Phoebe Cho
The world is racing to go electric, and leaf blowers are falling behind.
You probably haven’t heard about gas-powered leaf blowers’ effect on the environment. You probably haven’t thought about it either. But electric leaf blowers are one of the most advantageous tools for combating climate change. They are also one of the least discussed.
We are all aware of the detrimental effects automobiles have on the environment. Surprisingly, gas-powered leaf blowers constitute an even greater threat. Many gas-powered leaf blowers contain a two-stroke engine, requiring fuel to be mixed with oil. This process produces numerous toxic pollutants such as carbon monoxide, which is a toxic gas; nitrous oxides, which contribute to smog and acid rain; and hydrocarbons, which produce smog.
Increased recognition of car pollution prompted Congress to pass the Clean Air Act of 1970, allowing the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate pollution from vehicles. The Clean Air Act has reduced tailpipe pollution by 98-99% since 1960. Although gas-powered leaf blowers are illegal in Los Angeles, this law generally goes unenforced. Such lack of enforcement has allowed leaf blowers to remain disastrously unchecked.
According to a study from Science Daily in 2001, using a gas-powered leaf blower for one hour is equivalent to driving 100 miles in a gas-powered car. Another study in 2001 by Edmunds, an automotive car information service, found that gas-powered leaf blowers produce more air pollutants than a 6,200-pound Ford F-150 SVT Raptor pickup truck and generate 300 times the amount of non-methane hydrocarbons. Jason Kavanaugh, the engineering editor at Edmunds, compared hydrocarbon emissions caused by gas-powered leaf blowers in half an hour to the environmental impact of driving from Texas to Alaska in the pickup truck.
The emissions produced by these leaf blowers threaten public health, creating risks of lung cancer, asthma and cardiovascular disease. Predictably, the dangers are exacerbated for the operators of the machines, who are subjected to the dangerous fumes and particulates, high nose levels and vibrations that can cause nerve damage to the hands and arms.
When my family first learned of the effects of gas-powered leaf blowers, my parents sought out and hired gardeners that use electric leaf blowers. Both types of electric leaf blowers, corded and battery-powered, are less expensive than gas-powered models. Even so, most gardeners prefer gas-powered leaf blowers because they require less time to operate. For this reason, Poly families should compensate the additional time by increasing how much they pay their gardeners. Poly families with the economic latitude to invest in a leaf blower in the first place should choose the cleaner option.
When we think of preventing and ameliorating climate change, we often picture systemic reform and proposed legislation in Congress—in short, change at a considerably larger scale than ourselves. However, sometimes the smallest collective shifts have the greatest potential to make a difference.
In a written statement, juniors Lily Reese Yen and Lily Gillam, co-leaders of Poly’s Climate Action Together club, said, “Though it may seem inconsequential, every small change we make in our lives can have a serious impact on our environment, positive or negative. With such a massive global issue like climate change, we must remember that small steps can lead to big change.”
Poly students are constantly expressing the wish to combat climate change. Electric leaf blowers provide a rare, uncomplicated opportunity to actually make a tangible difference. So this April, the month of Earth Day, take this opportunity to have a conversation with your family about bringing electric leaf blowers to your backyard. Mother Earth will thank you for it.