LETTERS
1615 words by Denotra
I choose the following people to write my letters to:
I posted a letter on save our environment.org because they send these letters to the CEO’s of General Motors, Toyota, DaimlerChrysler, Honda and Ford (G. Richard Wagoner Jr., Juergen E. Schrempp, William Clay Ford Jr., Kochi Kondo, Hideaki Otaka, and Kurt von Zumwalt). “The auto industry is fighting progress by suing California to block a new law that would cut global warming pollution from cars by 30 percent by 2016.”
Dear CEO:
Why are you trying to stop progress on an issue of such great magnitude to our health and our environment? We really need to cut global warming pollution, and cars are one of the leading sources, especially the SUVs and trucks you specialize in. Cars and trucks make up the second largest source of global warming pollution,
Global warming is happening. Global warming is a public health hazard, projected to worsen smog and trigger more asthma attacks and hospitalizations. Then in California of all places! More than two of your cities are in the top ten leading cities for the most pollution. Can you really be proud of that?
You have the technology to help fix the global warming problem. Clever engineering techniques are available today to build cleaner cars and trucks. Why won’t you use them to help us live longer and healthier instead of trying to hurt us? Is it the money? What good is it if you won’t be around to see it? You have all this power but you’re using it the wrong way. DO you thing what you’re doing is really right? What if something was to happen to someone close to you because of an environmental issue that could have been avoided, would you change your mind then? Don’t let it come to that, even if it is something like asthma.
I hope you will have a change of heart and stop thing about money, think about your family and all the people around you. If that’s not good enough think about yourself, that shouldn’t be hard.
Ms. Kimberly M. Reese
Assistant Dean of Students/
Director for CSLS
520-7358
kreese@xula.edu
I choose her because she is the Director of CSLS and she has the power to create a program that would allow students to do their part in the environment how don’t have a lot of access to certain other outside organizations by means of transportation. It will also make students aware of the issue of our environmental state of decline.
Dear Ms. Reese,
I am a current freshman here at Xavier and I am doing a project for my theology class. I’m trying to find ways to help improve our environment I was looking at your website and I seen all these different activities and volunteer services for just about everything except for issues dealing with the environment. I think all the other projects and organizations are great but I also think our environment and its declining state has an equal amount if importance compared to the rest of them. It could be a case that all the activities are not posted on the website and if that is the case I think that at least one project should be listed so people will know that there are environmental projects are available to them. If there are no programs, is there any way that one could be started.
Thank you for your time and I would greatly appreciate it you could get back to me.
Denotra Colby
Hon. C. Ray Nagin
Mayor
City of New Orleans
1300 Perdido St. 2E04
New Orleans, La. 70112
I chose him because he needs to do something about New Orleans Period!
Dear Mayor Nagin:
I am a Xavier Student doing a project for my Theology class. We had to choose a subject that we thought needed to improve and act on it. I choose our environment and the city of New Orleans is a great place to start. I am originally from Mississippi, and when I first arrived here for school the first thing that came to me was the smell. It stinks out here really bad. It almost makes you not want to come outside. It’s awful. The second thing that came to me was all the trash on the side of the roads and in the streets and all thrash that has just accumulated in the water and on the side walks. That is disgusting. This is your city, why would you want it to look like that? I don’t understand that. New Orleans is a big tourist area and so I don’t see why you wouldn’t want it to be at its best or at least to it. The next thing I noticed was the slum areas that are by my school. Mr. Mayor, that doesn’t make any sense for a neighbor hood to look like that, even if the people there are poor. That looks bad even for the Ghetto! I know there are things that you can do to help get New Orleans looking it’s best because there are some beautiful areas in New Orleans, and it’s a shame that all of New Orleans can’t look like that. I’m making a step to help improve your city and I’m asking that you do the same. Thank you for your time and I hope you take this letter into consideration.
Denotra Colby
here are some responses i got back so far:
Response from Toyota:
Thank you for contacting Toyota and please know that we share your concern
about climate
change. That is why we’ve been a leader in hybrid technology and we were
the first company to
introduce a mass-market hybrid vehicle, the Prius, in 1997. In April 2005
we will introduce the
Lexus RX 400h, followed shortly by the Toyota Highlander Hybrid, and next
year, the Lexus GS
hybrid. We believe that hybrid technology plays a vital role in addressing
greenhouse gases.
But when it comes to California’s attempt to establish new regulations to
reduce greenhouse
gas emissions through changes in motor-vehicle fuel economy, we have
serious concerns.
The increased fuel economy requirements are drastic even for Toyota, which
has one of the
best environmental records in the industry. For consumers, this would lead
to higher-priced
vehicles and fewer model choices. The added cost to consumers, by some
estimates, may
average as much as $3,000 per vehicle. And, as for choice, the only
vehicles we currently make
that would meet the ultimate rules are our Prius and our manual
transmission Echo. We
recognize that a large number of our customers need different vehicles for
their lifestyles and
we would like to continue to meet those needs.
Global warming is a genuine concern for our society, and Toyota vows to be
part of the solution.
The California rule has an admirable goal, but we feel it takes the wrong
approach. Any solution
must take at least a national approach, or it may threaten economic growth
while having little
impact on the problem.
Toyota will continue to work with others, including California and federal
regulators, government
representatives, academic leaders, the industry, and environmentalists to
seek innovative
solutions to the problem of global warming. And we will continue developing
and expanding
pioneer technology that will lead the way to future environmental
advancements.
Please know that we value your input, and we appreciate your feedback and
the time you’ve
taken to contact us.
Response from Xavier:
Yes. A program can be started. All of our volunteer programs were
started by students. Please see Ms. Pequeno for more information.
Governor Kathleen Blanco
Office of the Governor
P.O. Box 94004
Baton Rouge, LA. 70804-9004
Dear Governor Blanco
I am a Xavier Student doing a project for my Theology class. We had to choose a subject that we thought needed to improve and act on it. I choose our environment and the city of New Orleans is a great place to start. I am originally from Mississippi, and when I first arrived here for school the first thing that came to me was the smell. It stinks out here really bad. It almost makes you not want to come outside. It’s awful. The second thing that came to me was all the trash on the side of the roads and in the streets and all thrash that has just accumulated in the water and on the side walks. That is disgusting. This is your city, why would you want it to look like that? I don’t understand that. New Orleans is a big tourist area and so I don’t see why you wouldn’t want it to be at its best or at least to it. The next thing I noticed was the slum areas that are by my school. Mrs. Blanco, that doesn’t make any sense for a neighbor hood to look like that, even if the people there are poor. That looks bad even for the Ghetto! I know there are things that you can do to help get New Orleans looking it’s best because there are some beautiful areas in New Orleans, and it’s a shame that all of New Orleans can’t look like that. I’m making a step to help improve your city and I’m asking that you do the same. Thank you for your time and I hope you take this letter into consideration.
Denotra Colby