Let’s bag noisy, polluting gas-powered leaf blowers | READER COMMENTARY
The absolute joy of spring is upon us. April showers, May flowers, cherry blossoms, spring fever, new beginnings and more cliché descriptions all ring true.
But wait, is that the piercing whine of a leaf blower (70-78 decibels at 50 feet) intruding again into our peaceful neighborhoods (“Time to prune gas-powered leaf blowers in Maryland,” Nov. 27, 2023)?
From individual homeowners to lawn and garden maintenance crews, people are strapping these machines on their backs and donning noise cancelling headsets. (Hey, what about us next door, neighbor?)
And they are not just for leaves. Grass clippings, other debris and even dirt on the driveway are all targets.
These two-cycle, gas fired machines are not only loud, they spew as much pollution in 30 minutes as a 6,200-pound Ford F-150 pickup truck driving 3,900 miles. Their continued legality in much (but not all) of America represents a chilling exception to the progress that has been made in cars, trucks, outboard boat engines, heat pumps, power plants and more.
How can this continue when quiet, efficient, affordable, and zero-polluting electric blowers are on the market? Two reasons: First, our elected officials bow to the lobbyists who have somehow achieved the right to keep polluting. And second, there are still inconsiderate people among us. How about using a rake? A brush? A sleek new electric model?
According to Environment America Research and Policy Center, “In 2020, fossil fuel-powered lawn equipment emitted more than 30 million tons of carbon dioxide, the leading driver of climate change. To put that in context, that’s as much carbon pollution as comes out of the tailpipes of 6.6 million cars over the course of a year. That’s more carbon pollution emitted by gas-powered lawn equipment in one year than was emitted by the entire city of Los Angeles in 2021.”
And how is it that we still wonder why the weather gods seem to be hell-bent on human suffering, from droughts to hurricanes, from floods to 100-degree-plus heat waves?
It will only get worse.
— Will Baker, Towson
The writer is the former president of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.
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