Welcome to “Fridays with Scott”.
- The bully who smashed my nose
- I just want to be able to leave the air vent open
- Watch out! It’s the Yellow Dust
- Dirty air affects us all
- The Clean Energy > Clean Planet challenge
The bully who smashed my nose
I was 4th grade. I was walking through a crowded hallway in school. As I passed a group of kids, one suddenly spun around, making a big circle with his arm and smashing his elbow right on my nose. Kapow! I immediately went down in excruciating pain. Oh it hurt so much. This kid must have been held back couple of years because he was several feet taller than the rest of us. Without showing an ounce of remorse, he muttered something under his breath and walked away. Wow! I went on with my life without every thinking about the incident again.
Fast forward, I’m in graduate school living in Chicago. I’m in my dorm, I am struggling to breathe, literally gasping for air. I didn’t know what was going on. I exercised regularly. I ate mostly fruits and vegetables. I tried everything. Numerous tests at the campus hospital showed all normal results.
Eventually a few years later under a different health care provider, I was authorized to see an ear-nose-throat (ENT) specialist. After the examination, he told me, “You know you have a deviated septum.” I said, “What does that mean?” He asked, “Did you ever break your nose?” Oh, it’s all coming back to me. 4th grade in the hallway.
Allergy tests also found that I was highly allergic to dust, dust mites and air pollutants. That explained why my sinus tissues were always swollen, blocking my air passage. I struggled with breathing most of my life. No wonder. I averaged 3 – 4 hours a sleep per night. When I moved to Chicago, apparently my allergy got worse due to the air quality.
After three surgeries, I’m still struggling to breathe. It’s a daily struggle. I’ve gone through a long list of allergy medications, nasal sprays, surgeries and even acupuncture and aromatherapy to bring down sinus inflammation. Having a good night sleep is a constant battle. Which brings me to why my Friday recording was delayed. When I don’t sleep well because I can’t breathe, it affects my immune system. So I become more vulnerable to getting sick.
I just want to be able to leave the air vent open
Clean air is such a big issue in my life that I have relocated my family to a rural farming community in the New York Tri-state area where I can get clean, fresh air.
But, even in the country, I am still behind other cars, trucks and semis spewing CO2. Even on the country road, I can’t consistently leave the air vent open to let the outside air in. If someone asked me to summarize my life time goal, it’s very simple. My lifetime goal is to be able to leave the vent open no matter where I am in the world.
You’re probably thinking. That’s it? It’s so simple until you realize the scale. Because I said anywhere in the world, whether it’s in the biggest cities, busiest airports or most congested traffic, I want to be able breathe clean, pollution-free air.
Watch out! It’s the Yellow Dust
My ENT doctor shared with me that I was not the only one experiencing this problem. Allergies, asthma, and even heart problems from breathing dirty air affects millions of people.
When I was staying in Seoul, South Korea, I was made aware of an annual phenomenon called the Yellow Dust. During Spring, dust from deserts in Mongolia, China and Kazakhstan travel at high speed and create intense dust storms that move across Korea and as far as Japan. The problem is that it’s not just sand but high concentration of pollutants that can cause breathing and heart problems. Sulfur, soot, ash, carbon monoxide, heavy metals such as mercury, lead, as well as viruses, bacteria, pesticides, asbestos have been found.
I still vividly recall the answer that my friend gave when I asked the question “So what happens to all the Yellow Dust?” He said, “We humans are like sponges. We suck in all that into our lungs!” Wow!
Dirty air affects us all
All around the world, especially stretching from Africa, the Middle East to Asia, there are unsafe levels of micro-pollutants in the air. For some, wearing an air pollution mask isn’t an option. Even then, they’re still not protected from asthma, breathing problems or even death.
According to the World Health Organization, they estimate that 4.6 million people die each year from causes directly attributable to air pollution. Worldwide, more deaths per year are linked to air pollution than to automobile accidents. I couldn’t believe it.
The source of air pollution is from burning fossil fuels — dirty power plants that generate electricity to power cities, buildings and factories to oil refineries, cars, trucks and planes.
So who bears the costs? We all do. Not only financially but with our lives.
The only sustainable solution is to stop burning fossil fuels.
The Clean Energy > Clean Planet challenge
The Clean Energy > Clean Planet challenge is about replacing fossil fuels with clean, renewable energy. We believe that we can end the climate change crisis in our lifetime. Find out how you can be part of our passionate community of world-changers who are working toward the day when everyone has clean air.
Remember, the goal is to be able to open the air vent no matter where you live in the world.
