To the Editor:
There are four very good reasons why we should all vote YES to phase out gas-powered leaf blowers, a regulation that will be on the docket this spring at our town meetings.
First of all, we are falling behind Nantucket. They replaced them with electric models in 2020. If that doesn’t get your competitive juices flowing, consider the following:
Gas-powered leaf blowers are excessively loud. Noise pollution is a real thing, and in some neighborhoods, blowers are going at different times all day long, all week long.
Gas-consuming leaf blowers spew out a disturbing amount of air pollution — more than even a large car. While cars have been getting cleaner over the years, most leaf blowers still use dirty and highly polluting two-stroke engines, which haven’t improved at all.
The toxic chemicals released by gas leaf blowers cause damage to our health, including exacerbating asthma, and causing headaches, dizziness, and nausea. Impacts are more serious in children and the elderly, not to mention the people operating the blowers every day.
They hurt us, and they harm our fragile ecosystem. When the blowers are on, they remove mulch and other protective covers on the ground. They disturb the beneficial insects and other critters that are nesting underneath the leaves over winter, which are vital to healthy yards and gardens.
Any one of these reasons should be enough of a call to arms to begin to phase out gas-powered leaf blowers. I urge you to attend your spring meeting and vote yes for the leaf blower regulation article. For more info, check out vineyardconservation.org/leaf-blower-bylaw.
Laurie David
Chilmark
