Let’s Just Blow Them Off
Aug 12, 2009
5 Comments
Last Saturday morning, I was walking Cosmo before it got too hot for him . . . forgetting that the problem with walking him in the morning is like playing dodge ball—we are always avoiding the neighborhood nemesis, the leaf blower. Discussions on pollution often focus on cars, factories, and LA, the ports: but these leaf blowers are a pesky problem that communities throughout the US are constantly discussing.
There are plenty of scientific studies discussing the problems resulting from leaf blowers. By some estimates, a single leaf blower used during the course of the year can emit the same amount of pollution as 60 to 100 automobiles. But one of the biggest problems from leaf blowers emit particulate matter, or PMs—that is, tiny bits of minerals, often pollutants that are 10 micrometers or even less—you can’t see them, but you’ll feel them after a while as they build up in your lungs.
If you’ve got allergies or asthma, you should also be leery of leaf blowers: they stir up dust and allergens, which swirl around the air, and then have you heading for that bottle of Benadryl or Claritin. Even in dry Los Angeles, we’re better off having natural decomposition or participation breaking down these allergens.
Finally, the noise: and I’m just not talking about the irritation you feel when your neighbor’s gardeners decide to wreak havoc during dinner time or at 7:00 a.m. on a Sunday morning. Most government health agencies say we should limit neighborhood noise in the range of 55 to 65 decibels. Leaf blowers, however, screech at about 75 decibels, which can interfere with basic concentration, communication, and of course . . . sleep.
But when you think about leaf blowers practically, however, there’s a fundamental stupidity about leaf blowers: the offending gardener on Saturday morning was simply blowing our neighbor’s gunk to our yard . . . which means on Wednesday, our gardener will blow that gunk to Hector and Aurora’s next door, and their gardener will transfer it to Heather and Sheri’s . . . well, you get the picture.
So one solution is . . . raking. I mean, that's what my family did growing up. Well, mostly it was my father as his kids hid to avoid this chore. Actually, raking the leaves at my grandmother's house was a great bonding experience when we spent Thanksgiving in Fresno . . . while giving my mother photo ops for those annual Christmas cards! Raking provides exercise and is about as clean and green as you can get . . .
I’ve already banned leaf blowing on our property. One day, I was infuriated when after the Wednesday gardening visit, I went down to my young garden to find my vegetable plants covered in dust and scraps of other plants . . . not to mention that some young blossoms had been decapitated from stalks that could have become eggplant or tomatoes. I posted some signs the next week, and that tom foolery has stopped.
Now, we can’t necessarily blame the gardeners. Many of these folks work hard, and at the prices they charge, they have to cram in many homes during a work day . . .hence the use of the leaf blowers. Some communities have started programs in which gardeners can trade in their belching gas-run blowers for cleaner run blowers. LA started a program a few years ago, but as far as I can see, the gardeners are not biting. Given the fact that we know who leads our fair city, and having Antonio and his posse try to convince gardeners to upgrade their leaf blowers . . . well, that’s not going to happen. And discussion of issues in Bay Area communities led to ugly charges of elitism and racism.
So why not a carrot and stick approach: ban the darned machines and require they trade in old leaf blowers for newer, cleaner ones? With some cities estimating that these leaf blowers cause anywhere from 10 to 20 percent of smog in their communities, leaf blowers are low hanging fruit by which we can start clearing the air. 
This posting shows that there are people, other than those of us who helped pass the Los Angeles ban on gas blowers within 500 feet of a residence over ten years ago, who would like that ban more consistently enforced. L.A. neighborhoods where repeated reports of violations are made to 311, have more compliance with the law. The operator will connect you to the Department of Street Services report hotline. They need to know the time of day, day of the week, date, address, and license plate number of a gardener’s vehicle, if any. The police will come right away if a car is near. If not, they will come another week. It usually takes more than ONE report on any single violator. See http://www.zapla.org for more information about this law, Municipal Code, Chapter XI — Noise Regulation, Article 2 — Special Noise Sources, Section 112.04 (c). The (c) paragraph i.d. is important. P.S. All blowers distribute air pollution by blowing it up into the air.
Also, the AQMD has a program to get rid of the old noisy and smelly leaf blowers:
http://www.aqmd.gov/tao/leafblowerexchange.htm
Thank you, Jaime, this is great–I had no idea about this program . . . I think knowledge is the key, and people on all sides are unaware!
Hi, Glad to know I’m not alone in this. I’ve been trying to get Tom LaBonge to help out on this issue for the past five years. I’ve spoken to neighbors, leaf-blower users, etc., but with extremely limited results. I did manage to convince a few of my immediate neighbors to get their gardeners to use electric blowers, though it took quite a while.
I agree with all that was said in the original comment. The emissions, the particulates, and the noise are all factors reducing the quality of life in our neighborhood. The noise can be especially bad, depending on the location of your house. I live on a small ridge, and I can hear the blowers from all sides and at a fair distance, not just next door. I work at home at lot, and it makes it extremely difficult to concentrate.
I don’t think enforcement is the issue as much as education (like this blog). We need to let people know that the use of these devices is bad for them, their kids, and their pets. It hardly seems worth trading our health for a day or so of a relatively leaf-free property, which will soon be covered with leaves, twigs, etc.
I too understand the leaf-blowers’ economic issues, and understand that in Silverlake blowing is often their primary service since most people don’t have lawns of any magnitude. It seems that property owners must be willing to pay a bit more than the starvation prices they pay now either so their yard workers can afford to take the time to rake, or at least to buy electric blowers, which solve the emissions and (most of) the noise problems.
A note on the AQMD program. While it offers some improvements, the noise and emissions are still higher than necessary, and the fact remains that even these improved blowers are banned in LA within 500 feet of a house.
Thanks again for the post, and let’s continue to do what we can to rid the neighborhood of this blight.
George Dutton
2290 Panorama Terrace
Dear George:
Thank you for your comments–sorry for the delay as GreenGoPost was out of town. I agree that there’s a vicious circle at play: the demand for cheap services, the gardeners’ need to cram in as many properties as possible to stay viable, and our need that our spaces need to be neat & tidy.
I do believe education is critical; but as far as enforcement, my feeling is, whether you run a hot dog stand or the hot dog factory, we have a responsibility to follow the rules and regulations wherever we live.
It sounds like the electric blowers really are not that much better. As is the case with many “green” issues, a total change in mindset among businesses and consumers alike are necessary in respect to the leaf blower issue . . . sigh . . .
We’ve actually told our gardeners to NOT use them, and that I’ll sweep our outdoor stairs instead . . . that at least as worked for us.
Thank you everyone!
GGP