Portland does not need gas-powered lawn tools. Electric versions of mowers, string trimmers, edgers, pressure washers and chainsaws - are all available and do the work in less polluting ways (both noise and air), (“More than 100 cities have banned gas leaf blowers. Will Portland be next?” Nov. 10). Moving away from gas-powered tools is especially beneficial to those who work with these tools and suffer life-long adverse health effects. It’s also good for the birds, bees, and everyone’s pets and anyone who has asthma.
It’s good to see our City Council coming together to do something simple that can improve everyone’s lives. I don’t really get what is taking so long – it has seemed like an obvious remedy for years, but I’m glad we’re finally getting this done. Thanks to Portland City Councilor Carmen Rubio and Multnomah County Commissioner Jessica Vega Pederson for their advocacy and effort on this issue, and thanks to Quiet Clean PDX for their seven year effort to move Portland forward in a healthy way.
Next up: Trading out the glaring overhead LED streetlights for warmer lights to make nighttime walks joyful again.
Albert Kaufman, Portland
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