Another Code Orange Day

By: Evan M
Published On: 8/7/2007 4:25:10 PM

I wake up to WTOP every morning, and during the current heat wave, I've learned a lot about Code Orange days:
"Relatively high PSI values activate public health warnings. For example, a PSI above 200 (orange) initiates a First Stage Alert, at which time sensitive populations (e.g., the elderly and persons with respiratory illnesses) are advised to remain indoors and reduce physical activity." - The EPA via Answers.com

Today, we have another Code Orange day. Well, the PSA's they've been running this summer on WTOP have worked on me, because I knew people should refrain from mowing their lawns today. (If they have a gasoline-powered mower. I use a push reel mower for my postage-stamp lawn in an effort to marginally reduce my impact on the environment.)

And yet, when I walked my dog this morning, there was a gentleman sitting on an commercial riding mower, cutting the grass at Leesburg Elementary. Now I know and understand that the cumulative impact of gas-powered lawnmowers has a major effect on air quality. And I think most of my neighbors and I are willing to refrain from adding to air pollution on bad air-quality days.

In the interest of learning more, I emailed my HOA Board and asked whether we could implement a policy to reduce powered landscaping on bad air-quality days. The HOA member I emailed has taken my question and concern to the management company, and we're going to see what we can do about putting this kind of policy in place in our community.

I encourage everyone to do the same with their HOAs. If all the HOAs in Virginia refrained from powered landscaping on bad air-quality days, it could make a big difference to our neighbors with asthma and other respiratory difficulties.

(Crossposted from Leesburg Tomorrow)

Comments



It's not the landscaping, it's the lay of the land (TheGreenMiles - 8/8/2007 12:20:03 AM)
Pollution from mowing (and other landscaping) is a relatively small portion of the DC region's ground-level ozone and particulate pollution.  To truly reduce our air pollution, we need to support renewable energy, public transit, and low-emissions vehicles.

Mowing on different days is nice, but it doesn't require changes in behavior or reduce our total emissions.  I don't mean to discourage you, but with coal-fired power plants and ever-expanding highways driving our air quality into the ground, mowing changes might make you feel better, but it won't make a big difference.



No discouragement (Evan M - 8/8/2007 2:37:48 PM)
Believe me, I'm not discouraged, it takes more than a comment to discourage me. :)

The way I see it, yes, we absolutely need to do The Big Things. More hybrids, less driving, better legislation and regulation.

However, I might be able to get my HOA to change it's policy in the next week! I'm not gonna get my neighbor to drive a hybrid in the next week, or get better legislation in the next week.

I don't see activism as zero-sum. I can advocate for the election of environmentally aware candidates to fight the Big Long-Term Fight, and in my next moment, ask my HoA to do some small thing.

Changing minds sometimes means changing small things. People actually give a crap about their HoA policies, and if they start thinking environmentally there, it's not as far to start thinking environmentally when they're voting in town elections, and state elections.

But that's just how I see it.