It’s that time of year again. There’s a crisp chill in the air, the fall foliage is in full bloom, and the leaf blowers are blaring. Did you know that the loud sound these pieces of equipment make are not only extremely irritating, but also harmful?

The gas-powered equipment generates loud noises which are disruptive to residents and can result in serious health concerns for operators, such as hearing loss, reduced cognitive performance, heart disease, and hypertension.

Gas-powered leaf blowers range from 80-90 decibels (about the same as a blender or heavy traffic) while electric typically range between 65 and 70 (about the same as normal conversation or a dishwasher), so some coming in as low as 59 decibels.

Gas-powered leaf blowers and lawn mowers emit harmful pollutants into the air and soil, including carbon, nitrogen oxides, reactive organic gases, and dust particulate. The use of gas-powered lawn equipment contributes to the city’s greenhouse gas emissions and the formation of ozone, an increasing air pollutant of concern for coastal Maine communities.

Just one hour of gas-powered leaf blower use emits the air pollution equivalent to driving 1,100 miles.

Two-stroke engines, commonly used in leaf blowers, only about, about 30 percent of the fuel does not combust completely, thus releasing significant pollution into the air. According to the California Air Resources Board, and one hour of gas-powered lawn mower use equates to driving 300 miles.

Rather than digging out your gas-powered leaf blowers, here are a few alternatives:

Leave the leaves

The easiest and most environmentally conscious option is to leave the leaves. When leaves are left in place over winter, they provide wildlife habitat for insects and small animals, fertilize the soil, suppress weeds, create food for beneficial microorganisms, and protect the soil from erosion.

While this may sound like a magical, effortless, utopian solution, leaving all the leaves has its downsides. If we let leaves accumulate too much, they can smother grass, clog sewer drain inlets, and create slippery sidewalks.

For this reason, we recommend performing a little bit a leaf maintenance, but stopping short of the never-ending pursuit of an immaculate yard.

Rake the leaves

Borrow an electric leaf blower or mulching lawn mower from the South Portland Electric Tool Library. The electric tool library has six leaf blowers and three mulching lawn mowers. Mulching leaves helps them decompose faster.

Consider making the switch to electric

What happens to the city’s leaves?

If you leave some of the leaves, it could still lead to noticeable differences in your yard – more wildlife, better pollination, fewer weeds.

Electrify Everything leaf blowers? 35 total.

Susan Parmelee is sustainability program manager for the city of South Portland. She can be reached at 207-347-4147. 

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