For those of you that live in Salt Lake County…
You may or may not be aware, but today the Salt Lake City Council will be considering an ordinance that will ban smoking in all city parks, outdoor recreational facilities, and at public events with more than 500 people in attendance.
We're totally in favor of this ordinance. If you agree, below is an email message that you can send to each council member. I have also included a copy of their email addresses.
All you need to do is copy the message and paste it in to the body of your email template (Of course you can add to it or tweak it if you wish), copy the addresses in to the To section of the template, fill in the Subject line with "Ordinance banning smoking in public facilities," and send. If you could do so before this evening it would be very helpful.
BODY OF EMAIL
Dear Councilor:
As a concerned citizen, I sincerely urge you to vote in favor of the Mayor’s proposed ordinance to ban smoking in city parks, recreation areas and at public gatherings in Salt Lake City.
Secondhand smoke is a major cause of negative health effects in our country, and is not just a problem in enclosed facilities. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, levels of secondhand smoke in outdoor public places can be as high as those found in indoor facilities. The Surgeon General of the United States recently pointed out that just five minutes exposure to secondhand smoke can cause negative health effects.
Your ordinance banning smoking in public areas in Salt Lake City not only protects the health of those who use the facilities, but also helps eliminate the perception of young people that tobacco use is normal, which will likely decrease the probability that they will ultimately take up smoking.
I urge you to vote in support of this important ordinance.
Sincerely,
EMAIL ADDRESSES
carlton.christensen@slcgov.com, Councilor Van Turner – council.comments@ci.slc.ut.us, eric.jergensen@slcgov.com, Councilor Nancy Saxton – council.comments@slcgov.com, jill.love@slcgov.com, dave.buhler@slcgov.com, soren.simonsen@slcgov.com
My emails are sent!
Whoa… I already got a response from Dave Buhler saying that he’s encouraged the mayor to send the council this ordinance and he fully supports it!
Too cool!
Just so everyone knows, my dad is currently battling stage IV (that’s terminal) lung cancer. He’s never picked up a cigarette but his job required him to be around lots and lots of second hand smoke. Think again if you think it doesn’t affect non-smokers. Please, please do this.
Hooray! Jill Love has also responded to me that she is planning to support the ordinance.
Kristi, I thought of your dad this morning when I got this email sent to me by the American Cancer Society and I remembered that you had told me he never smoked. His story prompted me to try to get others involved. It’s so important!
Please, guys. Send some emails.
WHOOPS.
I so definitely agree that I wrote and sent an email before realizing my opinion does not actually COUNT because I am in Utah County, not Salt Lake County. Still, yeah. Hope it passes.