By Marvin Lindsay
For the Salisbury Post
Saving the county’s dwindling tree canopy is one of the most effective ways to clean up Rowan’s dirty air, a local environmental leader told a gathering of Democratic Party activists Thursday night.
Lisa Wear, director of Horizons Unlimited and an adjunct professor at Catawba College’s Center for the Environment, was the keynote speaker at the monthly meeting of the Rowan County Democratic Party.
The party’s vision statement calls for “the creation of a county, state and nation which provides for a healthy and sustainable natural environment, including clean air and water.”
Rowan Democrats invited Wear to speak to raise awareness about environmental problems facing the community as well as potential solutions.
Wear began by acknowledging that we all look at issues from different vantage points. Disagreements might not be a difference between right and wrong, but one of perspective, based on where we live, what our occupation is, and other factors.
That said, the statistics about Rowan County’s air quality are a cause for concern.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, Rowan County’s air quality is the worst in the state and the 20th worst of all counties in the United States.
Ground level ozone, which is produced by car exhaust, smoke stacks, off-road equipment and other sources, is the chief culprit. The problem is the worst between May and September.
The chemical reaction that forms ground-level ozone needs sunlight. Long summer days provide plenty of it.
Breathing dirty air can cause inflammations in the respiratory tract, make asthma worse, increase the likelihood of contracting infections and damage lung tissue. Rowan’s ozone problem is also an economic development concern.
If the county’s air isn’t cleaned up by 2010, Rowan could lose federal dollars for highway expansion. And, as Wear asked, “What’s going to happen to real estate values if the word gets out about our poor air quality?”
Because the pollution that contributes to ground-level ozone can drift in from outside county lines, solutions to this problem will require a regional effort, Wear said. She also touted the value of trees in cleaning up pollution. Trees remove 711,000 metric tons of pollution from the air every year, said Wear, an economic value of $3.8 billion.
There are lots of options available for preserving the tree canopy:
– Maintaining a 50-percent tree canopy cover in your yard;
– Passing a tree ordinance that would limit clear-cutting of forests for residential and commercial development;
– Individuals and civic groups engaging in tree planting projects;
– Planting five new trees for every one mature tree that is cut down;
– Preserving open space, woods, farms, and riparian buffers along rivers and streams.
Wear praised Charlotte’s $1 million program to plant 2,700 trees in medians and along city streets in order to clean up that city’s dirty air.
Other options for improving air quality include synchronizing traffic lights to reduce idling, driving more slowly, switching to hybrid cars or vehicles that use alternative energy sources and providing electric plug-ins at truck stops to reduce truck idling. The Derrick, on Interstate 85, already has these plug-ins.
The Democratic Party activists appeared to share Wear’s enthusiasm for preserving Rowan’s tree canopy. At the conclusion of her presentation, participants had the chance to vote for their preferred solutions to the problem of Rowan’s poor air quality. A countywide tree ordinance garnered the most support.
Other developments at Thursday’s meeting:
– First Vice Chair Genoal Russell moderated the meeting in the absence of Party Chair Neal Smith who was recently hospitalized. Longtime precinct captain and Democratic Party activist Maynard Newman died recently, and was recognized. Local Democratic office holders, including County Commissioner Tina Hall and Register of Deeds Bobbie Earnhardt, were also recognized.
– The Rowan Democrats are collecting canned foods for donation to Rowan Helping Ministries. Their goal is to collect 1,000 pounds of food by Feb. 16. Cans may be dropped off at 115-A E. Council St.
The Rowan Democrats meet every fourth Thursday of the month in the Commissioners’ Chambers, on the second floor of the County Administration Building, 130 West Innes Street. Meetings are open to the public. The next meeting will be held Thursday, Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. N.C. Sen. Kay Hagan, who is running for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate, will speak.