Air Date: Week of July 29, 2005

This week we dip into the Living on Earth mailbag to hear what listeners have to say.

Transcript

YOUNG: It’s Living on Earth. I’m Jeff Young and coming up: Mad Maxing mileage, hybrid-style. But first:

[LETTERS THEME]

YOUNG: Time now for your comments.

[LETTERS THEME]

YOUNG: In our interview with Kellyn Betts about health problems related to office cubicles, she spoke about chemicals used to make them in the 1980s that have been known to cause “sick building syndrome.” Brian Miller is a builder who tunes in our program in Boulder, Colorado.

He notes that these same chemicals are found in the average household. Many kitchen cabinets are made from the same material as the cubicles, he writes, “and the plywood and strand board found in our walls and floors is also permeated with many of the same chemicals, as are the carpets, wood finishes, paints, and plastic cups. Mr. Miller says he’s “appalled at the disregard for the health of tradesmen and homeowners shown by the manufacturers and vendors of such products.”

Reporter Guy Hand’s story “Mad About Magpies” – about the birds folks love to hate—prompted June Peka to send us a note. She hears our show in Christchurch, New Zealand, and says she is “mad about magpies!” and “loves them passionately.”
Ms. Peka admits she’s an oddity in her homeland where magpies are reviled, trapped and killed.

David Daitch, also of Boulder, Colorado, also professed a great affection for the bird. “What I find interesting,” Mr. Daitch writes, “is how so many people seem to hate the animals that act most like themselves. Could they not see the irony in hating a bird that seemed to be quote “driving out other birds.”

We recently aired a special on Nobel peace prize winner Wangari Maathai.
The Kenyan scientist initiated a grassroots movement to reforest the landscape of her East African nation.

Cathe Fish listens to Living on Earth in Chico, California. She writes, “The news nowadays is so depressing. We need more stories of how grassroots movements are creating change. I loved this story. It warmed my heart.”

Your comments on our program are always welcome. Call our listener line anytime at 800-218-9988. Our write us at: 20 Holland Street, Suite 408, Somerville, Massachusetts 02144. Our email address is comments@loe.org. That’s comments@loe.org.

[LETTERS THEME UP AND OUT]