ARTICLE TITLE: The Horse and the Urban Environment AUTHOR/SOURCE: Environmental Literacy Council

MAIN POINTS: No environmental was as encompassing as produced by the horse in the 19th century Severe problem was from horses manure and urine Horses produced between fifteen and thirty-five pounds of manure a day and about a quart of urine NYC Council tried to control the manure in 1818 by loading manure in manure-yards. The stench was considered a health hazard in the 19th century The manure produced large number of flies that can cause diseases like typhoid. public health officials had largely accepted the bacterial theory of disease and had identified the "queen of the dung-heap" or fly, as a major source. the noise created by horses' iron shoes and the iron-tired wheels of cars and wagons on cobblestone streets was a constant annoyance. Urban life was hard on the horse. Horses were whipped to pull heavy loads. Mistreated horses died on the streets. Disposal of dead horses spurred a problem. Trains replaced horses by 1888. Pollution from streetcars were reduced and moved from a non-point source (horse) to a point source (coal plant). The arrival of the automobile dealt another blow to the horse . Cars became common and horses are not common in the streets anymore.

AUTHOR'S POINT:

During the 19th century, horses polluted the environment through their feces and urine. Horses produce 15 to 35 pounds of feces a day and about a quart of urine. The New York City came up with a plan to place all of the feces in 'manure-yards'. The smell caused many flies to be around the area. Those flies caused a threat: they had contained diseases like typhoid. The noise created by horse's iron shoes and the iron-tired wheels of cars and wagons on the cobblestone streets was a continuous irritation to the people in the area around them. Trains started to replace the horse. After the train came along, the cars came afterwards and from then on after it was another blow to the horse. MY THOUGHTS: Horses seem to bless of pollution to the environment than trains and cars. The train's run off of coal leads to mercury pollution in bodies of waters. This leads to the fish we catch containing mercury that has the potential to poison the humans or other fish that eat them. Cars pollute from the CO2 coming out of the exhaust pipe. CO2 stays in the atmosphere and has a part in global change and the decrease of the ozone layers. So what? Use of horses has decreased and the use of cars and trains has been increased. This causes more pollution in our environment. What if..? Cars and trains were never introduced? Says who? Environmental Literacy Council

What does this remind you of..? Cell phones.