Continuing a Green Discussion

This is my last post for my journalism blogging class, so I will use it to reflect on my experience of blogging so far. I think blogging is a very unique platform to the internet. It is writing with more possibilities and I really enjoyed that.

Doing this was enjoyable because I was able to use this conversational tone and still discuss important issues. I felt like doing this blog has also made me even more environmentally aware and I now feel informed enough to discuss these issues more often

Blogging is a great way to tell stories. I think newspapers are struggling because they are trying to tell modern stories through an outdated format. Blogging is that modern platform on which to tell modern stories.

The frequency of posts is something I don’t really like in blogging, though I understand the need to do so. There is definitely a need for quantity over quality on the internet. I wish I could provide more quality articles at a slower pace. I don’t think the blogging world can really accommodate that though.

I liked the self-direction that blogging allows. I enjoyed choosing my own topic, stories and formats to do things. Being in charge of myself was actually very freeing in that way.

In reference to my journalism blogging class itself, I like that we had to produced three stories a week and that we also had to comment on each other’s blogs. The deadlines made me write a lot more blog posts than I ever have before and the comments made me think of my posts in different ways.

At the same time, three blog posts did feel like a lot and it goes back to that quality versus quantity thing. I felt like most of my blog posts were good, but none of them were great. With news and writing, that compromise must be struck but that was something I didn’t like about the class.

Before taking this class, I wish I had known just had much work went into making three blog posts. I would often put them off until the day they were due and that definitely weakened the quality of the stories as well. I wish I had though to pace out the posts a bit more.

I will definitely keep blogging because I feel like it both fits the style of writing that I most enjoy and challenges me as a writer and journalist. I haven’t decided if I will keep blogging on this beat or choose another.

I like this beat because it’s something I’m passionate about, but continuing to write on it depends on time and topic. I would definitely have to shift the topic to more Colorado-centric policies since I’m not in England anymore. My number of posts might have to go down, but I would like to continue on this beat.

Colorado Commits to Electric Vehicles

Colorado's natural beauty is a big part of the motivation behind
protecting its environment.

England isn’t the only place that can commit to reducing carbon emissions. On June 18, Gov. John Hickenlooper signed an executive order that commits Colorado to adopting low emission vehicle standards.

The executive order follows one from last year that committed Colorado to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 26 percent by 2025. The order from this week gives a method to start working towards this goal, as fossil fuel cars are a large part of the state’s emissions.

It also sights California’s alternative vehicle standards as a guide for Colorado’s. California has set higher standards for vehicle emissions than the federal government for years and multiple states follow these standards.

While Colorado is not officially committing to following California’s standards like these other states, it plans to look towards California as a guide.

Hickenlooper also cited the intention of the federal government to roll back vehicle standards on greenhouse gas emissions and fuel efficiency, which was announced in April.

This intention to roll back vehicle standards by the federal government has also lead to a lawsuit by California and 17 other states.

It’s encouraging to see state governments pursuing environmental agendas, even if the federal government is not. Environmental change starts on a local level, so this push to protect Colorado’s environment is encouraging.

Let's Talk About Green Grass

The biggest difference I noticed when I flew back from England was how dry Colorado Springs felt. For a quick comparison between the two cities, the humidity right now in the Springs is 30 percent compared to 77 percent humidity in Sunderland.

Colorado Springs is a semi-arid climate, meaning it gets just a little bit more rain than a desert. This makes water a valuable resource here.

An ineffective way we end up using this resource is on our lawns. Colorado Springs wants to be as green (in color) as any other city, but it takes a lot more water to do so.

At my house during the summer, about 65 percent of the water bill is directed towards just watering the outdoors. It pays off; our grass is quite green. But there are other options for landscaping that use a lot less of this resource.

For example, xeriscapes are landscapes which require little to no irrigation. Colorado Springs has a demonstration garden which is full of rocks and plants that require very little water.

Demolishing and re-landscaping an entire yard takes a lot of work and a lot of money. For those with yards that must continue to be watered regularly, there are plenty of strategies to preserve water.

Being careful when watering lawns not only helps the environment, but our wallets as well.