Oklahoma Tornadoes

Triple E's last post back in the beginning of May, Enter the Sandman, described what it was like to experience a tornado watch, and tornado warning.  The intent of that article was to provide a perspective on the effects of severe 'short-term' rainfall on a sustained drought, with the tornado commentary being related but not a centerpiece.  Then on the tragic day of May 20th, 2013, Moore, Oklahoma was hit by a devastating tornado just a few miles north of Triple E headquarters.  The hailstorm and tornado warnings of May 19th didn't make the news, but Triple E and every other Sooner in the Oklahoma City area was dodging hail up to the size of baseballs.

Hail (photo above) collected in Norman, OK on May 19th, 2013.  Former residential development (photo below) in Western Moore, OK taken on May 25th, 2013.

After the May 20th tornado many questions were directed to scientists from the midcontinent.  Are there geologic, hydrologic anomalies that could be related to strength of tornadoes in this part of the country, and could they be used to somehow engineer the landscape with a 'preventative' measure.  Interesting questions to consider, but while avoiding hail, taking shelter multiple times, and watching downpours in May, June and July...Triple E began to wonder two things:

Why is Triple E not on Twitter? If ever there was a time that it made sense to Tweet - it was in late May.  It would have been much easier for Triple E to message people around the world about the dynamic situation.

Did Triple E's statement 'We would need a two- to three-year period of higher-than-average precipitation to balance out the previous two to three dry years' hold water?

Triple E Agent Assignment:

Update the drought status after an historic tornado season...

So, what's the scoop?

Enter the Sandman - Drought Continues

It has been a wet year thus far in the mid-continent where Triple E is headquartered, but what does that mean on the heels of a 3-year drought?  Not what you may have heard in the throes of a recent severe storm event!

If you are not from the tornado belt of the United States this might be unfamiliar to you, so let me set the stage...a few weeks ago Triple E was watching the local weather channel because a cold front was colliding with a warm front to produce a line of nasty thunderstorms.  In the early evening hours 6 inches of rain fell in Lawton, OK over the course of about 4 hours and tornadoes touched down.

On these special nights Triple E is reminded of Metallica's lyrics for Enter the Sandman,  'Sleep with one eye open, gripping your pillow tight.'  That is what you must do: keep one eye on the local weather channel and be prepared to run to the tornado shelter at any moment.  Somewhere in between catching a few zzzs and being serenaded by the tornado siren, Triple E heard the weatherman declare that this storm was a 'drought buster.'  Wait, WHAT?

Triple E Agent Assignment:
Investigate the drought status and clarify any misconceptions about the health of our long-term water budget...

What is the real story?

Benefits of Recycling

As we pass the annual observation of Earth Day (Apr 22, 2013) Triple E wants to discuss some personal choices that will help to - as the Amazon banner expresses - Make Every Day Earth Day!  It might seem so cliché to write about recycling for an Environmental Landmark Day, but it so fits Triple E's agenda of energy, environment, and economics.  Recycling is a daily and personal choice that makes a big difference: save energy, reduce environmental waste, and create economic opportunity in your community.

San Francisco leads the US in recycling by diverting 80% of waste from landfills to recycling and compost centers, and has a goal of reaching zero waste by 2020.  Recycling and composting is not only good for our environment, it is also good for our economy, said San Francisco Mayor Edwin M. Lee.  According to US EPA studies, recycling creates 10 times more jobs than simply sending refuse to the landfill.

Triple E Agent Assignment:
Rediscover benefits of reduce, reuse, and recycle...

What does our recycling effort do for the energy, environment, and economic picture?

Postal Service Saturday Delivery

Maybe you heard?  In February, the US Postal Service (USPS) Postmaster General announced a plan to end Saturday delivery of first-class mail starting in August.  Postmaster General Patrick R. Donahue justified this plan because it would result in an annual savings of 2 billion dollars without requiring employee layoffs.  The USPS would also stay committed to maintaining parcel delivery on Saturdays.

In it's 2012 Strategic Sustainability Performance Plan (SSPP) the USPS calls itself a 'self-supporting agency that funds its operations from revenue generated by sales of products and services.'  This checks out since the annual revenue was about $70 billion, and the USPS received ~$100 million per year  (0.14% of annual budget) in the form of a 'reimbursement from Congress.'  You can see the declining numbers (e.g., revenue, mail volume, and career employees), increasing number (e.g., delivery points), and billions of dollars lost between 2007 and 2011 in the chart below (source: USPS 2012 SSPP). 

Faced with these figures, Triple E is surprised to hear that tradition and preservation of an 'American Icon' have taken precedence over common sense and good economics.  The Latest:  A short-term budget recently approved by Congress and the POTUS includes language requiring six days of delivery; therefore, the USPS has withdrawn plans to end Saturday delivery.  There is another component of the argument for ending Saturday delivery - Environmental Benefits - let's take a look.

Triple E Agent Assignment:
Discuss fuel consumption trends by USPS transportation fleet and potential benefits of ending Saturday first-class mail delivery...

Is USPS on track to meet sustainability performance metrics?

10 Most Toxic Pesticides Found In Water

There are numerous pesticides used by industry and on the home-front as lawn care products, home treatments, or insect repellants.  Triple E examined 30 of the most commonly used pesticides with several questions in mind, two of which were:  (1) Which pesticides occur in the freshwater environment?  (2) Which commonly used pesticides are the greatest human health concerns?  By 'occurrence' - Triple E means that these compounds are now found in waters that would never naturally have detectable concentrations - they are synthetic (i.e., man-made) after all.

As discussed in a previous article (Put Kybosh on Pesticides), the acceptable daily intake (ADI) might be useful as a basis for showing which compounds pose the greatest threat.

Triple E Agent Assignment:
Rank the top 10 most toxic pesticides, among a group of 30 commonly used, based on their acceptable daily intake...

Which pesticides are on the 10 least wanted list?