Lenny: Hi, this is Lenny Librizzi along with Mark Latour, Jim Scarsella, and Charlie Olson. Welcome all of you listeners to the Mostly Good Environmental News number 22, where we will cover positive local and global environmental issues, milestones, and activities that you may not hear about from other news sources. Usually we hear about climate chaos and In all of its manifestations Drought, wildfires, floods, species loss, or the weakening of environmental regulations. But there are good things happening in the environment we will share with you in this podcast. We hope you enjoy listening. For those of you who enjoy looking as well as listening, there is something new in the mostly good environmental news world. Thanks to our co-podcaster Charlie Olson, one of our most popular segments about beavers is now a five minute video on the Environment TV YouTube channel. It is listed as ⁓ G E N Wetlands Restored by Beavers. For our first good news item, Charlie Olson will tell us about how to prevent heat islands. Charlie?
charlie olson: Thanks, Lenny. In this report, I'm going to talk more about how to better the environment versus our usual reporting of efforts that are models and proof of what's been done and what is being done. First, though, comes an explanation of our topic, urban heat islands. Did you know that concrete, asphalt, and urban heat islands add to the misery of heat waves? It only takes just a fraction of a second to suffer a serious burn. Asphalt and concrete in direct sunlight can often reach surface temperatures as high as, believe it or not, a hundred and eighty degrees Fahrenheit on the hottest days, according to the Arizona Burn Center. In early July of this year, the National Weather Service warned of dangerous heat with temperatures in the nineties and lower one hundreds. Across much of the USA. These surface temperatures play a critical role in how hot the surrounding area gets, and they present serious health risks. During heat waves, a substantial amount of the sun's energy is absorbed and reflected by surfaces exposed to its rays, leading to much higher temperatures. These warm surfaces then transfer their heat to the surrounding air. Increasing the overall air temperature, while some permeable and ⁓ moist surfaces like grass or soil absorb less heat. Materials like asphalt and concrete can absorb ninety-five percent of the sun's energy, which is then radiated back into the surrounding atmosphere. During days when the thermometer shows a hundred degrees Fahrenheit, this temperature refers to only air temperature. Which is measured at several feet above the ground. I did not know that. However, at those temperatures, surfaces such as asphalt and cement can reach that hundred and fifty, hundred and eighty degree mark, causing potent potentially causing sun skin burns or any other kind of burns. With respect to urban heat islands, the process of urban development profoundly changes the landscape. Natural and permeable surfaces are replaced by impermeable structures, like the buildings themselves and the roads. This creates urban heat islands, and these are areas within cities that experience significantly higher temperatures compared to nearby areas. These are also areas with high concentrations of people. Nearly half of schools and hospitals in cities are located in urban heat islands, exposing vulnerable populations to health threatening temperatures as global warming accelerates. Scientists have said the heat wave of late June twenty twenty six, that's two months ago, was one of the worst on record, and the blistering conditions disrupted power generations, damaged infrastructure, and overwhelmed healthcare systems. According to the World Health Organizations, thousands died in late June. Schools were shut, Grids buckled, and 150 million people, that's million people, were living under extreme heat. And due to heat fatigue, millions were unable to work their traditional jobs. That's both indoors and outdoors. Driven by climate change, the once-in-a-generation heat wave is now occurring annually. Many homes, workplaces, and schools are ill-equipped for this extreme heat. Dense built up areas typically lead to warmer air temperatures and This contrasts with parks, gardens, woodlands, and other vegetated areas, which help to cool the air. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, that's the EPA, the annual mean air temperature of a city with 1 million or more people can be up to 5 degrees warmer than surrounding areas. And on a clear, calm night, the temperature can be up to 22 degrees higher than nearby. rural areas. Green spaces and vegetation play a vital role in reducing surface temperatures through evapotranspiration. Now this is a process whereby plants release water to the surrounding air, dissipating ambient heat. Meanwhile, urban geometry, that's with its big buildings, traps heat at night. Additionally, Urban surfaces absorb and store more heat compared to natural ground cover, thus raising temperatures further. Understanding these factors help us create cooler and more sustainable cities. With respect to urban canyons, they impede cooling as buildings interfere with heat release. When sunlight re reaches surfaces in the urban canyons created between the buildings, the sun's energy is reflected and absorbed by the building's walls and can increase temperatures inside the buildings also. But vegetation helps reduce air temperature by releasing water to the surrounding air. And downtowns typically have surface materials, such as roofing and paving, which reflect less light and radiation and absorb more of the sun's energy. As cities develop, more surfaces are paved or covered with buildings, and more vegetation and moisture is gone, is lost. Thermal satellite images reveal cities' heat profiles quite clearly. And the bottom line is that urban development increases temperatures while green spaces lower temperatures. Even small green spaces can make a difference. And city parks departments should create what we call pocket parks. These are transforming small plots once ridden with garbage and weeds. And water is also essential. The trees, shrubs, and surrounding soil must be moist if they are to significantly lower the surrounding air temperature. In addition, shade is a primary cooling mechanism for thermal comfort, making trees much more effective in cooling than the shrubs and grasses. We also need to give citizens access to public buildings to cool down, to rehydrate, and to reduce heat exhaustion during heat waves. So, my listeners here, talk to your city council members, talk to your mayors, talk to the Parks Department people, and ask them to create and restore green spaces inside your town or city. and to also properly water those trees, shrubs, and grasses. If these folks follow through, this will lower the temperature and improve the quality of our life for everyone in the city. And that will be good news for you, and good news for the environment. And now Jim has a few words for us.
Jim Scarcella: afternoon everybody. Thank you, Charlie. Thank you for that interesting ⁓ segment on the urban heat. ⁓ yeah, we can all feel it. ⁓ And ⁓ ⁓ we need more green spaces, undoubtedly. ⁓ I've got some good news here. It's ⁓ it's summer parties to raise funds for parks. the sun went down in May, more than eight thousand revelers squeezed under a bridge in a desolate corner of Brooklyn. They danced pulsating music played under flashing lights while cooled by a breeze. For a few hours they made this patch of asphalt ⁓ into their underground nightclub. It was the season opener at Under the K, a linear park that runs under the Koskiusko Bridge that carries drivers over New York City's Newtown Creek between Brooklyn and Queens. The Under the K concerts have been a surprise hit. Since 2022, more than thirty, five hundred concertgoers have made their way to the raw industrial space which doubles as a state park by day. There is no general audience seating, only portable toilets and cars zooming by overhead. What makes these concerts even more unusual are partying with the purpose, according to the North Brooklyn Parks Alliance, which manages the state-owned park. These events have generated more than five million in revenue for the Conservancy, including one point seven million in twenty twenty five through site fees paid by concert producers and a two dollar park restoration fee added to each ticket. Staten Island has only one bridge connecting it to Brooklyn and three bridges connecting it to New Jersey. Maybe we can begin hosting weekend music and dance parties by these bridges to raise funds to improve Staten Island's parks? If so, let's look into this. And if we can do it, that would be very good news for our parks and very good news for the environment. And just a side note, this would be awesome if we could get it going. ⁓ gonna into it here and keep things going. And now I'd like to introduce Lenny, and Lenny has information about Sponge City where can storm before it gets all released ⁓ with dangerous contaminants into our waterways. Lenny?
Lenny: Thanks, Jim. Yes, the good news is sponge cities. Just as we use a cellulose sponge to soak up spills and dry up wet spots, some cities are using techniques to absorb the impacts from heavy rains and storm surges. are various ways this is being accomplished using using buildings ⁓ conversely, not building. and allowing nature to work as it was intended. Green infrastructure has been used in some cases as well. Even beavers have been deployed to restore wetlands. Many cities are built along the coast, rivers or lakes, and over the years have tried to tame these bodies of water by straightening out meandering river deltas or building sea walls to keep the ocean at bay. Pun intended. These attempts have had the opposite effect of making cities more vulnerable to flooding. The first example of a sponge city technique is called the Ealing Beaver Project. Ealing is an area of West London, England, where the local tube station often flooded. There were plans being formulated for an expensive construction project to solve the problem. But instead, the Ealing Beaver Project introduced five beavers into a small local wetland. The beavers got right to work expanding their naturally spongy wetlands and the station hasn't flooded since. The project has the additional benefits of increasing biodiversity and creating a park where locals can see beavers up close. Another example combines a high-rise building with storm water management in Seoul, South Korea. Nicknamed the High Rise on High Heels, this 460 foot residential tower is raised off the ground on heels, if you will, allowing storm water to be captured in the permeable area under and around the tower. This open space allows building and area residence space for vegetable gardens, dining areas, and tea houses. And the Sponge City projects that are close to home for me in New York City include rain gardens, bioswales, and green roofs installed by the city and local nonprofits to absorb rainforest. These bits of distributed green infrastructure help to avoid combined sewer overflows as well as street and basement flooding. One example is even called Sponge Park, an eighteen hundred square foot rain garden located at a street end along the Gwanis Canal in Brooklyn, New York. Brooklyn seems to be in in this episode a lot today. That helps mitigate. The effects of flooding in this neighborhood. Another example is the Queen's Botanical Garden, where the entire 39-acre site is designed to capture any rain that falls within the garden grounds. The centerpiece is a large bioswale running most of the length of the garden. Not to be outdone, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden has a large green roof on one of its buildings. rain gardens and a system that monitors rain levels in their detention pond and the weather and automatically releases water before a rain event to allow for maximum rain water retention. The city has also built bioswales on some streets to allow water to be held in place during rainfalls to prevent local flooding and overwhelming the combined sewer system. And in Staten Island, the Blue Belt has alleviated the need for building storm sewers by capturing rainfall in engineered wetlands. I covered the full story of the Blue Belt in mostly good environmental news number fifteen, if you would like to learn more. There are many other spongy examples from cities around the world. For all of these reasons, sponge cities are good news for the environment and and for all of us city dwellers. And now Mark has some snippets of good news. Mark?
Mark: Yeah yeah, thank you, Lenny. ⁓ snippet number one. The actor Morgan Freeman is turning his entire one hundred and twenty four acre ranch into a sanctuary for bees. Alarmed by collapsing bee populations, he decided to act. He imported twenty six beehives from Arkansas to his ranch in Mississippi, and planted fields of clover, lavender, and magnolia, creating a pollinator paradise. Bees pollinate about 80% of the world's flowering crops, including many fruits, nuts, and vegetables. One healthy colony can pollinate millions of flowers in a single day. Without bees, ecosystems collapse and food systems collapse. So let's follow Morgan's example. If you've got some room in your backyard or side yard or nearby open space, plant some clover, lavender, milkweed, blazing star, bee balm. cone flower hyacinth or sunflowers and help out the bees. Number two, three baby bald eagles were recently born in Chicago, the first time in the city in more than a century. Conservation experts said it's a sign that local ecosystem restoration efforts are working. So that's good news for Chicago. And number three, in 2007, the state of Florida dumped a half million tons of oyster shells into the ocean. The shells were collected from seafood restaurants. And processing plants. The restoration project was designed to rebuild damaged marine ecosystems, and the results are now clear. The rebuilt oyster reefs have created a thriving habitat for hundreds of marine species along Florida's Gulf Coast. These include crabs, mussels, shrimp, seagrass, as well as fish species such as flounder, herring, manhaden, perch, mackerel, trout, and striped bass. The shells were placed in areas where natural oyster reefs had disappeared over the years.
Lenny: Thank you, Mark, and thank you for listening to the Mostly Good Environmental News Report. We hope you enjoyed hearing some good news. If you liked our good news items, please share with your friends and listen to more episodes of the Mostly Good Environmental News Report wherever you listen to podcasts. And a special thank you to Fred Duca for the original music compositions we are using in this podcast. Here is a little bit of that music. Bye for now.
Mark: finally, Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon and Blue Origin, stated that humanity must move to the Moon and eventually beyond, not just for exploration, but to save planet Earth from the effects of technology and industry. According to Bezos, shifting heavy industry off Earth is the only scenario in which economic growth and environments of preservation can coexist. Bezos said our garden planet is can be returned to its pre industrial revolution state. This is the only way in which the world is worse today than it was five hundred years ago. We can actually have both, he said, emphasizing that the quality of life has improved for most of humanity, but that planet Earth and nature have suffered as a result. Materials taken from the lunar surface require far less energy per kilogram than those taken from Earth. That figure makes the Moon not just a destination for permanent settlement, but a potential supplier for deeper space missions. The Moon's surface, bombarded for billions of years by meteorites, holds virtually every mineral needed to build infrastructure in space. But is this call for the colonization of the Moon just a red herring? A way to get government funding for his missions, with little care at all for environmental conservation. Won't extractive industries, chemical industries, and fossil fuel industries on Earth just continue to pollute the air and water here and whittle away the remaining forests and wildlife habitat that still remain on planet Earth. Is this notion of shifting heavy industry to the moon a legitimate idea that will save our garden planet? Or is it just a red herring that will throw away billions of your tax dollars? So please Let us know your thoughts on this. And now, Lenny, I'm back to you.
charlie olson: Thanks, Lenny. In this report, I'm going to talk more about how to better the environment versus our usual reporting of efforts that are models and proof of what's been done and what is being done. First, though, comes an explanation of our topic, urban heat islands. Did you know that concrete, asphalt, and urban heat islands add to the misery of heat waves? It only takes just a fraction of a second to suffer a serious burn. Asphalt and concrete in direct sunlight can often reach surface temperatures as high as, believe it or not, a hundred and eighty degrees Fahrenheit on the hottest days, according to the Arizona Burn Center. In early July of this year, the National Weather Service warned of dangerous heat with temperatures in the nineties and lower one hundreds. Across much of the USA. These surface temperatures play a critical role in how hot the surrounding area gets, and they present serious health risks. During heat waves, a substantial amount of the sun's energy is absorbed and reflected by surfaces exposed to its rays, leading to much higher temperatures. These warm surfaces then transfer their heat to the surrounding air. Increasing the overall air temperature, while some permeable and ⁓ moist surfaces like grass or soil absorb less heat. Materials like asphalt and concrete can absorb ninety-five percent of the sun's energy, which is then radiated back into the surrounding atmosphere. During days when the thermometer shows a hundred degrees Fahrenheit, this temperature refers to only air temperature. Which is measured at several feet above the ground. I did not know that. However, at those temperatures, surfaces such as asphalt and cement can reach that hundred and fifty, hundred and eighty degree mark, causing potent potentially causing sun skin burns or any other kind of burns. With respect to urban heat islands, the process of urban development profoundly changes the landscape. Natural and permeable surfaces are replaced by impermeable structures, like the buildings themselves and the roads. This creates urban heat islands, and these are areas within cities that experience significantly higher temperatures compared to nearby areas. These are also areas with high concentrations of people. Nearly half of schools and hospitals in cities are located in urban heat islands, exposing vulnerable populations to health threatening temperatures as global warming accelerates. Scientists have said the heat wave of late June twenty twenty six, that's two months ago, was one of the worst on record, and the blistering conditions disrupted power generations, damaged infrastructure, and overwhelmed healthcare systems. According to the World Health Organizations, thousands died in late June. Schools were shut, Grids buckled, and 150 million people, that's million people, were living under extreme heat. And due to heat fatigue, millions were unable to work their traditional jobs. That's both indoors and outdoors. Driven by climate change, the once-in-a-generation heat wave is now occurring annually. Many homes, workplaces, and schools are ill-equipped for this extreme heat. Dense built up areas typically lead to warmer air temperatures and This contrasts with parks, gardens, woodlands, and other vegetated areas, which help to cool the air. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, that's the EPA, the annual mean air temperature of a city with 1 million or more people can be up to 5 degrees warmer than surrounding areas. And on a clear, calm night, the temperature can be up to 22 degrees higher than nearby. rural areas. Green spaces and vegetation play a vital role in reducing surface temperatures through evapotranspiration. Now this is a process whereby plants release water to the surrounding air, dissipating ambient heat. Meanwhile, urban geometry, that's with its big buildings, traps heat at night. Additionally, Urban surfaces absorb and store more heat compared to natural ground cover, thus raising temperatures further. Understanding these factors help us create cooler and more sustainable cities. With respect to urban canyons, they impede cooling as buildings interfere with heat release. When sunlight re reaches surfaces in the urban canyons created between the buildings, the sun's energy is reflected and absorbed by the building's walls and can increase temperatures inside the buildings also. But vegetation helps reduce air temperature by releasing water to the surrounding air. And downtowns typically have surface materials, such as roofing and paving, which reflect less light and radiation and absorb more of the sun's energy. As cities develop, more surfaces are paved or covered with buildings, and more vegetation and moisture is gone, is lost. Thermal satellite images reveal cities' heat profiles quite clearly. And the bottom line is that urban development increases temperatures while green spaces lower temperatures. Even small green spaces can make a difference. And city parks departments should create what we call pocket parks. These are transforming small plots once ridden with garbage and weeds. And water is also essential. The trees, shrubs, and surrounding soil must be moist if they are to significantly lower the surrounding air temperature. In addition, shade is a primary cooling mechanism for thermal comfort, making trees much more effective in cooling than the shrubs and grasses. We also need to give citizens access to public buildings to cool down, to rehydrate, and to reduce heat exhaustion during heat waves. So, my listeners here, talk to your city council members, talk to your mayors, talk to the Parks Department people, and ask them to create and restore green spaces inside your town or city. and to also properly water those trees, shrubs, and grasses. If these folks follow through, this will lower the temperature and improve the quality of our life for everyone in the city. And that will be good news for you, and good news for the environment. And now Jim has a few words for us.
Jim Scarcella: afternoon everybody. Thank you, Charlie. Thank you for that interesting ⁓ segment on the urban heat. ⁓ yeah, we can all feel it. ⁓ And ⁓ ⁓ we need more green spaces, undoubtedly. ⁓ I've got some good news here. It's ⁓ it's summer parties to raise funds for parks. the sun went down in May, more than eight thousand revelers squeezed under a bridge in a desolate corner of Brooklyn. They danced pulsating music played under flashing lights while cooled by a breeze. For a few hours they made this patch of asphalt ⁓ into their underground nightclub. It was the season opener at Under the K, a linear park that runs under the Koskiusko Bridge that carries drivers over New York City's Newtown Creek between Brooklyn and Queens. The Under the K concerts have been a surprise hit. Since 2022, more than thirty, five hundred concertgoers have made their way to the raw industrial space which doubles as a state park by day. There is no general audience seating, only portable toilets and cars zooming by overhead. What makes these concerts even more unusual are partying with the purpose, according to the North Brooklyn Parks Alliance, which manages the state-owned park. These events have generated more than five million in revenue for the Conservancy, including one point seven million in twenty twenty five through site fees paid by concert producers and a two dollar park restoration fee added to each ticket. Staten Island has only one bridge connecting it to Brooklyn and three bridges connecting it to New Jersey. Maybe we can begin hosting weekend music and dance parties by these bridges to raise funds to improve Staten Island's parks? If so, let's look into this. And if we can do it, that would be very good news for our parks and very good news for the environment. And just a side note, this would be awesome if we could get it going. ⁓ gonna into it here and keep things going. And now I'd like to introduce Lenny, and Lenny has information about Sponge City where can storm before it gets all released ⁓ with dangerous contaminants into our waterways. Lenny?
Lenny: Thanks, Jim. Yes, the good news is sponge cities. Just as we use a cellulose sponge to soak up spills and dry up wet spots, some cities are using techniques to absorb the impacts from heavy rains and storm surges. are various ways this is being accomplished using using buildings ⁓ conversely, not building. and allowing nature to work as it was intended. Green infrastructure has been used in some cases as well. Even beavers have been deployed to restore wetlands. Many cities are built along the coast, rivers or lakes, and over the years have tried to tame these bodies of water by straightening out meandering river deltas or building sea walls to keep the ocean at bay. Pun intended. These attempts have had the opposite effect of making cities more vulnerable to flooding. The first example of a sponge city technique is called the Ealing Beaver Project. Ealing is an area of West London, England, where the local tube station often flooded. There were plans being formulated for an expensive construction project to solve the problem. But instead, the Ealing Beaver Project introduced five beavers into a small local wetland. The beavers got right to work expanding their naturally spongy wetlands and the station hasn't flooded since. The project has the additional benefits of increasing biodiversity and creating a park where locals can see beavers up close. Another example combines a high-rise building with storm water management in Seoul, South Korea. Nicknamed the High Rise on High Heels, this 460 foot residential tower is raised off the ground on heels, if you will, allowing storm water to be captured in the permeable area under and around the tower. This open space allows building and area residence space for vegetable gardens, dining areas, and tea houses. And the Sponge City projects that are close to home for me in New York City include rain gardens, bioswales, and green roofs installed by the city and local nonprofits to absorb rainforest. These bits of distributed green infrastructure help to avoid combined sewer overflows as well as street and basement flooding. One example is even called Sponge Park, an eighteen hundred square foot rain garden located at a street end along the Gwanis Canal in Brooklyn, New York. Brooklyn seems to be in in this episode a lot today. That helps mitigate. The effects of flooding in this neighborhood. Another example is the Queen's Botanical Garden, where the entire 39-acre site is designed to capture any rain that falls within the garden grounds. The centerpiece is a large bioswale running most of the length of the garden. Not to be outdone, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden has a large green roof on one of its buildings. rain gardens and a system that monitors rain levels in their detention pond and the weather and automatically releases water before a rain event to allow for maximum rain water retention. The city has also built bioswales on some streets to allow water to be held in place during rainfalls to prevent local flooding and overwhelming the combined sewer system. And in Staten Island, the Blue Belt has alleviated the need for building storm sewers by capturing rainfall in engineered wetlands. I covered the full story of the Blue Belt in mostly good environmental news number fifteen, if you would like to learn more. There are many other spongy examples from cities around the world. For all of these reasons, sponge cities are good news for the environment and and for all of us city dwellers. And now Mark has some snippets of good news. Mark?
Mark: Yeah yeah, thank you, Lenny. ⁓ snippet number one. The actor Morgan Freeman is turning his entire one hundred and twenty four acre ranch into a sanctuary for bees. Alarmed by collapsing bee populations, he decided to act. He imported twenty six beehives from Arkansas to his ranch in Mississippi, and planted fields of clover, lavender, and magnolia, creating a pollinator paradise. Bees pollinate about 80% of the world's flowering crops, including many fruits, nuts, and vegetables. One healthy colony can pollinate millions of flowers in a single day. Without bees, ecosystems collapse and food systems collapse. So let's follow Morgan's example. If you've got some room in your backyard or side yard or nearby open space, plant some clover, lavender, milkweed, blazing star, bee balm. cone flower hyacinth or sunflowers and help out the bees. Number two, three baby bald eagles were recently born in Chicago, the first time in the city in more than a century. Conservation experts said it's a sign that local ecosystem restoration efforts are working. So that's good news for Chicago. And number three, in 2007, the state of Florida dumped a half million tons of oyster shells into the ocean. The shells were collected from seafood restaurants. And processing plants. The restoration project was designed to rebuild damaged marine ecosystems, and the results are now clear. The rebuilt oyster reefs have created a thriving habitat for hundreds of marine species along Florida's Gulf Coast. These include crabs, mussels, shrimp, seagrass, as well as fish species such as flounder, herring, manhaden, perch, mackerel, trout, and striped bass. The shells were placed in areas where natural oyster reefs had disappeared over the years.
Lenny: Thank you, Mark, and thank you for listening to the Mostly Good Environmental News Report. We hope you enjoyed hearing some good news. If you liked our good news items, please share with your friends and listen to more episodes of the Mostly Good Environmental News Report wherever you listen to podcasts. And a special thank you to Fred Duca for the original music compositions we are using in this podcast. Here is a little bit of that music. Bye for now.
Mark: finally, Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon and Blue Origin, stated that humanity must move to the Moon and eventually beyond, not just for exploration, but to save planet Earth from the effects of technology and industry. According to Bezos, shifting heavy industry off Earth is the only scenario in which economic growth and environments of preservation can coexist. Bezos said our garden planet is can be returned to its pre industrial revolution state. This is the only way in which the world is worse today than it was five hundred years ago. We can actually have both, he said, emphasizing that the quality of life has improved for most of humanity, but that planet Earth and nature have suffered as a result. Materials taken from the lunar surface require far less energy per kilogram than those taken from Earth. That figure makes the Moon not just a destination for permanent settlement, but a potential supplier for deeper space missions. The Moon's surface, bombarded for billions of years by meteorites, holds virtually every mineral needed to build infrastructure in space. But is this call for the colonization of the Moon just a red herring? A way to get government funding for his missions, with little care at all for environmental conservation. Won't extractive industries, chemical industries, and fossil fuel industries on Earth just continue to pollute the air and water here and whittle away the remaining forests and wildlife habitat that still remain on planet Earth. Is this notion of shifting heavy industry to the moon a legitimate idea that will save our garden planet? Or is it just a red herring that will throw away billions of your tax dollars? So please Let us know your thoughts on this. And now, Lenny, I'm back to you.
