Noise pollution is probably the most frequently raised problem with leaf blowers. However, removing leaves by whatever means can still negatively impact soil ecosystems and habitats for overwintering wildlife. Clearly, electric engines eliminate many of the nuisances of leaf-blowers: somewhat less noise (although they are not quiet), lower CO 2 emissions, and fewer conventional pollutants. Conventional leaf blowers feature a fossil-fuel-powered two-stroke engine, but competition is rising from increasingly available electric models. In 2009 alone, 4.9 million American households purchased a leaf blower (Butterfield, 2011, as cited in Boykoff, 2011). Portable gasoline-powered leaf blowers first emerged in the 1940s in Japan and had a rapid rise in popularity in North America. Understanding the interconnected nature of these risks is necessary to inform policy concerning leaf blowers. The reasons include noise pollution, particulates, and other conventional pollutants, greenhouse gas emissions, and ecological disruption. In the city, we remove them with noisy, polluting leaf-blowers.Ĭalls for the ban of leaf blowers in urban centers are on the rise, including community group initiatives, municipal bans, opinion pieces, and proposed state/ provincial and national-level legislation. What happens to tree leaves once they hit the ground? In forests, they join a litter layer that is home to countless small animals and nurtures the growth of new plants.
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