Nuclear Weapons
The United States is facing a massive public health crisis. As states respond to the shortages, strained budgets and discordant responses in providing care to their constituents, national priorities demonstrate a lack of understanding of what Americans really need.
Nuclear weapons are only making the United States—and the rest of the world—less safe. Why are we spending billions of dollars on dangerous weapons instead of spending money on public health, climate action, infrastructure, education and healthcare? Instead of spending billions of dollars on dangerous weapons, we need to refocus our national priorities on protecting the health of Americans and bolstering our nation’s ability to cope with such emergencies in the future.
In 2019, the United States spent $35.1 billion on nuclear weapons. Imagine that money being redirected to the COVID-19 response. According to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, one year of U.S. nuclear weapons spending would pay for 300,000 beds in intensive care units, 35,000 ventilators, and the salaries of 150,000 U.S. nurses and 75,000 U.S. doctors.
We cannot go back to business as usual after the pandemic. This crisis has proven what we’ve been saying all along—the system is unsustainable and we need to shift our priorities.
Gwen Dordick Topanga
AGZA
The American Green Zone Alliance (AGZA) provides outreach and quiet electric tool demonstrations for gardeners and homeowners with residential area green zone initiatives.
AGZA teams up with the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) to provide hands on field workshops for commercial landscape maintenance crews. The SCAQMD program helps bring down the cost of commercial battery powered equipment by nearly 75% off retail prices with a gas tool trade in.
Most of these hard-working crews have never tried a commercial battery electric tool before. Their preconceived notions of battery gear are that it is not powerful and durable enough to handle their workloads.
The program focuses on all gas powered equipment not just gas leaf blowers, although the majority of the gas trade-ins have been for electric blowers.
These field workshops change hearts and minds and are a good way to introduce quieter, less polluting lawn and garden equipment to a variety of demographics in different communities.
AGZA has conducted these free field workshops in a number of nearby communities over the past weeks. 80% of the gardeners who participate in the workshops convert from gas to electric equipment.
You can contact AGZA at 310-779-9785 to schedule a field workshop for your gardener, school or city.
Arthur Hoyle Palisades Highlands
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