Leaf-blowers Blow My Mind
| Published: Friday, 26 September 2008 | |
| I know it may seem a bit odd that, after extolling the wonders of real grass in my last column, I should now be sharing my very real concerns about a tool that has become ubiquitous in the yard-care arsenal — the leaf blower. I know it may seem a bit odd that, after extolling the wonders of real grass in my last column, I should now be sharing my very real concerns about a tool that has become ubiquitous in the yard-care arsenal — the leaf blower. Or, in the case of Alameda, dozens and dozens of leaf-blowers. Leaf-blowers filling the air with an incessant drone not unlike a flight of huge, angry wasps. Leaf-blowers spewing gaseous fumes into our usually fresh sweet air. Leaf-blowers sending up clouds of dirt, dust, bugs, leaf parts, and, perhaps, dried animal fecal matter. Delightful. Not to mention the questionable use of fossil fuels, which are limited in abundance and the burning of which contributes to global climate change. Leaf-blowers are used by private gardeners, paid gardening services and Alameda's park department. I am often assaulted on my way to yoga class in Lincoln Park by huge — usually head-high — billows of dust and dirt, generated by the leaf-blowers wielded by ARPD employees who, more often than not, have face-mask protection from the dirt pollution, if not the noxious odor of their machines, and headphone-style ear protection from the racket. I also watch in horrified fascination as the hardworking staff blows one pile of dirt and leaves to one side of a walkway, a few short feet, and then repeats the process blowing in the opposite direction, same pile. For minutes and minutes at a time. Amazing. The sound blasting into the yoga class is unsettling to say the least. And in my own neighborhood, my home is invaded on a regularly scheduled basis by the noise, poisonous fumes and dirt from hired gardening services ministering to my neighbors' post-card-sized yards. If I am not fast enough in dashing from open window to open window, slamming them shut on otherwise lovely warm breezy afternoons, I am rewarded with deafening — literally cannot hear myself speak to my children — noise, gas fumes, dried fertilizer and who knows what, storming through my kitchen, bedrooms and bathrooms. But enough about me. What are some of the facts about the efficiencies and dangers of leaf-blowers? According to the California EPA Air Quality Resources Board, each leaf-blower engine, although seemingly tiny, churns out the equivalent of the same smoggy pollution as 80 cars, each driven for 12,500 miles every year. In fact, all small-engine yard machines, including lawn mowers, weed trimmers and leaf-blowers, contribute five percent of all our air pollution annually. And with the lack of emission controls on these devices, that consists of carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide and volatile organic compounds, all the components of global warming chemicals. Besides creating air pollution and using scarce resources, leaf-blowers are also responsible for noise pollution, a type of infringement on our senses that can have serious negative health impacts. A normal decibel level, considered acceptable in residential areas, is about 60 decibels (60dB). Every increase in decibels means noise that is 10 times louder. Leaf-blowers usually generate about 70-75 dB. According to the U.S. EPA this level of noise actually degrades quality of life by interfering with communication and sleep, leads to reduced accuracy of work and increased levels of aggravation, which can linger hours after exposure. In other words, noise from leaf-blowers stresses us out. And one of the problems is we have no control over the noise which often emanates from less than two feet away from our homes. Check out this Web site for more very important information on leaf-blower noise and its affect on our mental and physical health: www.nonoise.org/quietnet/cqs/leafblow.htm. I can hear many people right now saying, "I had no idea the sound and pollution from my leaf-blower was such a problem, but I am not physically able, and don't have the time, to sweep or rake my yard." Some may also be saying, "I pay a gardening service. I can't tell them what equipment to use." Well, first of all, yards in Alameda tend to be very small, minute even. If we all used rakes and brooms we probably would have the endurance and stamina to handle this typically small amount of work, because we will have been doing it all along. More physical exercise makes us stronger, after all. And if we have time to space out in front our of TVs for more than an hour a week, then we have time to do some leaf-raking. Start with a little and build up your strength, enjoy the fresh, quiet outdoors, and chat with your very grateful neighbors. Second, if you hire a gardening service, remember you are the boss. Buy your own rake and broom, and request or insist they use these tools on your property. I have to think the rising cost of fuel is eating into the profits these services garner from their contracts. They may actually see more money in their pockets if you release them from the obligation to use power tools in your yard. As for the argument it will simply take too long to use manual yard tools, consider this from Diane Wolfberg's Web site: "In 1998, in a dramatic competition sponsored by the Los Angeles City Council, Grandma Diane swept and cleared leaves off a designated area faster than a professionally operated power leaf-blower. The petite grandmother's stunning victory inspired hundreds of thousands of suburbanites across the country tired of endless leaf-blowing." So there you have it. Breaking the leaf-blower habit means yard care that is cheaper, cleaner, faster and, frankly, more courteous. In February 2008 the Alameda City Council adopted the Local Action Plan for Climate Protection. What is more local than banning the use of leaf-blowers, for a start? Then moving on to larger yard machines. There is also a new collaboration between private and public interests — Community Action for Sustainable Alameda. (CASA). My casa is your casa. What happens in our parks, in our yards, affects us all. Learn more at www.ci.alameda.ca.us. When fall brings leaves tumbling down soon, pick up a rake. Pick up a broom. Put your leaf-blower down, and just back away. Give us all a nice, quiet, crisp autumn day. Noelle Robbins is an Alameda writer. Contact her at robbins@alamedanet.net. http://www.alamedasun.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3940&Itemid=22 | |
In addition to the concerns of air pollution and noise, there is the issue of the effectiveness of leaf blowers. Often yardmen tend to blow leaves from one side of the property to other, leaving pockets of debris scattered throughout the lawn. Leaves on the edges of employer’s property lines are often blown into the street or into a neighbor’s lawn, only to be blown back by the neighbor’s lawn crew several days later. Our suggested solution: vacuuming up the debris with electric leaf ‘blower’ units. Many manufacturers offer units that can be switched over to act as vacuums. Electric engines provide plenty of power, are 50 - 70% quieter than gas powered leaf blowers and emit no air pollution. If yardmen used electric leaf blowers to vacuum up and mulch yard debris, it would eliminate virtually all the air pollution problems and greatly reduce the issue of noise. Many of the new ‘blowers’ have mulch ratios of 10:1, and can reduce leaf and grass clippings to a tenth of their former size. Yard debris account for a full 20% of landfill waste! While we would recommend that this mulch be used to naturally nourish the flowers, trees and grass on one’s own property- should it be thrown away, it will take up a tenth of the space it would have, had it not been vacuumed and mulched. Many of those who have switched from blowing to vacuuming, report that it is faster and leaves the yard in a cleaner state. It seems rather inefficient use of time to blow huge piles of leaves around and then bag them afterwards when you could do it all in one step using a vacuum unit. 
While you might not think of using a mower as a tool to collect leaves and other yard debris, many mowers have the ability to not only cut grass, but also vacuum, mulch and store leaves, grass clippings and other yard debris. A new generation of electric and reel mowers have emerged, providing consumers with the opportunity to maintain their lawns without emitting pollution or making a lot of noise. They are available in both manual and battery powered versions at prices comparable to, and sometimes well below, gas-powered mowers. With fewer moving parts, reel mowers require substantially less maintenance and tend to have longer lives. Pollution-free electric mowers are a little louder, but they provide more power which allows for faster mowing. 
Silent and pollution-free, lawn sweepers quickly and easily pick up leaves, grass clippings, twigs and other yard debris without sending dust flying into the air. Some models are specifically for use on the hardscape (i.e sidewalk, walkway, street, etc), but others can handle your yard refuse on grass and concrete surfaces. 