[speaker001:] okay um
[speaker002:] where do you live
[speaker001:] in Plano
[speaker002:] in Plano
[speaker001:] yes where do you live
[speaker002:] in Dallas
[speaker001:] oh okay
[speaker002:] uh the air pollution isn't too bad in our area so we're very fortunate but
[speaker001:] huh
[speaker002:] I know in some areas it's really it it really is bad
[speaker001:] 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:] it was it was quite evident 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 particularly in the areas where there are industries uh
[speaker001:] yeah
[speaker002:] where they are burning a lot of coal and oil up more up north I guess uh I think it's a bigger problem with the car pollution antipollution devices I think the
[speaker001:] yes yeah
[speaker002:] air isn't as bad as 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 have family that live near the Black Forest area and large areas of the forest are being hurt from the cars because when we switched uh switched to the unleaded gas and and had the emission control advice uh 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 um 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 where it's really bad
[speaker001:] yes yeah
[speaker002:] what's interesting several years ago I took a course uh on uh 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 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 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 fusion or something clean well we've got a problem on the line don't we
[speaker001:] yes 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 cleanest
[speaker001:] well and I would think in our um 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 I don't know what to usually it's the other phone I have trouble with it must just be on the line can you hear me
[speaker002:] now I can again
[speaker001:] okay 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 we had thought this part of the country would be ideal for solar homes and solar energy and we have enough clouds that uh
[speaker002:] uh-huh
[speaker001:] there are other areas that would be better suited that surprised me because I think we have a tremendous amount of um sunny days and and it yes it can be used and it can help but uh that was a problem that they were still
[speaker002:] uh-huh
[speaker001:] working on but
[speaker002:] oh yeah it it's still got a long way to go
[speaker001:] what
[speaker002:] it's just you know a possible solution in the future I think maybe to help in some ways it may not in all ways maybe they'll come up with fusion
[speaker001:] yes
[speaker002:] you know control be able to control it I don't know how long that'll take but  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 who knows what the future will hold uh as far as energy goes I I think 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
[speaker002:] I do to I like to be optimistic I don't like to be pessimistic 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's a problem and more people are interested in uh
[speaker002:] we have one earth to live on and we got to take care of it
[speaker001:] yes yes well and and for the future generations too uh
[speaker002:] uh-huh I've noticed students are are much more you know young young people are much more receptive to ideas about the environment and protecting the earth
[speaker001:] yes
[speaker002:] 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
[speaker001:] yeah
[speaker002:] how horrible you know now I've always done those kinds of things because I just didn't like messes uh and create
[speaker001:] yeah