You continue to intrigue me about my own backyard! As a runner, I actually developed asthma for a time many years ago when the smog was so thick and unbearable! I had to use an inhaler before each run! Now, I am asthma free and I believe may be an indication that although not completely gone…it is much better!

Henie’s last blog post..Love Done Right Always Hurts

I love biking, although today, I opted to try the subway train. I was pleasantly surprised at the cleaniness, speed, look, and do-ability. It was great. (More on this to come.)

Did you know that if 1/3rd of New York City’s roofs were planted as “green roofs”, the ambient temperature of the city would drop (on average) 4 degrees? That is a 10% decrease of power-hungry air conditioning needs in the average home. That would reduce the city’s power consumption (another big smog producer) by almost 30% in the summer.

It’s a lot to think about. But if you’re wondering what you, as a single person, could do – Lisa’s got the simplest idea that also helps you to get in shape: ride a bike.

@ David Thanks, and yes, lower ozone levels are a breath of fresh air.

@ Diane C. I hadn’t done anything like the arrows before, but I knew to get the full impact of the smog, I’d need them. One of the advantages of living in the city is that I also can walk to the store.

@ Jannie Funster I look forward to that day, too.

@ Lisa’s Chaos I’m sorry about the errors you had on the blog. I hope they’re fixed now……………:)

Lisa’s Chaos’s last blog post..Why have just one?

Jannie Funster’s last blog post..Technical woes

Where we live now, the air is pretty clear, but we don’t want to add the pollution by driving needlessly. Luckily, we’re retired and don’t need to drive much. I enjoy walking to the store a mile away if I don’t need to buy much.

Diane C.’s last blog post..Skywatch Friday – Ocotillos

I decided to investigate further into the evolvement of the word “smog.”

In its most basic form you’re correct it’s a symptom of large metropolitan cities primarily since the Industrial revolution. But it’s mostly the creation of the mixture of automobile exhaust that creates ozone, a toxic gas.

Oh my!

1. A form of air pollution produced by the reaction of sunlight with hydrocarbons, nitrogen compounds, and other gases primarily released in automobile exhaust. Smog is common in large urban areas, especially during hot, sunny weather, where it appears as a brownish haze that can irritate the eyes and lungs. Ozone, a toxic gas that is not normally produced at lower atmospheric levels, is one of the primary pollutants created in this kind of smog. Also called photochemical smog.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/smog

All the efforts that are being made are wonderful, but it’s important to keep in mind, we’ll always have some degree of smog in the Los Angeles Basin. (Don’t forget about the wild fires and arson fires that cause smog, too.)