Students should take a science class

So the Ashland High kids are demonstrating against natural gas for the sake of clean air, yet, per unit of heat produced, roughly speaking, natural gas creates 1/16 the CO2 of wood, 1/8 that of coal, 1/4 that of oil, and 1/2 that of gasoline. But what about electricity?

Well, you see, the First Law of Thermodynamic stands, inter alia, for the proposition that efficiency is lost at each point of energy conversion, so, assuming a reasonably good efficiency of 50%, electricity produced by a coal-powered plant would create 16 times the CO2 that simply burning natural gas would, while a gas generator would yield 4 times the CO2 of an appliance burning natural gas — not to mention that those other fuels add all types of other pollutants, both gaseous and particulates, to the air.

Perhaps our young environmentalists would do the Earth more good if, instead of picketing, they took a science class or two, if the Ashland Public Schools still offer those.

Henry Plouse / Medford

Senators should reauthorize READ Act

I woke up on a chilly January morning. It was my 11th birthday, and I was buzzing with excitement. I jumped out of bed and shimmied on my school uniform. Leaping down the stairs I greeted my mom in the kitchen holding a wrapped present.

I ripped the wrapping paper off to find that it was the novel I had waited a year to come out, “The House of Hades” by Rick Riordan. I was devastated by the cliffhanger of the previous book and was ecstatic to find out what happens next. My reading skills opened me to so many worlds filled with adventure, intrigue and wonder.

However, my experience was unique. According to the world bank, 70% of children in low- and middle-income countries are experiencing learning poverty partly due to the pandemic. Learning poverty means that by the age of 10 students can’t read and comprehend a simple sentence. I was lucky to be born in a wealthy country where by the age of 8 I was devouring books. This is a privilege all children should have access to, not just the joy of reading but the power that education gives any person to improve their life.

The READ Act is up for reauthorization in the Senate. This bill specifically targets giving money to USAID to reach vulnerable populations and requires them to have robust monitoring systems to improve quality of reading and education programs. Senators Merkley and Wyden should vote yes to reauthorizing the READ Act.

Savannah Sanford / Corvallis 

Throwing our garbage out the window

I recently spent a beautiful day at Crater Lake National Park. While there I saw a family throw the plastic remains of their lunch down a hillside. It was jolting to see this disrespect for our great park.

I remember a time in the ’50s when everyone threw their garbage out the car window. People thought nature was too vast for our small amount of trash to be a problem. But small amounts quickly became huge amounts and soon roadsides were becoming toxic heaps of garbage, unhealthy and ugly. We learned that we needed to protect our lands. Only now it’s the air that needs protecting from the toxic fumes from cars, trucks and factories.

That family had every right to eat their lunch in the park, every factory has a right to produce their goods, and we have the right to travel by car and truck. It’s what we do with the garbage we produce that needs to change.

Small amounts of toxins in the air are quickly becoming huge amounts, but we are still throwing our garbage out the window. Let’s get behind behind laws that protect our air the same way we protect our lands.

Diane Sloan / Portland