Starting next week, voters will be asked to impose limitations on one of the largest industries on the Vineyard, when town meeting attendees across the Island decide whether or not to limit and eventually phase out the use of gas-powered leaf blowers completely.
The idea is to cut down on noise and environmental pollution by transitioning to battery-powered technology. Under proposals at five town meetings — including Oak Bluffs, Edgartown, and West Tisbury on Tuesday, April 8 — gas-powered blowers would no longer be allowed starting in three years.
Many landscapers, while somewhat frustrated they are being forced to change and nervous about costs, have said they are already starting to make a shift to battery-powered equipment, with their customers asking for cleaner and quieter technology.
“I have a gut reaction to forced change,” said Jack D’Arcy, owner of Contemporary Landscapes, one of the largest businesses on the Island. “I’m not against it. But the technology is still new, and we’re still figuring it out. It’s like electric cars — they weren’t where they are now.”
For D’Arcy, who has been in the industry for two decades, the worry is if three years is enough time for the technology to catch up. Batteries require regular charging, and electric blowers aren’t yet as powerful as their gas-powered counterparts. There’s also an upfront cost of converting to electric.
But there’s been wide support for the proposal, voiced by town leaders, residents at public meetings, and evidenced in letters to the editors of local papers. Many say they are sick of hearing gas-powered blowers.
“I live next to a neighbor who has a landscape team that comes almost every day of the week. The gas leaf blowers are going constantly,” said Sylvia Frelinghuysen of Edgartown, one of many that have recently voiced their opinion to The Times. “The noise is so loud that it ruins a peaceful day, or any attempt for an ill person or baby to take a nap.”
Overall the proposal would limit, with some small exceptions, all blowers to use between 8 am to 5 pm on weekdays, 10 am to 5 pm on Saturdays, and they wouldn’t be allowed on some holidays or Sundays before the three-year ban.
The Vineyard Conservation Society (VCS), an Island nonprofit, has helped land warrant articles on town meeting floors for debate. Last fall, members began approaching town select boards to support articles for consideration.
For the nonprofit, there is an environmental and health concern on top of the noise issue. For Zada Clarke, director of advocacy and community organizing at VCS, the question is a no-brainer, depending on how you phrase it. She posed that the question for landscapers was if they preferred a loud technology that is prone to maintenance issues, that contributes to climate change, and is a health hazard to workers, versus a technology that is quieter, easier to maintain, and better for the environment. Clarke said the choice is pretty simple.
“The majority of folks say, ‘It’s about time’ we switch, especially considering how bad it is in these condensed areas,” Clarke said.
The Conservation Society has pointed to studies that show that the pollution put out by gas blowers isn’t minimal. They highlight a recent study from Edmunds — an online car-sales site — found that a common leaf blower generated more nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, and hydrocarbons than a Ford pickup truck from 2011. The nonprofit also notes that gas blowers are often idling, which is burning fossil fuels, while electric blowers apply power only on demand.
Enforcement
There is a concern among law enforcement that police will be asked to patrol leaf blowing. Oak Bluffs Police Chief Jonathan Searle said that the communication center is already overwhelmed with calls, and he doesn’t believe police should be the ones to ask to enforce the ban, which they would under the current proposals.
“Police legitimacy is really important, and I don’t think using police resources to enforce landscaping is legitimate,” Searle told The Times.
At the Conservation Society, Clarke said that there are some options that could take pressure off the police departments, like creating an Island-wide, plainclothes-officer position. But she also said that it’s unlikely that police will be backlogged with complaints over the issue. She used the example of speeding — just because every speeder doesn’t get a ticket, it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have rules in the book to stop speeding. For Clarke, it’s about creating a culture surrounding good policy that the community will follow.
“Police are already strapped, but that shouldn’t stop us from going forward with a good policy,” she said.
Not the only ones in the game
The Vineyard would not be setting a precedent. The state of California has banned the sale of new gas leaf blowers, effective in 2024. Several towns and cities in Massachusetts, including Cambridge, have also enacted a ban. And on Nantucket, a complete ban went into effect five years ago.
Greyson Keller, owner of the Garden Group, a landscaping company of about 30 employees on Nantucket, said that he was initially against the idea. At the time, he said he had about $3,000 invested in gas-powered equipment; unlike on the Vineyard, Nantucket’s ban did not come with a grace period to give landscapers time to adjust. Keller said he originally invested about $15,000, which got him three hedge trimmers, three weed whackers, and two blowers, as well as 12 batteries that fit all of the tools.
Overall, Keller said, the change for his workers has been smooth and good. His workers aren’t breathing in toxins, and he said that electric-powered tools can be easier to use when it comes to maintenance.
“As a landscape design firm, we have fully embraced the change,” Keller said, endorsing the Vineyard’s proposal to evolve with the industry.
On the Vineyard, many landscapers believe the industry is headed in the direction of electric-powered tools, and they have started making the transition. But some in the industry have been “spooked” by what they see as something happening quickly, according to Ryan White, owner of Avant Gardner.
White said that at Avant they have been converting most of their equipment since 2020, as they have seen the industry moving in that direction. In the summer, they use only electric blowers, but for the bigger cleanups in the spring and fall, they switch back to gas. For now, he said, gas-powered technology is more efficient, and electric-powered tools haven’t fully caught up. But so far they’ve liked the transition. “It’s quiet and healthier for our guys,” White said. ”We are quite happy we did it.”
“This is the right direction, and I applaud VCS for taking the necessary steps to facilitate this change,” White said. “As with anything, change takes time, and a thoughtful, pragmatic rollout will be the key in satisfying all parties involved — service providers and homeowners alike. We need to be conscientious stewards of our environment and community. The right conversations are happening.”
Still, he understands others in the industry are nervous about being forced into upfront costs, and are worried that the technology may not have caught up in three years.
For Clarke and the Conservation Society, like the car industry, the battery technology will get there for gas blowers. And they have provided a three-year grace period that will allow the technology to grow and the industry to transition. Clarke acknowledged that there is an upfront cost, but she has heard from landscapers who find that they make that cost back quickly, saving on fuel and maintenance costs.
She also said that this is just the beginning. They are working with Vineyard Power to come up with a buy-back plan to help landscapers, similar to how they are adding water fountains after towns passed plastic water bans.
“This is very much in protection for all of us,” Clarke said. “Not just homeowners, but for landscapers’ health, and for the health of our environment, and for our residents.”
This is an excellent article by Sam Houghton–well balanced and touches on all the key points. In the end, however, the argument for accepting the bylaws to phase out gas leaf blowers is clearly the strongest to protect the workers who use them, the residents who have to listen to them and also breathe the toxic fumes and particles, and the climate. It is time the Vineyard joined some 200 towns across the country as well as California and Nantucket. Voters, please attend your town meeting and vote YES.
I used to rake leaves after May, when beneficial critters would have left their winter swaddles, with a large lawn or leaf rake two foot wide or more. It would take half the time as the next door land-screamer, while he persisted in extricating that last soggy pertinacious petal from its grip on the terrace.
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