Simple Pleasures? Some Inconvenient Truths...

Sunday, April 22, was Earth Day. RoadRunner, AOL, The State--doomsday reminders everywhere of this specter we call global warming--of the mass extinctions, the wide scale flooding, the increasing frequency of monster storms in our not so distant future.

So many ways to think--or not think--about this issue.

I have reached that age where I can say "not in my lifetime!" with a modicum of certainty. I can assure myself that, through my pursuit of simple neartohome pleasures, I am not the culprit here. Yes, I have not yet exchanged my incandescents for fluorescents. Yes, I have sacrificed two spreading oak trees in their prime, understanding that increased summer cooling expenses may be the flip side of my sunny acorn-free driveway. But I shop online (less driving), regularly maintain my aging automobile, wash laundry in cold water, turn off unused electronics (well, except for the computer), adjust my thermostat (68F degrees in winter; 80F degrees in summer), recycle newsprint and cardboard, pursue simple pleasures...

Simple pleasures, but with some inconvenient truths...

My grandson's swing set, for example. Several weekends ago, my son carefully explained to me why not just any treated lumber would do for this construction project. Some brands exude chemicals harmful to children. Others don't. One producer of ACQ-treated wood (the current industry standard) offers, on its web site, these points for consideration:

• Using treated lumber instead of plastic or steel conserves energy (that used to produce the construction material?) and reduces greenhouse emissions.
• Using treated lumber (as opposed to untreated) saves millions of trees each year because treated lumber lasts much longer.
• Using lumber treated with preservatives that do not contain arsenic (as did the older CCA industry standard) and that form insoluable bonds with the wood is safer for the environment and its inhabitants.

I'll admit this much. I've used, and replaced, untreated wood outdoors. I've purchased swingsets of steel and plastic construction. But what of the trees I've saved by refinishing, instead of discarding, old rocking chairs, another of life's simple pleasures? Polyurethane, much to my surprise and pleasure, is, according to the Center for the Polyurethanes Industry of the American Chemistry Council, an energy-efficient, environmentally friendly, recyclable product.

Energy-efficient, environmentally friendly, recyclable...like a geocache, maybe?

Geocaching, yet another of my family's simple pleasures, is categorized as a sport. Our 21st century's Treasure Island. Coordinates mapped on a handheld GPS. Logged accounts of treasures unearthed, treasures exchanged, treasures left behind for others to discover. These caches are hidden with care to preserve their natural surroundings. Geocachers walk. We hike. We do not disturb. We do not litter. We do not consume fossil fuels, except perhaps in the vehicles that ferry us from one cache's environs to another. We do not exacerbate global warming.

But global warming may one day render the simple pleasure of geocaching obsolete.

Last July we explored an island located in a nearby manmade lake--in search of a traditional geocache (The Fab Five?!). Our greatest challenge was not so much locating the cache as it was avoiding the poison ivy traps above and beside and along our path. According to National Geographic News, global warming will boost the spread of poison ivy. Global warming will also mutate poison ivy into POISON ivy.

There's more. Noticing the intricate patterns of contrail tracings is yet another late-in-life-acquired simple pleasure (Contrails). Did I think to ask what impact, other than beauty, these lacy condensationtrails might bring into being? No... But the answers found me. Contrails become high-altitude cirrus clouds, letting light through but trapping reflected heat, raising the earth's temperature (global warming). As contrails become more prevalent, this increase in cloud cover may render telescopes (on the ground) obsolete and disrupt the very GPS signals on which geocaching relies! The jury is still undecided in the case of contrails versus global warming, according to reports from The Register (UK), National Geographic News, and other sources. But inconvenient truths now complicate this seemingly simple pleasure...

I was aware, at some level, of Al Gore's documentary on global warming released last November. But there were so many ways to think--or not think--about this issue. I had reached that age where I could say "not in my lifetime!" with a modicum of certainty. I could assure myself that, through my pursuit of simple neartohome pleasures, I was not the culprit here.

I have since come to understand that, if I am to pass on future generations my passion for simple pleasures, I must come to terms with the ever-changing realities of each. I must question the impact of contrails, the safety of chemical preservatives, why I cannot let go of incandescent light. I must face some inconvenient truths.

I've ordered the DVD from Amazon.com.