the Painting Activist

7″ x 9″ watercolor, $80 ($10 donated to GHASP)
SOLD
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Although Texans take pride in being known for larger everything, lets remember that bigger is not always better. I’m currently in Houston “painting” about several great organizations for you, one of which is GHASP (Galveston-Houston Association for Smog Prevention). I was graciously given an extensive tour of nearby oil refineries this week by the communications directo . The expansiveness of these ship channels is hard to put to words. After exiting the Houston city limits, we quickly entered a vast land of towering metal, concrete, steam, smoke, and lights. Much of Houston’s air pollution is due to these neighboring industrial areas. Visit GHASP’s website to see a striking unedited image of the smog hovering over the city skyline from such contributories. This is where GHASP steps in. Sabrina Strawn, GHASP’s executive director, had several insightful statements to share with us:

The largest source of air pollution in the Houston region is our petrochemical industry. For many years, our state leaders have protected industry’s right to pollute instead of the public’s right to breathe clean air. But that is changing, and we’ve seen that when government requires better pollution control technology and practices, it can result in dramatic air quality improvements for our communities. Reducing air pollution is technically and economically feasible, and it is essential for the health of our residents and our economy.

GHASP works to persuade government and corporate leaders to reduce smog in the Houston region. Our leaders have the knowledge and the technology to solve our air pollution problems, and we must insist that they apply it. Preventing air pollution will protect the health of our residents, bolster long-term economic growth and improve quality of life in our communities.

Since its inception in 1992, tangible envirnomental change has come about, partly due to GHASP’s involvement.

Air quality in Houston has improved over the past decade, especially with regard to ozone. GHASP is a part of that success story, because we have ensured that the pubic interest is represented in regulatory and legislative proceedings. Industry’s special interests often dominate that arena, and we help counter that influence.

GHASP is also on the cutting edge, utilizing a blog to bolster education and raise awareness.

GHASP’s blog has provided us with a very timely means of communication with our members and with others who are interested in Houston’s air quality. We do e-mail alerts about once a month, but they are necessarily short and to the point. In our blog, we can cover more ground, in more depth, and we can express our opinions more freely.

Thank goodness for those advocating for a clean air, a basic human need often taken for granted.