First of all Happy Birthday Austin, Texas which today, 10 years ago, passed the nation’s first ban of coal tar pavement sealers.
To mark that occasion, here is a 2 minute cartoon-video which tries to summarize the highlights of what has happened in that 10 years. My apologies to some if I have not highlighted your research, writing or bans, but a lot had to be left on the cutting room floor including efforts I’ve been involved with personally.
It has been a good 10 years and I’m glad that 18 million Americans are currently under a ban. In the future I suspect knowledge of coal tar sealer pollution will move from the groundbreaking to the commonplace in our communities. And that will be a welcome day. Until then there is a lot of work to be done.
Why a cartoon?
A few years ago, someone challenged me to do a cartoon about coal tar sealers using PowToons. If you knew me you’d know that is not necessarily my go to medium if you know what I mean. But with a high degree of trust in that someone, here you go.