Algebra, Air Quality and Aquatics: My Summer Learning

"Whatever you do to one side of theequation, you MUST to do the other."

I was recently repeating this golden rule of algebra to my ten-year-old daughter as we were working on her summer math packet at our neighborhood swim club, one of dozens of community pools scattered throughout Montgomery County.  Some of these local swim clubs are tucked into cul-de-sacs in older neighborhoods that are now buttressed by newer developments, while others are located on busy thoroughfares, but all provide an oasis of relief from the summer heat, an escape from the traffic and busy urban life that characterizes where we live, and a seasonal gathering spot to rekindle old friendships and connect with neighbors we don't always see during the other nine months of the year.

As I sat there at the pool helping my daughter with math and doing some reading myself, I was intrigued by recent Patch story on the County Council's attempt to block a gas station at the new Wheaton Plaza Costco because of the air quality it would share with a nearby swim club.  I began to make a connection between this issue and the algebra I was teaching. 

The County Council will vote next week on a bill, Zoning Text Amendment 12-07, whose goal of reducing air pollution from vehicle emissions and idling cars is admirable, but whose approach, through this particular legislation, is myopic and unlikely to have any impact. That’s because the bill won't apply to all gas stations, or all neighborhood swim clubs.  I began to think, if the Council were to abide by the golden rule of algebra, they would also need to enact legislation to reduce car emissions in the immediate vicinity of all other swim clubs in the County, for “you can't do something to one..."

Carrying the logic of the golden rule forward would mean that the Council should also:

·       Pass legislation to stop traffic on 495 from Memorial Day to Labor Day to reduce the plume affecting swim club members at Chevy Chase Recreation Association swimming pool;

·       Re-route the Purple Line Metrorail to improve air quality (and reduce noise pollution) for members of North Chevy Chase swimming pool; and

·       Relocate the industrial park that sits immediately to the east of Rock Creek Swim Club to eliminate diesel exhaust from the trucks that use this route for deliveries andpickups.

Catch my drift?  I don't think a shotgun approach and spot-zoning through bills like ZTA 12-07 is how the Council should be spending its time legislating.  It's unfair, pointless, and will not make a dent in improving overall air quality.

Shame on our local leaders for not thinking more broadmindedly about how to reduce our overall carbon footprint by improving mass transit, encouraging cleaner vehicles, etc.  And shame on me for thinking that I'd never need to use algebra in real life.