Green Tip #89: Volcanology 101

By now I'm sure you've heard of the volcano that erupted in Iceland last week and disrupted air traffic all over Europe. There's been a lot of discussion about the environmental impact of this eruption but I think that there are a lot of aspects of it that are being overlooked in the news. This is what Green Tip #89 is all about. No one specific thing, but a few things that everyone needs to know about volcanoes.

First off, let me just say congratulate the media for something that they've been doing right. Go back and read Green Tip #38. The point that I made back then is the less characters you use when you're typing things, the better for the environment it will be. Less wear and tear on your keys, less electricity used to power your computer, etc. Well one of the things that I'm proud of the media for doing is never calling that Icelandic volcano by its name.

Eyjafjallajökull

Look at that thing. It's a monstrosity. It's the asian carp of words. Think of all the time and energy that is being saved by just calling it 'the volcano.' So once again, that'll do, Media. That'll do.

My second point has more of a traditional environmental message. One of the topics I hear often in the news is whether there is a net loss or gain of carbon dioxide being released into the air. Yes, less flights mean less CO2, but more people will be driving and the volcano itself released a lot of CO2. I think everyone's missing the point when they're discussing this. I think it's more important to think of hot dogs and s'mores.

Here we are, with the world's biggest camp fire and we're wasting a perfect opportunity. Start packing up all of the hot dogs and graham crackers and marshmallows and load up all the boats you can find and head over to Iceland. Think of all the wood and gasoline and other things that we can save by never having to start a campfire ever again! True, boy scouts and campers will miss out on the chance to sing camp songs, but they'll have a great opportunity to take a once in a lifetime field trip!

Anyway, happy Earth Days everyone! I don't celebrate just the one day because I think it gives people the excuse that they only have to care about the environment once a year. But I do acknowledge the good publicity the environmental movement gets and that can't be overlooked.

And don't forget to get those brackets filled out! There's a link on the right hand side of this page. The tournament begins May 19 with the match up between Recycling and Political Activism, so leave your comments about who you want to win!!!