wood-fired ice-cream trucks
New York City Councilmemberman Lincoln Restler is introducing a bill to require ice cream trucks to be solar powered..
A climate bill he introduced would make ice cream trucks switch to electric-based or solar-powered generators. First of all, "electric based generators" is an oxymoron ... you can't use electricity to generate electricity, you use a fuel source to generate electricity. So right away Councilmemberman Restler fails Physics 101.
But since Ice Cream trucks don't have enough roof area to have actual solar panels mounted on the roof.. did he mean battery-powered, which is to say the refrigeration units would be powered by the coal or gas fired generators, or nuclear powerplants, which are located somewhere else, just not in NYC? all you would be doing is burning fuel indirectly. That's not solar, unless you can guarantee that the electricity you buy is actually generated by solar or wind.
This proposed edict is part of a "climate bill" ... once again we see politicians promoting the most insignificant solution to the biggest (in their mind) global problem imaginable.. do YOU think banning plastic straws will stop pollution, or that "fixing" ice cream trucks "will cure global warming"?? If they were serious they would ban the sale of any & every plastic item--- water bottles, Crocs, polyester fabrics, plastic dental fillings. .. if they were serious...they would ban heated houses, hot and cold running water, air-conditioning, even ban subways, buses & taxis which are huge contributers to global warming. Why can't everybody just walk?
But ice-cream trucks?? pffft.
Restler claims that there are thousands of 311 complaints about ice cream trucks, mostly about the noise. Doesn't he realize that the gasoline motors are only part of the problem, that the refrigeration units also contribute a large part of the noise that people complain about? "solar energy" won't solve that problem. If there are legit complaints about noise and fumes, then that should be addressed by having measurable limits of decibels; allow any method of compliance such as natural gas powered ammonia refrigeration, or wood-pellet fired ammonia refrigeration. wood-pellet boilers are interesting; no fumes or noise, plus it's a renewable sustainable fuel source.
If there are legit complaints about noise and fumes, what about all those landscape gardeners using leaf blowers to blow grass cuttings, leaves, and debris all over the streets? Those 2-cycle gasoline engines are noisy, the lubricating oil added to the fuel smokes & stinks. Why doesn't Restler demand that those leaf-blowers be solar powered? I can just imagine the sight of electric leaf-blowers, with the guys wearing huge solar panels on their hats. It's just as sensible, or is it ludicrous, as solar powered ice cream trucks. Why doesn't Restler also go after the Mexican food trucks, or Halal food carts?
But enough about trying to find an engineered solution for an insignificant problem, let's talk about the City Council's abbrogation of their real duties.. while they debate this minor problem of frozen confection, they're distracting the public from the billions of dollars they waste.. the city is drowning in debt, taxes are too damn high, they limit our freedom, invade our privacy, limit our choices, hassle us every day of the year.
“We welcome critiques of our policies and are always happy to engage with constituents who are acting in good faith, but the vitriol, disrespect and threats directed at hard working public servants in our office is unacceptable,” the councilmemberman tweeted. unacceptable? no, it's necessary because people like Restler don't listen to reasonable common sense ideas, they're beholden to their Green ideology and Democrat Party policies.. they don't care what ordinary New Yorkers want. They don't care about the limits of physics and chemistry either.
We need to elect new City Councilmembers, who will focus on the core responsibilities of local government; who aren't beholden to Democrat Party policies and unproven climate fears.
Vote out the incumbents, vote in new people with common sense.