Photo credit: Daniel Fink
by Daniel Fink, MD, Chair, The Quiet Coalition
On my last day of a recent hiking trip in Norway, I took a walk in the old city of Trondheim before heading to the airport. There’s a stature of Leif Erickson on the fjord, to commemorate his trip to North America in the year 1000. To my surprise, I came across an electric excavator. It was a Sunday, so there was no work being done. For that reason, I couldn’t tell if the excavator was quieter than a diesel-powered one, but I think it must be. The bucket has to make noise when it hits the pavement or dirt, but there’s no noise from a diesel engine.
The Quiet Coalition is concerned about noise, but our parent organization, Quiet Communities, Inc., has noise-associated air pollution mentioned in its mission statement. Diesel engines produce harmful particulate matter, whereas electric engines do not. I found some information online about the move towards electric-powered heavy construction equipment in Norway.
I hope this clean, green, serene, heavy construction equipment soon becomes available in the United States.
