The gas-powered leaf blower (GPLB) is undeniably a very noisy device. For the person using a GPLB, the sound level can exceed 100 decibels, well above the World Health Organization outdoor daytime standards of 55 decibels for up to 800 feet. In addition, the gas-powered leaf blower emits a low frequency sound which travels over long distances and penetrates walls and windows. That’s why closing your windows and doors doesn’t seem to help.

 

But leaf blowers do more harm than simply producing unsafe noise levels.  They also have an outsized environmental impact. Most leaf blowers use a two-stroke engine where only 70% of the fuel completely combusts. Incomplete combustion, produces a large number of global warming greenhouse gases and gases toxic to fauna, flora, and people. As a result, two-stroke engines produce nearly 300 times the greenhouse gas emissions of a pickup truck. A half-hour of yard work with one gas-powered leaf blower emits about the same amount of pollution as a truck traveling from Texas to Alaska.  

 

Some States have taken state-wide action, but Connecticut has not yet acted. Until last month. On Monday March 23, the Environment Committee put its toe in the water. They approved a lead-by-example bill in which the State will begin to transition from gas to battery leaf blowers. 

 

If you would like this bill to become law, call your State Representative and Senator and ask them to co-sponsor HB 6263.

 

You don’t have to wait for our legislature to act. This spring, instead of buying gas powered lawn equipment, consider battery powered or electric equipment instead. They are much quieter, lighter, require less maintenance, and are powerful enough to get the job done.  

 

Not a DIYer? Find a landscaper that has made the switch to battery equipment.  

 

Here, you can find the Sierra Club’s Electric Lawn and Garden Equipment policy. 

​

Vincent Giordano is a Legislative Committee Member of Sierra Club Connecticut.