HomeMy WebLinkAbout12/5/2023 Item 7a, Ayral
Odile Ayral <
To:E-mail Council Website
Subject:Item 7a
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Dear Mayor Stewart and City Council Members,
I don’t have to remind you that the United States is the second biggest polluter in the world after China. (5,416
million tons of CO2 in 2019). Yet we are always telling other people what they should do. It is the same thing
but on a much smaller scale in our little city. You don’t have the right to tell people to make sacrifices if you
don’t do it yourself. Here are two areas where the city could greatly improve:
1. Outdoor gas heaters at restaurants and bars. Using a single outdoor gas heater for five hours a day
every day produces the same amount of nitrogen oxide pollution as that produced by a typical gas-
heated home in a year (Future Climate for Environmental Defense Fund Europe).
2. Leaf blowers and gas lawnmowers. Relative to their size, leaf blowers are among the most polluting
machines ever invented. 1/3 of their fuel is released into the air unburnt, and the number of pollutants
released from running one for 30 minutes is equivalent to that of driving a car from California to
Texas. In California, gas-powered leaf blowers and similar equipment could soon produce more
ozone pollution than cars do. (The Atlantic, April 2019). I complained to the SLO Staff about these
gas blowers, and I don’t need to tell you that my complaints did not get anywhere. Again, do what I say,
don’t do what I do.
A great deal of improvement also needs to be done on plastic pollution. You should not allow plastic bags to be
handed out at Farmer’s Markets, or any local stores (stores like Rite-Aid, for example, still do).
Finally, to end my note on a question, are you planning to retrofit all the city buildings as soon as
possible? This would also be a way to set a good example.
Sincerely,
Odile Ayral
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