Chapter 134
As we hurtle pell-mell into the wild wonders of another Fall season, the changing colours, scents and scenes around us offer such a complex buffet of sensory experiences, definitely food for the soul. I’ve been enjoying my varied situations as I flit from home to home caring for dogs, cats, horses and houses.
A couple of weeks ago I underwent a dramatic culture shock moment when I agreed to a dog-sit in the Beltline of Calgary. It’s been nearly three years since I spent any time in the downtown area.
I was quite stricken by the way people dress, move, interact. It’s such a subtle, but all-encompassing difference. The energy of the city is wildly different from the energy of the country or small villages/hamlets we inhabit in the High Country News world.
The prospect of months on end in the concrete jungle is not something I ever want to be faced with. For some bizarre reason, the only city where I have felt comfortable is Chiang Mai, Thailand. I have spent many happy months there; between Thai Massage Training and Practice sessions or melting in steam rooms or eating the best food on the planet, I could be found puttering about the ancient streets with their chaotic twists and turns. Walking the flimsy bridges over sewage drains, tip-toeing between shacks and slipping along quiet back streets where gnarled agéd Thais sit working on machines or food preparation or chiselling jade for a statue of the Buddha.
The contrast with a city like Calgary – a monolithic construction, an homage to modern industry, where streets are blocked out in grids, the entire network designed for the convenience of a combustion engine rather than the community of human interactions, support and service that a healthy society needs for successful living – it’s something almost impossible to taste without direct experience of an alternative way of living.
Meanwhile, back in the city… I had an interaction with a gentleman as he sat in his big SUV in Calgary, engine idling for 20 – 30 minutes. I wandered over to ask him to turn off his engine & he responded that he had his infant in the back seat. I was staggered – he was sitting with the car windows open, pumping exhaust into his child’s lungs when he obviously thought he was keeping his child in the best temperature-controlled ambience.
I thought if he is unaware of what he is doing, many others must be in the same boat, so here’s some useful information:
HEALTH EFFECTS
Idling cars emit chemicals such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide, and benzene as well as ground-level ozone and particulate matter. Idling produces up to twice as much toxic fumes than when driving. These emissions are harmful for the lungs and heart, aggravating conditions such as asthma and allergies. Exposure to emissions from idling at a young age can cause learning defects. Emissions can also cause headaches, visual problems and, in high doses, serious illness or death. Children and the elderly are the most at risk.
EFFECTS ON YOUR CAR
While your car is idling, the engine is not running at its peak temperature as fuel does not completely combust and leaves a residue. This residue can build up on cylinder walls, deposit on spark plugs, contaminate oil, corrode exhaust system, and overall damage your engine. This engine damage can cause your car’s fuel efficiency to decrease up to 5%. Idling wastes fuel. When the car is stopped, you’re getting 0 miles to the gallon. Idling for more than ten seconds wastes more fuel than turning your car off and on.
Having a snooze in the comfortable AC-controlled climate of your new car? Regardless of the car being old or new, experts say that in less than an hour one could die due to suffocation. Even a new car with a well-functioning AC system can be compromised. Another common misconception is that an open window will create a sufficient ventilation system in the car. “Even with the window open, CO will accumulate at a lower level eventually lowering the oxygen in the blood and causing the person to lose body fluids and water after a period of time,”.
Anyhow, avoiding poisoning ourselves, our loved ones and our neighbours seems a pretty good idea to me.
Yoga! Rural Community Yoga in Priddis started up Sept 16. If you are interested in joining a group at Priddis or Square Butte, please drop me an email.
With gratitude and love,
Kat Dancer
bodymudra@gmail.com
403.931.3866 (h), 415.525.2630 (c)
