I know the environment, I think

Before thinking long and hard about what my relation to nature really was, I had decided that I had very little of a relationship with the outside world at all. I see it differently now.

The environment is all around me, involved in everything I do, and one of the few constants in my life. It is something that a lot of people, including myself, take for granted.

If the air was not clean, or the water was full of toxins, it would be a different world. It doesn't only affect the beach and how pretty it is when you look outside of the window. It affects your inside life too. You wouldn't be able to take a shower normally, eat, drink, or even breathe like we are so used to doing, if something went terribly wrong in the environment.

It was the BP oil spill that made me realize that we are very lucky that we have a safe environment to live in. Other people are the ones who are ruining it, and someday new generations wont be able to have the things we have.

I remember, when first hearing about the oil spill, I was like "Oh man, That's not good," then I went on with my day. It wasn't until I actually started looking in to what the repercussions of such a disaster could be, that I realized how naive i have been my whole life.

The bottom line is, the environment is always there, and always will be there.. unless we keep ruining it.

Pensacola: My Very Polluted Home

Since I have been old enough to remember significant details, I have only lived in two very similar places: Panama City Beach and Pensacola, Fla.

The differences between the two places are few. Very similar beaches, the same stores, and even some of the same people, but there is one difference that I never considered, the environment.

The Grand Jury Report on Air and Water Quality for Escambia County, revealed details to me that I had never even begun to imagine. The report basically tears apart every body of water in Pensacola and compares them to others in the area, saying "the water quality of the Pensacola bay system varies within the system, but overall, is not good."

The portion of the report on Pensacola's Air quality didn't have many good things to say, either.


The report is outdated, and was released long before the BP oil spill, and multiple efforts have been made to clean up the environment since its release. However, another report is coming out soon, and we will quickly see if those efforts have even made a difference at all.


I never knew how bad air and water quality in my home town really was, nor had I ever thought it mattered. After reading the report, I quickly realized that is does matter and something has to be done.