Puyallup: Thank goodness for cleaner, healthier lifestyles

Re: “Parks & Rec hosts cycling event,” (TNT, 5/10).

Cycling by the Puyallup River! How wonderful. In the 1950s, a drive to Puyallup in our maroon Mercury was a special event. There were fields of daffodils or strawberries to pick, and mountain honey. Driving back, we would pass through acrid smoke from the Tideflats, and the pulp mill smells, and then sulfur near the smelter. It seemed normal to us, but not to scientists who developed recycling, composting with methane capture, and scrubbers for smokestacks and tailpipes.

Today, endless traffic jams seem inevitable, as do energy-wasting buildings. But scientists have discovered affordable and profitable alternatives - electric vehicles, charging stations, public transit, solar panels, wind turbines, smart grids, insulation, and energy-efficient construction.

We can cut way back on use of oil, coal and natural gas, and have a safer climate, cleaner air and healthier lifestyles. Volunteers who help develop new bicycle paths and pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods deserve our thanks, as do investors and elected officials who make development of a clean energy economy a priority.

This story was originally published May 17, 2016 at 11:08 AM with the headline "Puyallup: Thank goodness for cleaner, healthier lifestyles."