Where's the Coal in Your Life?

When we dug up topsoil for a new patio this week, we found lumps of coal like the ones pictured here, all around the old coal chute. If your home was built before 1940, you probably have coal under your petunia beds as well.

That got me thinking. Where else does coal show up if you live in the Hudson Valley? Thanks to the Sierra Club and its partners below for bringing us a quiz to help answer that question.

Take the “Coal-in-your-life” quiz by answering three simple questions to get a rough measure.  Our household scored a “5 = Coal is looming” based on our replies about zip code, fish diet and general health and outdoor activities.

Why zip code? Because that identifies the mix of fuels used to produce electricity for your area over the course of a year. In 2010, coal provided only 6% of the annual electricity consumed in New York State. That’s because New York has a relatively diverse range of fuels or sources for electricity from gas and oil combining for 64%, nuclear 14%, hydro at 11%, coal at 6%, and everything else at 6% (pumped storage, solar, etc).

However, the impact of coal-fired power plant air pollution is substantial and spreads hundreds of miles downwind from other states to our area.  Approximately 825 asthma attacks and 42 deaths in 2010 were tied to pollution from coal-fired power plants in Westchester County, NY, according the Clean Air Task Force. 

Why fish? Because many species of fish absorb mercury that enters the air and water cycle from emissions put out by coal-fired plants. For example, eating tuna fish sandwiches 8 times a month led me to learn “Your estimated mercury intake from seafood is 0.11 micrograms per kilogram per day, which is above the level that the EPA considers to be safe.” (NRDC Mercury Calculator). 

I considered lighting the coal for a more dramatic image to accompany this post. But it’s already 95 degrees Fahrenheit outside this afternoon! So that seemed like overkill!