Greenversations

About the author: Marcus Peacock is EPA’s Deputy Administrator.

I went to a baseball game last night. The Washington Nationals put on the worst performance I have ever witnessed by a Major League Baseball team. The Washington Post noted the final score, 12 – 2, while suggesting a “rare brand of unwatchable baseball” scarcely articulated how the Nationals “failed to perform in almost any capacity.”

What made it so bad? It was not errors. The Nats only made one error. The problem was an almost palpable lack of attention to detail – a lack of caring about the small things. I saw it the moment I sat down. How often, for instance, do you see a catcher overthrow the second basemen after the pitcher has thrown his last warm-up pitch? How about an infielder trying to flip a foul ball to fans in the stands - and coming up 10 feet short?

These were very small things and made no difference in the substance of the game. But when I saw both these things happen within the first few minutes I got a bad feeling about where the team was headed. What followed was a bevy of small things that, when accumulated, did matter. A pitcher, forgetting they had their foot on the rubber and then taking it off (balking in a run). An outfielder overthrowing a cutoff man. A pitcher failing to backup a play (another run). A batter failing to get a bunt down. An infielder shrugging at a sharp grounder that a diving glove might have knocked down. What came through - what became painfully obvious - was that on this night, for whatever reason, a few Nats were not playing at 100 percent. 90 percent seemed acceptable.

When you play 90 percent against a team that is playing 100 percent it doesn’t matter how much skill you have, you are going to get buried.

Mistakes happen, but when a person doesn’t care about whether they make a mistake, even a small one, really bad things will eventually happen. A ball club that doesn’t care eventually loses ball games. An EPA that doesn’t care means we will eventually have more contaminated water, dirty air, and abandoned dumps.

Right now this Agency is on top of its game. We consistently score near or at the top of all federal agencies in virtually every independent review of our operations. (I just found out today we got an “A+” on the latest financial and computer security scorecard issued by a committee in the US House of Representatives.) But to stay on top of our game - to consistently be the very best - we need to keep caring. We need to sweat the small stuff.

About the author: Lina Younes has been working for EPA since 2002 and chairs EPA’s Multilingual Communications Task Force. Prior to joining EPA, she was the Washington bureau chief for two Puerto Rican newspapers and she has worked for several government agencies.

Lea la versión en español a continuación de esta entrada en inglés.
Some links exit EPA or have Spanish content.

During the month of May, Asthma Awareness Month, I’ve been working on several activities to increase awareness among Hispanics about asthma. This pulmonary disease affects about 22 million individuals across the United States. While this is a serious, sometimes life-threatening disease, it can be controlled so asthmatics can live a healthy life.

During interviews in Spanish-language media, I have discussed several tips to address environmental asthma triggers, in particular, how to reduce indoor asthma triggers such as second hand smoke, dust mites, mold, cockroaches and other pests, warm-blooded pets (like cats, dogs or hamsters), and nitrogen dioxide, as a way to control asthma attacks.

I know that trying to keep beloved pets away from the bedrooms and off the furniture can be sometimes easier said than done. Nonetheless, that’s essential if you want to keep the pet dander, saliva, and hair away from the sleeping areas, upholstery and carpets.

Short of giving your pet up for adoption (a necessary drastic measure if pet allergens are your key asthma trigger), there are some steps you can take to reduce the exposure to cat allergens. A friend shared an article recently which recommends soaking a washcloth or sponge with distilled water and wiping the cat down twice a week to minimize its dander. The article published last year in Health Monitor emphasized the importance of using distilled water while highlighting that its use was much more effective than other commercial products that make the claim to reduce pet allergens. In the perfect world, asthmatics should leave the cat grooming to someone else. However, if the allergic individual lives alone, a paper mask can be used to minimize inhaling the allergen. Furthermore, vacuuming frequently using a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter is also highly recommended.

Needless to say, that working with your doctor to create an asthma plan that works for you is one of the first steps to managing this disease and living a fruitful life. Just wanted to share some advice for those who simply cannot say goodbye to their furry friend.

Las mascotas y el asma

Sobre la autor: Lina M. F. Younes ha trabajado en la EPA desde el 2002 y está a cargo del Grupo de Trabajo sobre Comunicaciones Multilingües. Como periodista, dirigió la oficina en Washington de dos periódicos puertorriqueños y ha laborado en varias agencias gubernamentales.

Durante el mes de mayo, el Mes de Concienciación sobre el Asma, he estado trabajando en diferentes actividades para crear conciencia entre los hispanos acerca del asma. Esta enfermedad pulmonar afecta cerca de 22 millones de individuos en Estados Unidos. Mientras es una condición seria, y a veces puede ser mortal, si es controlada debidamente los asmáticos pueden vivir una vida saludable.

Durante varias entrevistas con medios hispanos, he mencionado varios consejos para abordar los desencadenantes ambientales del asma, en particular, cómo reducir los desencadenantes del asma en entornos interiores tales como el tabaquismo pasivo, los ácaros de polvo, el moho, las cucarachas, y otras plagas, los animales de sangre caliente (como gatos, perros o hámsters), y bióxido de nitrógeno, como una manera para controlar los ataques de asma.

Sé que el mantener a las queridas mascotas fuera de los dormitorios o lejos de los muebles puede resultar más fácil decirlo que hacerlo. No obstante, esto es esencial para asegurar que la caspa de los animales, la saliva o los pelos no tengan contacto con las áreas donde duerme, los muebles tapizados o las alfombras.

Mientras que en los casos más extremos es posible que tenga que dar su mascota en adopción (una medida drástica, pero necesaria si los alergenos de mascotas son el principal desencadenante de sus ataques de asma), hay algunos pasos que usted debe tomar para reducir la exposición a los alergenos de gatos. Una amiga me envió un artículo recientemente que recomienda el mojar un paño o esponja con agua destilada para limpiar a su gato dos veces en semana para minimizar la caspa. El artículo fue publicado el año pasado en Health Monitor.com. ] [El artículo enfatiza la importancia de utilizar agua destilada y destaca el hecho que su uso es mucho más efectivo que otros productos comerciales que alegan la reducción de los alergenos de las mascotas. En un mundo perfecto, los asmáticos deberían dejar que otra persona limpie su querido gato usando este método. Sin embargo, si la persona alérgica vive sola, entonces debe utilizar una máscara de papel limpiar la mascota y para minimizar el inhalar el alergeno. Además, el pasar la aspiradora frecuentemente utilizando un filtro HEPA también es altamente recomendado.

Demás está decir que el trabajar con su médico para crear un plan de asma que funcione para usted es uno de los primeros pasos a seguir para manejar esta enfermedad y vivir una vida fructífera. Sólo quería darle algunos consejos para aquellas personas que simplemente no pueden prescindir de sus queridas mascotas.