biojournalism.com

This is annoying.

In this day and age, the world is so much smaller than it used to be. As a journalism major, I am always trying to think of ways to make a story relevant and important to the bulk of society. This same principle of relevance and importance is true for various causes. In order to get people who don’t care to try to start making a difference, you have to find a way to make it important.

The main way environmental activists have tried to get apathetic parties interested in a certain cause is through economic means. If they make a particular conservation effort also economically viable, they stand a better chance of making the effort a reality. I propose a more unorthodox method; use people’s annoyance to further a cause.

Aside from being kind of a pretty rainbow, this oil spot cannot be good. Poor ecosystem....

Water pollution is a huge environmental concern. The degradation of our water systems has had huge affects on aquatic life. Polluted water entering storm drains have caused losses in fish populations and in the stability of aquatic ecosystems. As a reminder to the public, many public storm drains have pictures of fish next to them, reminding people that many drains lead straight to water systems. The EPA states that “90 percent of surface pollutants are carried by the first 1-1/2 inch of rainfall.”

Pictures of fish next to storm drains will not solve the problems of polluted run-off. The majority of the pollution comes from cars and from the chemicals found in asphalt. The people in the cars can’t see the pictures and the asphalt doesn’t care.

One solution is using permeable concrete. I have worked for the Tualatin Hills Park and Recreation District for the past two summers and I have seen the park district use permeable pavement for certain parking lots. For at least this type of pavement, it looked like regular pavement and was as smooth as regular pavement, so even people on bikes didn’t notice the change.

However, the environment will notice the change. Groundwater can be better replenished, polluting run-off is diminished, and trees and landscaping are much happier receiving the water. The environment benefits.

Petitioning contractors and developers to consider using permeable alternatives to asphalt and traditional concrete could go a long way. Although proponents of permeable concrete and paving surfaces have already tried to explain the economic benefits, I think that many times a different approach should be taken to get the public involved.

Some people use safety as a reason for the change. It is true that permeable concrete would be safer. Dangerous pools of water will be eliminated and the tendency of cars to hydroplane in foul weather will be diminished, making driving on wet days much safer.

However, there is a simpler and possibly more effective alternative. People sometimes ignore safety benefits if it is an inconvenience. An obvious example of this would be banning drivers from using cell phones. It would greatly improve safety, but is also an inconvenience.

Rather, use their annoyance. I live in Eugene. It is rainy here and I walk to class every day. I have seen puddles that morphed into small lakes, making pathways impassable. I have dodged waves of waters kicked up by passing cars.

A permeable surface eliminates these everyday annoyances that people in wet climates endure.

This is definitely just a small thing to advocate considering the huge issues in diminishing biodiversity and environmental degredation and perhaps I’m being a bit flippant about the whole concrete topic. However, big things come from small things. Trying to get people to face gigantic changes or admit that there are huge problems is a large task.

Getting one town to mandate that all new road construction must use permeable solutions is a huge step. After a town, a city, or a state. A small change can lead to big changes and large solutions. Everything must start small.