Dear Albert,
Happy 11th! Our Quiet Clean PDX and the City of Portland had a great win recently with a ban on gas-powered leaf blowers. I'm going to work to get the ban to begin sooner (new City Council I'm looking at you!). And there's lots more to do on this front: getting all other 2-stroke engines added to the mix; getting PCEF money from the City into the hands of landscapers who want to transition from gas to electric; and working with Multnomah County to build an effective outreach and incentive program for area landscapers. Whew - sounds like a lot, I know. But the ordinance we got will only be effective if we keep going. Otherwise, it will sit on a shelf. Still, the recent win is a win.
I was reminded of what it feels like to look back at wins with a few years of distance. 11 years ago I was working (kind of on my own, actually) to get rid of Yellow Pages. Yeah, they're gone pretty much.
Another area I keep pushing on is to get Portland to plant more trees. Due to this mistake a few years ago, we've missed the great community-building work of Friends of Trees - funded by the City. If you'd like to join my effort to get that happening again, please come over here.
My Aunt Judy Ben-Et did a wonderful Zoom presentation about her work with Arab, Jewish, and Christian women recently in the Holy Land. You can watch it here. It provides some insight into positive work in that part of the world.
I turn 63 on May 11th! I'm a big fan of mail. If you'd like to send me a birthday card here's my address! I don't have anything special planned for my birthday (yet), but if you want to celebrate with me somehow - reach out! I love to celebrate!
Happy Spring!
Albert Kaufman
2250 SE 44th Ave.
Portland, OR 97215
PS - scroll down for some more goodness I've been collecting this month. Next month I hope to have a list of some of the places I'll be playing this Summer.
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