MrrrRrr Friends,
It has been a long time. I hope all of you are well.
You know, I just reread my past two blogs, and I realize that they seem a bit contradictory. On the one paw, here’s me talking about the need to curb consumption, and, on another paw, here’s my people buying another petroleum-powered vehicle. Granted, the little green car may be more efficient than the black car, now happily living in Indiana, but why not a hybrid? Well, after a quick look at their checkbook, it becomes apparent…I think they spend too much on cat food.
My female person loves to drive…it’s a problem with people of the Midwestern persuasion. Cars are a convenience and they’re practical – imagine taking me to the vet on a bicycle!
Nevertheless, cars are probably one of the biggest contributors to global warming. And all that metal, plastic, and stinky, gooey transmission fluid, anti-freeze, and brake fluid just adds to the junk pervading the environment. Sure, it’s great that BMW and several other car-makers use a lot of recycled metal and plastic in their cars, but…
Road salt is another by-product of cars and the insatiable desire to drive. Road salt actually attracts mammals and birds to roads in the winter. Both have salt cravings, and birds may use road salt as grit to aid in their digestion. Unfortunately, road salt is toxic to wildlife. Not only is there evidence that road salt can poison birds and mammals, but salt toxicosis impairs them and makes it difficult for them to notice and therefore avoid cars. A vicious cycle… The number of road kill birds soars in snowy winters. As a bird-lover, I cringe to think of it.
The ecological consequences of all that dissolving salt sprinkled on roadsides and then draining into local soils and waters – and into groundwater – is a problem too. If you want all the gory details, I’ll post a link to a nifty study produced by our esteemed neighbors to the north – the scientists at Environment Canada.
Roads themselves – not that I’m in any way advocating off-roading, except on your own paws – are virtually synonymous with ecosystem fragmentation. Non-permeable surfaces, they divide up the world of snakes, turtles, caterpillars, mosses, wrens, moose, ferns, porcupines, trees, and owls and invite people to build things…things I would like to point out they have in other places that, likely, they just came from…by driving.
I could go on, but I’m out of practice and my tail is tired from hitting the shift key.
If you have a car, any kind, just take care of it for as long as seems practical. Find a nice, honest mechanic – they are out there, my person used to be one – and have them help you keep your car running safely and efficiently. No skimping on tire pressure or exhaust systems.
In the end, the best solution is to drive as little as you can. I’m proud and relieved that both my people both work from home. If they thought about it and took a little extra trouble, a lot of businesses could help their working people drive less, do more work from home, and - critically - have the opportunity to care full-time for their cats. The internet offers all kinds of communications options - many are best accomplished with a furry friend on lap. Take it from me, a blogging cat!
