Knock Out Pollution, Give Ozone the TKO (and Other Relevant Sports Metaphors)

A few years ago, I was living in Wyoming and occasionally had to make the 1.5 hour drive to nearby Salt Lake City — and yes, 1.5 hours away warrants the label "nearby" in Wyoming. I would make this drive whenever I had the urge to use an airport, take in a Major League Soccer match, pay homage to the Osmonds, or just enjoy some nightlife. You know, what with Salt Lake’s glowing reputation as a party town.

But during the summer months, I could always count on being greeted by Salt Lake City’s infamous, gray inversion. If you’re unfamiliar with this concept, inversion occurs in cities near mountainous areas where dirty air hovers over the valley due to atmospheric circumstances; it’s better left articulated by Wikipedia than the likes of me. Basically, the pollution becomes trapped near the ground instead of rising into the atmosphere. Not only can it impact your breathing, but it begets a pretty high ick factor that instills a strong desire to shower several times a day or bathe oneself in hand sanitizer.

Segue time: Even though we don’t have that pesky mountain issue to deal with, pollution is still a concern here in our beloved Hoosier state. This is likely why the Indiana Dept. of Environmental Management is sponsoring the 2008 Ozone Knockout June 16-30. Check out this link, which is a letter addressed to our members, for info about how your company can help improve our air quality through voluntary action and maybe even garner some recognition in the process.

Just please remember: Ick factor bad, clear skies good.

After all, what would Donny and Marie do?

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