Tennessee Makes “Most Improved” List for Energy Efficiency

According to the latest ranking from the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, Tennessee is improving in its efforts at efficiency.  California ranks number one once again, while Tennessee comes in at the middle of the pack at 38.

Come on Tennessee, let’s climb that ladder! Do we really want to be lost in the middle on an issue as important energy efficiency? Tell us what you think!

Read the full article from The New York Times’ Green, Inc. blog.

http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/21/maine-rhode-island-rise-in-efficiency-ranks/

Spots Available on CAP Board of Directors

Are you looking for a way to become more involved in the efforts to improve Middle Tennessee’s air quality?  Seats are available on the Clean Air Partnership of Middle Tennessee’s Board of Directors.  Specifically needed are people with experience in the private business, nonprofit, legal, and accounting sectors.  Board meetings are held quarterly in Nashville and committees meet as needed.  We ask that new board members commit to a minimum of one year of service.

For more information, contact Becky Taylor at becky@cleanairpartnership.info or Melissa Stevens at melissa@cleanairpartnership.info .

Transit Now Nashville Seeking Submissions for Why Ride? Video Contest

Transit Now Nashville, a local group whose mission is to raise awareness of the benefits of regional mass transit options for the people living in the Nashville area, is seeking submissions for a video contest that aim to motivate people to use and/or support mass transit in Nashville.

Cash prizes will be awarded including $500 for first place and $250 for the winner of the People’s Choice category. The winning video and runners up will also be screened at Transit Now Nashville’s Red Carpet event to be held in mid-November 2009. The videos will be used  by Transit Now Nashville to continue to promote mass transit in Nashville.

The contest is in full swing and the deadline for entries is November 7, so get out there and start filming! Official contest rules and more details are available on the Transit Now Nashville Blog.

Canadian Study Shows Air Pollution May Trigger Appendicitis

This article posted on Treehugger.com caught my eye.  Obviously more research is needed, but the studies are adding up.  I think we can all agree that air pollution is a problem. Fortunately, air pollution is a problem that we can ALL do something about simply by changing a few habits. To learn more about what you can do to improve our air, visit the Clean Air Partnership web site www.cleanairpartnership.info.

Canadian Study Shows Air Pollution May Trigger Appendicitis

(from treehugger.com by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada)

What? How?
We all know that air pollution is a bad thing. Not good for your lungs, not good for your heart. Asthmatics, children and older folks are particularly at risk. But a new Canadian study claims that air pollution is also increasing the risk of appendicitis in adults. Even short-term exposure to air pollution could have an effect.

Dominant Theory on Appendicitis
So far “the dominant theory of the cause of appendicitis has been obstruction of the appendix opening, but this theory does not explain the trends of appendicitis in developed and developing countries. Appendicitis cases increased dramatically in industrialized countries in the 19th and early 20th centuries, then decreased in the middle and late 20th century, coinciding with legislation to improve air quality. The incidence of appendicitis has been growing in developing countries as they become more industrialized.”

Methodology
The researchers identified 5191 adults who had been admitted to hospital with appendicitis between Apr. 1, 1999, and Dec. 31, 2006. The air pollutants studied were ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, and suspended particulate matter of less than 10 µ and less than 2.5 µ in diameter.

They then used government data on air pollution to figure out the level of exposure to various pollutants of the people with appendicitis. “They found correlations between high levels of ozone and nitrogen dioxide and the incidence of appendicitis between age groups and genders.” More men than women were found to have the condition, possibly because more men work outside, giving them a higher exposure to air pollution on “bad air quality” days.

What Now?
Now that a correlation has been found, researchers will try to figure out how air pollution could trigger appendicitis. They suspect that the pollutants may trigger inflammatory responses, but further studies will be necessary to figure out the causality (if any).

Via CMAJ, Science Daily