Petition to Ban Leaf Blowers in Boston

WE, the undersigned, agree that leaf blowers should be banned in the City of Boston.
Leaf blowers are destructive to the health of Residents & Visitors alike; they release dangerous, particulate debris into the air which persists in the atmosphere for days & lodges in lungs, injuring all and most especially those with asthma and emphysema; they disturb the peace with aggressive noise; they destroy important soil environments that nourish plants, insect & bird life.

Boston is a Global City and we encourage all- residents and potential visitors alike to sign this petition.

The engines of gas-powered leaf-blowers are highly polluting. Exhaust from gas-powered leaf blowers contains many of the same carcinogens found in second-hand cigarette smoke such as Benzene, 1-3 Butadiene, Toluene, and Formaldehyde and these pollutants are discharged into our neighborhood yards and parks in concentrated form. Unlike cars whose exhaust must be filtered, gas leaf blowers release these carcinogens directly into the air we breathe. In addition, the airborne dust and particulate matter dislodged by these machines can linger for hours, even days – and has been documented to travel as far as a mile. What's in this dust and particulate matter? A long list of unpleasant things such as animal droppings, spores, fungi, pollen, pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, brake-lining dust, tire-residue, and heavy metals.

We are also advocating for a ban on Electric Leaf Blowers as the damage to those with asthma and other respiratory illnesses from airborne particulate matter and to the protective soil layer is the same. Electric Leaf Blowers such as the aptly named "Ego Power Plus" boasts 145 mph force. The National Hurricane Center types 145 mph winds as equivalent to a Category 4 hurricane.

The aggressive noise of leaf blowers disturbs the peace of our parks and neighborhoods and endangers the hearing health of all living things. There are no leaves to blow for 9 months of the year but landscaping teams still blast away year round at 185 mph whipping up hazardous particles and contaminants at ground speeds documented to be greater than a Category 5 hurricane. They show up while the homeowner who hired them is often at work but those who work from home, or who work nights and sleep during the day, must endure it. Meanwhile these machines spewing destructive pollution and ear splitting noise throughout the neighborhood. Often, it is people without privilege or power who are expected to use leaf blowers on a daily basis, at the sacrifice of their hearing and the health of their lungs. Many workers are not informed about proper use of personal, protective equipment (PPE) as set forth in regulations by the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA). Their health is a casualty to these practices.

Another often overlooked casualty to the brutal and startling noise of leaf blowers is the injury done to our bird populations. Studies show birds display PTSD-like symptoms due to the constant din of overly-loud human activity. These birds are unable to successfully raise their young and are driven from their nests which are often in the low bushes that are blasted by leaf blowers. The protective soil layer is also destroyed by these hurricane force winds. Migratory birds, our song birds and resident animals rely on that leaf cover to protect and over-winter the insects they feed upon and they are without that food source when the leaf covering and soil layer has been destroyed. We are killing not only the Autumn song of the cricket but Spring bird song with this short-sighted fixation on manicured nature spaces that no longer support nature. All over the world, private and government programs try to restore habitat and green spaces that have been destroyed. We are in favor of preservation, first, and one first step is elimination of the destructive power unleashed by leaf blowers. 

Initiatives like the banning of leaf blowers in Boston is an important advocacy step towards the use of more environmentally friendly and health conscious methods to maintain and support the bio-life of the important green spaces that we have. By supporting this ban, Boston will join the many American cities, towns and hundreds of districts that have restricted the use of leaf blowers.  Many municipalities have banned them, outright, including Washington DC.

Here are a few disturbing facts about commercial grade, gas-powered leaf blowers:

• According to the Centers for Disease Control, leaf blowers typically produce at least 90 decibels of noise – exposure to two hours of such noise causes permanent hearing loss.
• Edmunds Automotive found a two-stroke commercial leaf-blower produces as many hydrocarbons emissions in 30 minutes as a F-150 Pick-up truck does, driving 3,887 miles.
• The Edmunds study also showed that one gas-powered leaf-blower's two-stroke engine emitted nearly 299 times the hydrocarbons of a Pickup truck and 93 times the hydrocarbons of a Sedan.
• Manufactured Lawns Closely Tied to Fossil Fuels The amount of pollution, from noise to air to water, created to maintain green carpets and immaculate yards, is jarring. Lawn mowers, weed whackers, leaf blowers, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and fertilizers. Much of this effort is powered by, or made from, fossil fuels.
• A study by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency entitled, National Emissions from Lawn and Garden Equipment, indicates that gasoline-powered lawn and garden equipment is a prevalent source of toxic and carcinogenic emissions.
• Are leaf blowers harming your hearing? https://theentcenter.com/are-leaf-blowers-harming-your-hearing

For more information on this topic and access to research on the effects of pollution and gas-powered leaf blowers, please go to: quietcommunities.org

About LIVING PLACE: JP (surrounding areas also welcome!)

The purpose of Living Place: JP is to Explore, Celebrate, Protect and Advocate for living nature in this cityscape we call home, as well as to help support a healthy environment for us all. Indigenous populations of birds, insects and other wild life are under increasing pressure from: global warming, over building, tree damage and short sighted-- and in some cases downright unhealthy-- landscaping practices and JP is no exception. We have been losing populations of fireflies, bees and butterflies as well as many other markers of a healthy biosphere. JP is known for its green space some maintained by private citizens and others by the City of Boston and other governement agencies for the health and restorative well being of all. Many individuals have given up chemical treatments of yards, are exchanging ornamental plantings for native species which encourage bees and have put up bird houses, all with the hope of maximizing native habitat. We are advocating for government agencies and businesses to do the same. Living Place: JP is especially dedicated to those few, remaining spaces which may be vacant lots, individual yards or small spots not even discovered yet by many people… little corners of JP which are out of the way and still a living habitat to diverse creatures.  

Our first collective effort is to advocate for a citywide ban on leaf blowers. Their negative impact on insect life, human health and environmental pollution is well documented. Letters have been sent to State Reps, City Councilors & the Mayor's office, notifying them of our intent to work on legislation which prohibits the use of leaf-blowers. Action is underway to educate and advocate for greater peace and health in our neighborhoods by instituting this ban.

We hope that you will join our group. Please email dedge@livingmyth.com to be added to the list of occasional email updates.