Phyllis Fitzgerald is a technical coordinator for the Louisville Metro Air Pollution Control District in Kentucky.
Monday, 3 Mar 2003
LOUISVILLE, Ky.
As I approached early retirement from my last job working for a gas and electric utility, I pondered my next career — a necessity after mortgaging my future to put five kids through college. Should I do something easy, or should I do something that will “make the world better”? After about three minutes of strenuous thought, I answered my question, and soon thereafter landed right in the middle of my own “brier patch.”
Through the years, in all of my jobs (and I’ve had many, from teaching to managing an environmental organization), I’ve been an environmentalist, right down to my toenails — more specifically, the “waste-not, want-not” variety. (And my kids don’t call me “Mother Earth” for nothing!) Wasting energy, land, food, trees, water, soil, time, talent, natural and human resources — by abuse or misuse — is, in my view, utterly disrespectful to the earth and its inhabitants.
I grieve over the quality of air that my grandchildren breathe, and it has made me determined to help find ways to make it better. At least until they carry me feet first to that great big compost pile in the sky. Grieve is probably not the right word. What do you call it when you put grief together with hurt, outrage, and disbelief that (seemingly) intelligent people would foul their own nests and not seem to notice or care that this fouling must be endured by everyone else, including their own descendants.
To productively harness my grief/outrage/disbelief, I took a job as technical coordinator for the Louisville Metro Air Pollution Control District, where I work to find non-traditional, non-regulatory ways to reduce air emissions.
Other employees in the agency are charged with regulating or monitoring the amount of SO2, NOx, CO2, CO, ozone, dust, odors, and toxic and hazardous chemicals emitted from this industry or that paint shop. Or they may inspect manufacturing facilities, write permits, investigate public odor complaints, monitor gas stations, check air quality, or even present educational programs. These tasks are all prescribed or regulated.
I search for non-traditional ways of lowering emissions, especially in the transportation, land use, and energy fields, looking at the ways that people live their lives. What are the habits of the population, or the history of land use, and what is the impact on air quality? Are we being wasteful? Is it possible to convince people to change habits to be less wasteful? Actually, nearly everything impacts the air, from driving a car to growing and processing food to caring for your lawn. What a challenge!
For instance, when I go out for lunch, should I turn off the fluorescent lights in my office? (Yes.) Will it save energy? (Yes!) Will it cause the ballasts to wear out too quickly? (Probably not.) [Editor's note: See Ask Umbra and Letters for more on this juicy topic.] And what about my computer monitor? (I let it go to sleep if I leave my desk during the day, but I turn it off at night.) Or the heat or air conditioning — should I turn it down while I am out? (Can’t do that here, but I do it at home.) These are all relevant questions to ask in the search for wasteful actions. Power plants — even the cleaner ones — are major emitters of greenhouse gases. But here’s the rub: I can’t say that the power plant is polluting if I am the one “ordering” the power by plugging in the appliance or flipping the switch. They burn coal (most of Kentucky’s power comes from coal) because we want power. I have always believed that I am the polluter if I waste electricity (or anything else, for that matter), not the company that made it. But, of course, the power company has a duty to produce the power within emissions limits set by the Clean Air Act of 1990.
Tomorrow I will be working on our Lawn Care for Cleaner Air program, which has been quite an exciting project. My surprise and disbelief that gasoline-powered lawnmowers, weeders, trimmers, etc., pollute as much as cars — or in some cases, even more — helped give birth to a program to educate people about how much this equipment contributes to our summer ozone problem. The education/outreach program is being received well, and it’s leading to a number of lawns being transformed into low-maintenance green spaces.
We have had some opportunities to think “outside the box” to explore ways to reduce wasted resources that impact the air, especially coal and gasoline. Each new learning experience brings its surprises, but it’s my “brier patch,” and I’m walking down this road “just lickety-split,” looking for more ways to help clean the air.
The opinions expressed in this diary are those of the author and not necessarily those of the Louisville Metro government or Air Pollution Control District.
Tuesday, 4 Mar 2003
LOUISVILLE, Ky.
This week is a very busy one for the Louisville Metro Air Pollution Control District’s Lawn Care for Cleaner Air program, which is gearing up for another year. I have been setting up workshops on low-maintenance landscaping for several libraries, as well as giving presentations for neighborhood associations promoting the use of alternatives to gasoline mowers. People are usually enthusiastic. We even received recognition from the U.S. EPA, and Lawn Care for Cleaner Air will be honored with a “Clean Air Excellence” award this spring.
Emissions-free lawn.
Last night, I presented the Lawn Care for Cleaner Air program at the Wilder Park Neighborhood Association, a neighborhood near world-famous Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby. Watching facial expressions during presentations is crucial to communicating with audience members, and yesterday, the facial expressions told me they were excited. In fact, they asked if I would put together a longer workshop just for their neighborhood. I promised to do so if they could get 10 interested people to take the workshop. They called back this morning, very excited, and said they already had eight people signed up, and were sure they could get more.
I help pique people’s interest in the program by explaining that operating a typical gasoline-powered lawnmower for one hour produces as much smog-forming compounds and carbon monoxide as driving about 200 miles in a late-model compact car. Other types of gasoline-powered lawn equipment are as bad or worse: leaf blowers, weed whackers, trimmers, and chain saws. None of these have built-in pollution control equipment, and all are heavy polluters.
I started wondering about lawns 16 years ago, when my kids were nearly grown and no longer used the “football field” in the front yard. I asked myself a question: “Why am I mowing that lawn when nobody uses it?” When I was growing up, we sat outside and snapped beans, told stories, ate watermelon, and played games. Then air conditioning came along, as did chemical lawn sprays, and we no longer made long clover chains or “little girls’ curls” out of dandelion stems. We stayed inside with the air conditioning.
Granddaughters Clare and Sylvia at play in the yard.
Sixteen years ago, I planted the flower garden I could never have previously because of the football games. It included ground cover, wildflowers, perennials, as well as paths outlined with creek rock from our family farm. The teenagers sat on the swing hidden by vegetation and “courted,” and eventually the grandchildren played hide-and-seek among plants that were often as tall as they were. The yard came alive with critters of the human and non-human varieties.
When our agency director, Art Williams, suggested that we start a program to reduce the use of gasoline-powered appliances (he called it “No Mow Zone Means Low Ozone”), I thought: Duh! Louisville has a serious ozone problem in the summer; why didn’t I think of that? With the help of many people in the agency, a program was born. The name changed, and soon we began presenting awards to homeowners and business people who use alternatives to gasoline mowing, such as electric and reel (push) mowers, which emit little or no pollutants, and re-landscaping for low maintenance.
A yard easy on the air — and on the eyes.
We have now presented over 200 Lawn Care for Cleaner Air awards, and we partner with various agencies to conduct workshops on low-maintenance landscaping. Word is spreading that gasoline lawn maintenance is causing breathing difficulties and that we need to look for alternatives. We have a long way to go, but more and more people are aware of the health problems, paying attention to the alternatives, and joining this grassroots effort.
Does everyone feel the same way about this subject? Sadly, no. Many individuals with large lots feel they have to use a gas mower. In fact, tomorrow I will present the Lawn Care for Cleaner Air program to the state Turf and Landscape Management Short Course, a workshop for landscapers who typically use a lot of gasoline-powered equipment. This group is bound to be a tough audience, and may well be opposed to the program. Am I nervous? Sure am! But I have a trick or two up my sleeve, and pushing new ideas is my idea of a good time.
It is a great comfort to know that individuals and agencies from around the country have found out about Lawn Care for Cleaner Air from our website. They are asking “How did you do that?” and more importantly, “How can I do that?” The positive feedback is infectious, and creates the hope on which I thrive.
The opinions expressed in this diary are those of the author and not necessarily those of the Louisville Metro government or Air Pollution Control District.
Wednesday, 5 Mar 2003
LOUISVILLE, Ky.
Yesterday I was nervous as a cat, knowing that I had to give a presentation on Lawn Care for Cleaner Air to the Kentucky Landscape and Turf Organization today. I had been told that about half of the participants would be guys who drive large pickup trucks pulling trailers full of giant lawn mowers that emit at least triple the pollutants of a “family size” mower.
I was afraid that when I mentioned that one hour of using a gasoline mower is equivalent to driving 200 miles in a new compact car, these guys would snort or hoot and yell out something like “How do you expect me to do my job?” or “Are you trying to run me out of business?” This wasn’t just paranoia on my part; I had received phone calls asking just those questions. But as it turns out, the warning I was given about the guys who would be at the presentation was a stereotype, and not an entirely kind one.
I got to the workshop facility an hour early so I could set up the Power Point presentation I had prepared. As I arrived, the person in charge said, “Did you bring a laptop? This one is taking a long time to load.” Whew! Like a Girl Scout, I was prepared, and set up our agency laptop with the projector. Still concerned about angering some of the participants with my message, I decided to tackle the issue head-on by getting it out of the way before the audience had a chance to bring it up.
That’s exactly what I did — the good news/bad news routine. I told the bad news first: You may lose some customers because they want to participate in the Lawn Care for Cleaner Air program. Then I went for the good news: There are new markets opening up to provide environmental services to customers who want their lawns mowed with electric mowers to reduce noise and air pollution. These customers are willing to pay more for the service. No negative vibes here.
The good news grows.
Then I offered still more good news: Other new markets are opening to convert grassy yards into low-maintenance green spaces, or into gardens filled with flowers, trees, shrubs, ground cover, decorative patios, paths, ponds, and statuary. I showed pictures of stunning landscapes right here in the city, with front yards, back yards, and whole properties converted from turf to beautiful outdoor living spaces.
Even though the room was dark because of the slideshow, I could see many of the 100 or so participants’ faces. They didn’t seem aggravated or upset, as I had expected them to be. When I finished, the questions they asked reflected an interest in learning the new skills necessary to capitalize on changing attitudes about landscaping and the audience was clearly interested in anything that would grow the market. In fact, the questions were so constructive that I could have imagined being in a garden-club meeting, except that the participants were mostly men.
I answered the questions as best I could, but some of them had me scratching my head, so I promised to do some research and call them back. That’s what I’ve been up to this afternoon — researching and returning phone calls on some interesting questions:
- “How can we get the training to do this kind of landscaping?” Great question, and one that I had anticipated. The Cooperative Extension Service and the horticulture department of the local technical college offer programs; I also recommended partnering with people who already know how to do this kind of landscaping and learning by example from professionals.
- “We mow a cemetery with large diesel mowers. Do they pollute as much as gas? Are there alternatives to diesel?” I knew part of the answer to this one: Diesel does pollute more, but a good substitute is biodiesel, a very low-polluting fuel made from soybean oil, or even used cooking oil. I referred the question-asker to Melissa Howell, who works with the Kentucky Clean Fuels Association, and she advised him that his supplier could probably sell him biodiesel.
- “How will we get rid of rechargeable batteries if we switch to electric mowers?” Interesting question; I didn’t know the specifics, but I did know that the Louisville Metro Waste Management District has a battery recycling program where many dealers recycle old batteries. It did not take much research to learn that the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation lists over 50 nearby locations where rechargeable batteries can be taken for recycling or disposal. I referred the questioner to the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation’s website.
A couple of other questions will have to wait until tomorrow, but that’s okay; the workshop is still going on, and participants won’t be on the job until at least Thursday or Friday. All in all, today was a very satisfying day, one where I got to do what I love: make presentations, interact with people, and learn new things.
The opinions expressed in this diary are those of the author and not necessarily those of the Louisville Metro government or Air Pollution Control District.
Thursday, 6 Mar 2003
LOUISVILLE, Ky.
Yesterday I was on a real high following a positive presentation experience at the Kentucky Landscape and Turf Workshop. The participants were open to new information that could change their businesses, and a follow-up call produced a very interesting result.
One of the questions at the workshop came from a cemetery manager, who wanted to know about alternatives to the diesel mowers currently used to maintain the property. I was able to refer him to Melissa Howell, director of the Kentucky Clean Fuels Coalition, who gave him information about purchasing biodiesel fuel for diesel mowers. She called today to say that word had traveled fast, and she had been invited to speak at the Kentucky Cemetery Association meeting in June. This is a wonderful opportunity to inform cemetery managers about biodiesel, a much cleaner fuel for diesel lawnmowers.
Feel the burn: A controlled burn.
Photo: University of Wisconsin Arboretum.
Today is the day to finish researching the tougher questions raised by workshop participants and get back to the questioners. One person, a Metro Parks employee, asked if the Air Pollution Control District permits controlled burns, even though most other open burning is banned by the district. This employee recalled a burn conducted on a meadow in Iroquois Park last winter; she said that the meadow rejuvenated in a most magical way after the burn, and the parks staff was excited about burning other fields.
I worked with APCD Enforcement Supervisor Terri Phelps on controlled agricultural burns last year, so I knew that properly managed, burns mostly affect dry grass. Information we received in burn training last year indicated that these burns take only a short time and can be a good substitute to mowing. Our agency allows them if conditions are right and the if the burn will not create an ozone problem. Burns can only be used when the temperature, wind speed, and humidity reach optimum levels, and then only when the fire department can have crews nearby, trained burn crews are on site, and all of the neighbors and local authorities have been notified. It is unlikely that these conditions can be met between May 15 and Sept. 15. The parks employee was pleased to learn that there is still time to burn this spring.
As for other types of burning, Phelps confirmed that housing developers or farmers sometimes remove trees when preparing land for building or crops, and then want to burn whole trees and stumps. These may burn for days and create a lot of smoke, and most suburban farmers and developers know that they are not allowed to burn large woody debris. Compliance Officer Beverly Tyler told us a funny story about this: One day she noticed smoke from a large fire and drove up to it to determine what was burning. When she saw a large tree being burned and a stack of trees waiting nearby, she went to the car to get her camera. When she returned, one of the workers arrived with a package of frozen hot dogs on a tray, and invited her to a wiener roast!
This story leads me to the last question that stumped me yesterday: “What kind of pollutants are in wood smoke?” I had told the questioner that particulate matter (PM) was one of the most harmful substances in wood smoke, but I wanted to double-check on the others.
Nothing in particulate: a PM monitor.
My research showed that wood smoke can also contain carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and volatile organic compounds, including several toxic and/or cancer-causing substances — but the biggest health problem is the PM. We have been burning wood for hundreds of years, but that doesn’t mean it poses no threat to human health. Particulate matter can be so small (for example, PM 2.5 is 2.5 microns in diameter, while a typical human hair is about 75 microns in diameter) that when it is breathed into the lungs, it can be absorbed into the bloodstream. This is especially harmful to people with heart disease, asthma, chronic bronchitis, or emphysema. Our community does not meet the current standard for PM 2.5, so the U.S. EPA could eventually require our agency to find ways to reduce PM 2.5 from various sources. That is one reason that APCD bans open burning.
I relished the opportunity to pass this information on to the landscape worker who asked the question, and he seemed glad to be able to inform fellow workers, who, he confided, had been burning some of their woody debris.
This afternoon I thought about being able to share my own newly acquired understanding of the issues involved with diesel lawnmowers and particulate matter. I contacted some of my friends who teach in the landscaping field and shared this information so they can pass it on to their students and clients. Finding ways to provide information to teachers and industry leaders is enormously satisfying, for this is the way systems change, and (in this case) the way air quality improves.
The opinions expressed in this diary are those of the author and not necessarily those of the Louisville Metro government or Air Pollution Control District.
Friday, 7 Mar 2003
LOUISVILLE, Ky.
Several chores are on my agenda today before leaving for a relaxing weekend. Ben Rodman, a friend who builds museum exhibits, called to asked what had happened to “CLAIRA,” the demonstration car he built for our agency to use in the Kentucky State Fair. (CLAIRA stands for CLean AIR Automobile, a name chosen as part of a contest). I told him that I would look into it.
Taking CLAIRA for a test drive.
Last spring, Air Pollution Control District Director Art Williams asked me to plan and execute the State Fair exhibit. Since I worked on the creation of CLAIRA, “she” will always have a place in my heart. It was a fun project, and I got to work with creative people and interesting ideas. The idea was to create a vehicle that would give feedback to its driver, who would be en route to either to “Blue Skies” or to “Smogville” destinations. If the driver drove in a steady manner, accelerating gradually during the time allotted, he or she would reach “Blue Skies,” winning the game. However, if the driver put the “pedal to the metal” and drove with abrupt stops and starts, he or she would end up in “Smogville.” And that’s just what CLAIRA ultimately did — told drivers, via computer screen, their total emissions score and whether they had won or lost.
It was Rodman who found the old Volkswagen and created CLAIRA from its rusted hull. When he finished, the car looked brand-new and absolutely perfect except for one thing: CLAIRA was only the front half of the car. She had a computer for a brain and a “gas pump” computer monitor. What a hit! Students and adults from all over the state got in the driver’s seat to try to go to the “Blue Skies” destination. Often times, the driver went to “Smogville,” instead. The driver could choose from four vehicles to “drive:” a minivan, an SUV, a sedan, and a hybrid-electric vehicle. As you might suspect, it was much easier to get to “Blue Skies” in the hybrid vehicle than in the SUV, but with extremely vigilant driving, it could be done while driving any of the vehicles. CLAIRA demonstrated to thousands of “drivers” at the State Fair, from age 8 to age 80, how to drive to save gas and to pollute less.
After the state fair, CLAIRA spent a couple of months on display at the Louisville Science Center and then was put in temporary storage, pending some new “gigs” that should happen later this year. Some colleagues of mine are working on a “Cleaner Cars Curriculum” that will include CLAIRA and will be made available to high schools in the Louisville area. CLAIRA may also put in appearances at local Earth Day events. It’s good to know that this durable exhibit will help our agency spread the message about the driver’s role in pollution prevention. Rodman, the little car’s creator, was happy to know that CLAIRA would continue to spread her clean-air message.
I have two more projects to work on today before going home for the weekend. The first is drafting a section of the Standards Manual for outdoor classrooms, “A Green Guide for Education: Using Indoor and Outdoor Learning Areas to Teach Environmental Concepts.” A committee of environmental-education professionals from around the state, working with the Kentucky Environmental Education Council, is working to publish standards for outdoor classrooms, as well as the indoor facilities that support them. On behalf of our agency, I have worked to incorporate sound clean-air policies into the document.
Specifically, I will draft the text for building a weather station. There are a lot of practical scientific concepts for students to learn using weather stations. So far, I have located information from the GLOBE Program, a worldwide, hands-on, primary- and secondary school-based education and science program that helps students learn to collect and measure data in the fields of atmosphere, hydrology, soils, and land cover/phenology, and collaborate with students and scientists around the world.
Low-maintenance landscaping.
The other project I will start today involves adapting my Lawn Care for Cleaner Air presentation for the National Pollution Prevention Roundtable, to be held in Louisville in April. Coworker Bob Dorzback, our technical coordinator for pollution prevention, asked me a couple of months ago to apply to be a speaker. Dorzback felt that there are many pollution-prevention projects that can be undertaken by industries, government facilities, and businesses, but few that are as inexpensive and practical as low-maintenance landscaping. The Louisville area has a few examples of this kind of landscaping, and we would like to promote the concept at the conference.
That wraps up the week. Thanks to Grist for its kind invitation to be a diarist for the magazine and to the Louisville Metro Air Pollution Control District staff members for their tolerance and assistance.
The opinions expressed in this diary are those of the author and not necessarily those of the Louisville Metro government or Air Pollution Control District.
