Why I Hate Leaf Blowers
Monday, September 8th, 2008
I really hate leaf blowers. But since Compete to Conserve is non-partisan, I would be remiss not to provide some objective background information. “A leaf blower is an engine-powered, hand-held maintenance tool used in lieu of a rake or broom to remove leaves and debris from a lawn or garden by blowing them away.” A leaf blower is basically a high-speed fan which creates an air current up to 200 miles per hour. The air then pushes the objects in its path (i.e., leaves) in the intended direction.
Leaf blowers generally come in one of two forms: (1) the blower (used simply to blow materials); and (2) the blower/vacuum (as its name suggests, it combines the blower function with a vacuum feature, and sometimes even a mulching feature). Both forms of leaf blowers are designed as hand held units, backpacks or the “walk behind” version (mounted on wheels). The power behind the leaf blower can be electric (corded or rechargeable/battery operated) or gas.
I am not alone in my crusade, and it really is not hard to find information against leaf blowers. In my opinion, the three main arguments are:
Leaf Blowers Are Loud
Some critics of leaf blowers argue that the decibel level of a leaf blower can damage hearing. To others, it is really a matter of what time in the morning the leaf blower is first activated. Have you ever tried to get the attention of a person bearing a leaf blower if he or she was not facing you? Of the 40 million United States citizens suffering from hearing loss, 25% of the cases can be attributed to Noise Induced Hearing Loss (”NIHL”). Even one bad sound experience can lead to NIHL. Typical conversations occur at 60 decibels. Leaf blowers operate at about 115 decibels (the same as a chainsaw or rock concert). The recommended standard for permissible exposure time at that level is less than 30 seconds.
Leaf Blowers Are Toxic to the Air
Leaf blowers generate as much emissions in just one short hour as a brand-new automobile on a 350-mile road trip. Additionally, in urban settings, leaf blowers fail to single out the solitary, fallen leaf, but instead send debris, soil, dust, pollen and/or mold into a newly created swirling vortex of toxic air.
Leaf Blowers Violate Newton’s Third Law of Motion (aka Leaf Blowers Are Stupid)
In trying to promote the idea of global sustainability through conservation on an individual and accessible level, somehow I keep coming back (far too often perhaps) to Sir Isaac Newton’s Third Law of Motion: “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” Leaf blowers do little more in an urban setting than transfer dirt and debris from private property onto public or other private property. Newton believed that whenever two objects interact, the force directed on one must equal (but in opposite direction) the force directed at the other. When matched against the monstrous force of a leaf blower, the helpless leaf has no choice but to react, and metaphorically speaking, run to the nearest lawn or street.
Living in an urban setting, I am baffled whenever I see a leaf blower being used to move dirt from one person’s lawn to another lawn, or worse, into the street. This solitary act is the origin, and perhaps only reason, why I really hate leaf blowers. Without disregarding the importance of noise pollution and air quality, I think this most common use of a leaf blower in an urban setting is just plain stupid.
Thankfully, many cities are banning leaf blowers or limiting the hours of use. In Los Angeles, if a neighbor refuses to control a leaf blower on his or her property, residents can report a “blower in progress” by caling 877-275-5273 (make sure to select “1″, however, for non-emergent crimes). More information can be found at www.zapla.org (zero air pollution Los Angeles). ZAPLA’s mission statement is “to encourage compliance with leaf blower bans and restrictions by providing facts, opinions, and access to sources and to resources.” Happy to know these resources exist, clearly I am not alone on this position. And while I am somewhat passionate about my disliking of leaf blowers, I think treehugger.com hates them even more, calling leaf blowers a few years back the “scourge of humanity“.
For more information visit:
www.wisegeek.com/what-are-leaf-blowers.html
