Words and Works

Fresh Mountain Air

Thomas I., Jesse Jones High School, Houston, Texas, USA.

When I went to Big Bend National Park this last winter the air was clean towards the ground. But up in the mountains it was smoggy. Across the Rio Grande in Mexico there are several factories that produce high volumes of harmful gas. These gasses are not only harmful to the people that breathe them but also the mountains covering most of the land in the park.

The gases are slowly eating away at the natural landscape. That's what makes the park an appealing place to go. But when I got out of the car, that clean air filled my lungs and it dint feel thick. That was partly because we were in the mountains and because of the relatively small toxin levels in the air.

In Houston we are not so lucky however, the air quality is way below normal. With all the smog and the cars creating it I don't know where our city is going to be in the future. Last week a news station "gave the inside information" on the HISD school buses. This whole story was about small carbon monoxide leaks in the back of a number of buses that were tested. I spend 3 hours on the bus every day. The least the school district could do is make the transportation methods to and from school safe. This is also the worst allergy season ever in Houston.

Some days I think where will Houston be in 20 years. Who knows, buried, burned, lifeless. Every one has to take part in helping the city get rid of the pollution or there wont be any Houston left.

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