Mark Snyder wrote:
>For those who wonder what the big deal over lawn mowers,
>leaf blowers, gas-powered weed whackers are - let me share a
>recent experience: Last week, fire alarms went off in my
>building, forcing an evacuation that had us all standing
>outside for 15 minutes or so while the fire department came
>to investigate. The cause of the alarm going off was
>determined to be a maintenance worker running a gas-powered
>weed whacker too close to a building air intake. Exhaust
>from the machine was sucked into the building where it then
>set off the alarm.
>These things DO pollute. We should all look for >alternatives, whether they be
>human-powered lawn
>maintenance, prairie lawns or buying a goat.
Well, we can't do the latter since (IIRC) you can't raise
livestock in the city, and like St. Paul I think nobody but
the Park & Rec Department is allowed to *not* mow their lawn.
However, I agree that the gas-powered leaf blowers and weed whackers are obnoxious
overkill. I doubt that the amount of
air pollution they emit is that significant to the overall
air quality of the city, but the noise alone should be grounds
for prohibiting their use - and they can't be all that energy-
efficient, either. As for lawn mowers, well, maybe here in
Phillips I don't need one that runs on gas, but there are
other neighborhoods with larger lawns that would be a real
strain to do with a push mower.
>Hope that's not too preachy for everyone.
Nope, I think you hit just the right note. :)
Re Gary Hoover's suggestion that the city look into
incubators for "green" lawncare businesses: no businessman
(besides the defense contractors, but they're lousy investments) ever became
prosperous waiting on the government.
Go ahead and do it!
--
Kevin Trainor
RPM Candidate HD 61A
East Phillips
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