Air Date: Week of June 9, 2006

Comments from our listeners.

Transcript

CURWOOD: Time now to hear from you, our listeners. Response to our hour-long show special investigating the past, present, and future of storm protection along the Gulf Coast of Louisiana was enthusiastic.

James Alls of Seattle writes “I just wanted to thank you for your special on Katrina/New Orleans levees. It was really first rate - tons of information - presented in a compelling way. I haven't heard or seen any coverage as good or as in depth as what I heard last night. You should win an award for that one. Keep up the good work!”

Our recent report on ways to keep cool this summer while saving energy did not tighten the efficiency belt nearly enough for some listeners. Take Charles Ward of Billings, Montana. He found our tip to use ceiling fans in combination with a/c units to let you set the a/c temperature higher – say, 72 to 75 degrees – a feeble improvement.

“I just about blew a compressor seal,” he writes. “Our household has been air conditioning down to 80 degrees for the last 27 years that I can recall, including 19 years in Las Vegas.” Mr. Ward adds: “Conserving resources and minimizing a person's ‘environmental footprint’ is not a big thing, it is a lot of little things. And it takes a lot more than raising the air-conditioned temperature from 68°F to 72°F.”

We recently aired a story about a group of residents in a poor section of San Francisco who, after decades of protest, persuaded a major utility to close a power plant in their backyard. But some listeners are still waiting for a happy ending.

Linda Clark of Provo, Utah, says the closure merely shifts the burden of energy generation to another neighborhood.

“You said the electricity is now coming through a transmission line. Where is the plant that is producing the electricity?” she writes. “Let's get beyond shifting pollution to continue using electricity.”

Your comments on our program are always welcome. Call our listener line anytime at 800-218-9988. That's 800-218-99-88. Or write to 20 Holland Street, Somerville, Massachusetts, 02144. Our e-mail address is comments at loe dot org. Once again, comments at loe dot org. And visit our web page at Living on Earth dot org. That's Living on Earth dot org, where you can hear us anytime.