[speaker001:] Okay. [very faintly] Um,
[speaker002:] Where do you live?
[speaker001:] In Plano.
[speaker002:] In Plano?
[speaker001:] Yes. Where do you live?
[speaker002:] In Dallas.
[speaker001:] Oh, okay [breathing].
[speaker002:] Uh, the air pollution isn't too bad in our area. So, we're very fortunate
[speaker001:] Huh [very faintly].
[speaker002:] but [NOISE] I know in some areas, it's really, it, it really is bad.
[speaker001:] [Lipsmack] Um, I was trying to think, uh, something we were watching the other day and they were doing an overview of Los Angeles, uh, from an area that was up higher and you literally could see the band of smog. That, uh, I've never been out there, but,
[speaker002:] I haven't either.
[speaker001:] [Swallowing] it was, it was quite evident [LAUGHTER] that,
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] it was a real brown area and,
[speaker002:] Well, I think it would be terrible to live in an area like that and, unfortunately, I think there are a lot of areas that are, that, that bad.
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] Particularly in the areas where there are industries, uh, where they are burning a lot of coal,
[speaker001:] Yes.
[speaker002:] and oil
[speaker001:] Yeah [very faint].
[speaker002:] up, more up north, I guess, uh, I think it's a bigger problem. With the car pollution, anti-pollution devices, I think, uh, air isn't as bad it once was, from the cars, because we certainly have plenty of cars in our area.
[speaker001:] Yes. Well, I know, uh, that's been the concern in Europe. They hadn't, uh, we have friends in Germany and, uh, [swallowing] have family that live near the Black Forest area and [sigh] large areas of the forest are being hurt from the cars because when we, s-, uh, switched to the unleaded gas and, and had the emission control advice, uh, [LAUGHTER], devices required on the cars, uh, that's something that Europe didn't do right away and now they're doing that and I guess it started in the last few years because they have found that in that particular part of the country, that's the only pollution that's been there. It's not an area that is industry but they were losing a lot of, uh, trees and a lot of,
[speaker002:] From acid rain?
[speaker001:] Um, I guess. From, from something that the car was, uh, was giving,
[speaker002:] I think it gives off, uh, in the emissions, it gives off gases which combine up in the atmosphere, uh, and form a, a weak acid.
[speaker001:] Yes, and,
[speaker002:] It just makes the rain fall on the acid side and after a period of time, I think that accumulates in, uh, trees because they take it up through their roots, as well as it landing on the leaves, on surfaces, like you've seen what it's done to buildings even
[speaker001:] Yes.
[speaker002:] where it's really bad.
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] [Swallowing] What's interesting, several years ago, I took a course, uh, on, uh, [lipsmack] well, it was actually, it was put on by the power companies and, about the various sources of energy and how much pollution there was, and there wasn't from various kinds of, of energy. And, uh, at that point in time, one person that was a speaker brought up the topic of acid rain and it was kind of pooh-poohed, you know. Oh, you're making a mountain out of a molehill, kind of thing. And it's turned out that, that's been very true, what he was forecasting about the accumulation of, of the pollutants in the air and the acid rain and what it would do to foliage. So, it's kind of interesting the change in perspective from when I took that course. Now, a lot of people are really afraid of nuclear. Uh, I'm not afraid of nuclear, having had that course because of how the nuclear that, uh, they use is not bomb quality, and, we're so strict with all our controls in the United States. The chances of, of an accident are slight, and, it doesn't pollute the air at all. [LAUGHTER] It's safer to be around a nuclear plant then it is to be around a coal plant. Many more deaths have occurred in and dealing with coal plants then ever around nuclear plants. It's kind of funny because people are just petrified, at least some are, at the thought of nuclear.
[speaker001:] Yes.
[speaker002:] So, I don't know. In Europe there's a lot of dependency on nuclear power and they recycle the fuel and then instead of, of, some people are really afraid to recycle the fuel because they're afraid it could become, uh, bomb quality. [sigh] But, that's the only sensible thing to do, is recycle and reuse the fuel and not store it down in the ground. As far as I'm concerned, where it could eventually, perhaps, there's some problem, uh, pollute the groundwater. So, I don't know what the answer is. The best answer, of course, would be solar or, uh, [static] fusion, or something clean [LAUGHTER].
[speaker001:] Yes.
[speaker002:] Well, we've got a problem on the line, [static] don't we.
[speaker001:] Yeah. I, I get that sometimes, um, my line gets some static. I don't know why.
[speaker002:] Uh-huh. But, uh, solar, of course, would be the clean, the cleanest.
[speaker001:] Well, I know it's, um,
[speaker002:] [Static].
[speaker001:] we did have a solar water heater when we lived in Houston and, uh, oddly enough I thought our part of the country was ideal.
[speaker002:] I can't hear you at all for all this static.
[speaker001:] Oh. [throat clearing] [NOISE] I don't know what to, [LAUGHTER] usually it's the other phone I have trouble with. It must just,
[speaker002:] [Static].
[speaker001:] be on the line. Can you hear me?
[speaker002:] Now I can again.
[speaker001:] Okay.
[speaker002:] [Static].
[speaker001:] I don't know what, uh, I, I don't know what the problem is but, uh, when we lived in Houston we had a solar water heater and
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] we had thought this part of the country would be ideal for [NOISE] solar homes and solar energy and we have enough clouds that, uh, there are other areas that would be better suited. That surprised me because I think,
[speaker002:] [Static].
[speaker001:] we have a tremendous amount of, um, sunny days.
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] And, and it, yes, it can be used and it can help but, uh, that was a problem that they were still working on. But,
[speaker002:] Oh yeah. It, it's still got a long way to go.
[speaker001:] Well I,
[speaker002:] It's just, you know, a possible solution
[speaker001:] Yes.
[speaker002:] in the future, I think, maybe to help in some ways. It may not in all ways. Maybe they'll come up with fusion. [Lipsmack] You know, con-, be able to control it. I don't know how long that'll take, but, [LAUGHTER] one of these days, because that's perfectly clean.
[speaker001:] Yes.
[speaker002:] It's just we can't control it. Right now it takes more energy to cause fusion to occur then you get out, so, it isn't, not at all, and you can't control it unless you gotten a huge electromagnetic field, so that's not going to work. At least not now. But, uh, [static] who knows what the future will hold. Uh, as far as energy goes, I, I think, [sigh] with solving some of the energy, future energy problems, we'll probably solve some of the pollution problems as well.
[speaker001:] Uh, I hope so [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] I do to. [LAUGHTER] I like to be optimistic, I don't like to be pessimistic [LAUGHTER] about these things.
[speaker001:] Well, I do think, um, I mean, you've already mentioned several things, I think, uh, just the change in attitude and the fact that more people are aware there is a problem and more people are interested in, uh,
[speaker002:] We have one earth,
[speaker001:] Yes [very faint].
[speaker002:] to live on and we got to take care of it.
[speaker001:] Yes. Well,
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] and, and for the future generations, too. Uh,
[speaker002:] I've noticed students are, are much more, you know, young, young people are much more receptive to ideas about the environment
[speaker001:] Yes.
[speaker002:] and protecting the earth. And so, if we can raise it, uh, you know, generations with those concerns, we'll solve a lot of our problems. I'm afraid, I know I was part of the me generation where they didn't, so many of them didn't, people didn't care. You know, it's whatever, you know, recycle, well, if it's a problem, forget that. Uh, not throw the trash out the car window and leave it in the car and then throw it away? How horrible, [LAUGHTER] you know.
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] Now, I've always done those kinds of things because I just didn't like messes, and [voices fade off]...