With their spurs dragging, Texans begin going green

With its oil refineries, gas guzzling trucks, and sheer geographic size, everything is bigger in Texas - CO2 emissions included.

According to the Associated Press' analysis of the latest U.S. Department of Energy figures, Texas has the highest rate of emissions of the hazardous greenhouse gas, beating out the next two states on the list combined even though together their populations surpass that of Texas.

A 2007 broadcast on National Public Radio also reported that were Texas an independent country it would be the seventh largest CO2 producer in the world.

This past week's Earth Day celebration and Green Week events demonstrated a growing commitment by some Brownsville residents to reduce their personal environmental impact and motivate others to follow suit.

The city's first ever Earthfest was celebrated at Linear Park on April 19, kicking off Green Week with music, local healers, and international dances.

Ecopriest Darrell Rupiper visited the city to speak at churches and inspire a Christian connection to earth care.

At the Elizabeth Street Ecologists, Services and Disposition Inc. recycling center, small trees were given away to residents who brought in items to be recycled. H-E-B grocery stores also gave away re-usable bags to customers on April 22 in exchange for plastic ones.

Statewide, environmental activists work year-round towards the kind of low-impact living inspired during Green Week. They say that they face special obstacles in the Lone Star State, stemming from big business, attitudes toward preservation, and size.

At Environment Texas, director Luke Metzger battles to preserve the state's open spaces, improve air and water quality, and stop global warming.

With 268,581 square miles of land and water it's sometimes difficult to convince individuals that the state's open spaces are necessary to fight for.

"When you talk about space statewide, people think we have so much, but locally people see the sprawl and loss of space near their homes," Metzger said. He says that there is an increasing preservation movement on the local level to create parks for public enjoyment.

When it comes to individual CO2 emissions, size also limits personal agency, forcing Texans to pollute with their vehicles just to accomplish the daily trek between work and home.

"I think that the biggest obstacle is just the poor planning we've done in creating our communities," Metzger said. "A lot of communities were not built in a very transit-friendly manner, and often people don't have choices other than to drive their own cars."

In 2007, Rep. Armando Martinez of Weslaco authored a bill to create a commuter rail district through the Rio Grande Valley.

Rep. Veronica Gonzalez of McAllen was a co-author of the bill, which received approval from the Legislature to allow counties to charge a tax for its completion.

"Residents that would like to see this come to completion should voice their support of this to their county commissioners," Gonzalez said in an e-mailed statement. "They should consider supporting a referendum that establishes a tax for the purpose of funding this rail district."

Metzger hopes that taxpayers will be willing to foot the bill for the light rail, since broad changes, not just personal ones, are necessary to make meaningful reversals in the progression of global warming.

"We know the polling shows that overwhelmingly people want cleaner air, water, and energy. The voice of the public often gets drowned out by the megaphone that big industry wields at the capital."

As for the more modest steps that individuals can take, Pollution Prevention Partnership director Gretchen Arnold at Texas A&M in Corpus Christi works toward reducing CO2 emissions caused by cars.

To Arnold, who works with the larger group Drive Clean Across Texas, making the switch from driving to biking to work 12 years ago served to improve her job performance and mood as much as it helped the environment.

"When I'd get to work the blood would be pumping, I'd be refreshed and ready to go," Arnold said. "I came to work so much more prepared. I remembered this cool sense of freedom I had as a kid. I'm not ready to give that up as an adult."

In Corpus Christi, where oil refineries dot the landscape, Arnold sometimes has a hard time convincing her neighbors that their own environmental commitments will make a difference.

"People typically don't like to change things up a lot, particularly for things they cannot see, touch, taste, or feel," Arnold said. "If they don't see an immediate result, they might not think it's worth it. I saw an immediate difference in my experience (of riding a bike)."

Drive Clean Across Texas sponsors auto check events, in which mechanics ensure that their vehicles are running as efficiently as possible. Emissions tests and free vehicle repairs are also available to those passing through the Corpus Christi area.

Of course, the grade-school message of reduce, reuse, recycle is as pertinent as ever. Reducing one's environmental impact and the progression of global warming can be as simple as using Tupperware to bring one's lunch to work instead of a disposable container, choosing to walk when it's possible, buying organic groceries, and buying clothing and appliances for quality and durability instead of items that will have to be replaced.

Even Arnold, a dedicated environmentalist, says that like many Texans she still loves the feel of sitting high in her truck.

"I also use my truck for hauling and for me that is rather important," she said. "That being said, when I am in the market for a new vehicle, I would look toward something with low emissions. You can now buy trucks with low emissions and better mileage, so you don't really have to sacrifice on that."

For more information about Drive Clean Across Texas, visit www.drivecleanacrosstexas.org. For more information about Environment Texas, visit www.environmenttexas.org.