railroad to Santa Fe. There is a shuttle, but you have to have a train ticket to get a ride to Santa Fe. Based on the map, it looks like the train is available for special events. When we pulled in we were lucky to find a train full of tourists arriving and more importantly, a catered meal served just in time! The best map I could find on it is at www.bikenm.org/news/030607_trailsday.jpg.

Santa Rosa Lake State Park was a great stop for hiking and biking. There was plenty of road, not much traffic and beautiful countryside. The following photo is a panorama of the lake.

As we made our way to Santa Fe, New Mexico, U.S.A., we stopped for an exercise break at Oasis State Park, just across the border from Texas. It was a compact park, with a lake and lots of people fishing. The lake was surrounded by sand dunes, great for short hikes. There were many birds.

We went camping at Mother Neff State Park, the first state park in Texas. It’s a nice little park, with a couple limestone structures built by the Civilian Conservation Corps. It’s close to Waco. We liked spot #12 the best. Area roads made for fine bicycle riding, with little traffic. I even ran into some folks biking from Temple.

Years ago, when pondering what I could do to live a more sustainable life, I realized I’d need to obtain most of my food locally. Being reared on grocery store food, where everything is in season all of the time, I struggled to imagine not only living without certain fresh foods at certain times of the year, but also living without certain foods altogether. At the time, I lived in a place where subtropical plants wouldn’t grow. As I tried to imagine myself living as sustainably as possible, I couldn’t see myself living without citrus. During most of my childhood, I’d started every day with a glass of orange juice. The smell of torn lemon rind, the tang of a tangerine–it would have been too much to lose. I’d have to move to a warmer climate. Now I’m happy to report that I live in a warmer climate, on the cold northern edge of the subtropics. Agricultural zone 8. Warm enough for citrus, but just barely.

We’ve had a pair of satsuma orange trees in the ground for 8 years. This year was a banner year for one of them. Satsumas are cold tolerant to at least 18 degrees F. or reportedly even lower temperatures for brief periods. Satsumas have a low number of seeds and they are very easy to peel. Their segments separate easily–all in all, a very tidy citrus fruit, great for on the go snacks and for kids.

I don’t water much. The Satsumas have thrived during a hot, droughty year when lesser plants died. If you want to grow citrus outside of the Rio Grande valley in Texas, Satsuma is the variety of choice.

Information on harvesting:
http://aggiehorticulture.tamu.edu/patiocitrus/harvestingtext.html

It takes an economist to state the obvious and make it compelling for the ultra-rich—global climate change is bad for the global economy. From the BBC, this article states that

…if no action [against climate change] is taken:

• Floods from rising sea levels could displace up to 100 million people
• Melting glaciers could cause water shortages for 1 in 6 of the world’s population
• Wildlife will be harmed; at worst up to 40% of species could become extinct
• Droughts may create tens or even hundreds of millions of “climate refugees”

This would be bad for the economy.

Steve Martin once said, more or less, that he had learned enough philosophy to screw him up for the rest of his life. I feel that way about environmental studies. I’ve learned enough to know that, in a geologically short period of time, we’ve messed things up enough for it to take a very long time to repair.

We live on really great planet. I can’t think of another planet I’d rather live on. We owe it to ourselves and future generations to stop screwing it up before it’s too late.

Other links about the Stern report include http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200610/s1776304.htm and http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/10/britains_stern.php