Regular readers of this newsletter may remember a “Letter to the Board” editorial in the May-June 2019 issue titled, “The GLB Blues” (i.e., Gas Leaf Blower blues), submitted by Beaumont-Wilshire environmental activist Nancy Mogielnicki. The editorial was followed by a presentation by Nancy at a BWNA general meeting and then by a resolution to the BWNA board in January. The lengthy process (May 2019 to January 2020) reflects the complexity of the issue and board’s desire not to rush to judgment.
The resolution neither commits BWNA to advocate for legislation nor to proselytize for the cause. What it does do is put BWNA on record as endorsing the work being done by Quiet Clean PDX, a group dedicated to promoting alternatives to GLBs (e.g., battery-operated blowers and manual tools) and a “healthier and simpler approach to lawn and garden care that reduces the need for gas-powered equipment.” The “whereas” section of the resolution cites a variety of detrimental effects associated with the use of GLBs, including permanent hearing loss risk for GLB operators; toxic emissions linked to fatal diseases (i.e., lung and heart disease, cancer, and others); air pollution resulting from emitted smog-forming chemicals and blown dust particles (i.e., allergens, molds, dried animal feces, herbicides and pesticides,); soil erosion; harm to valuable pollinators; and carbon dioxide emissions exacerbating climate change.
The Quiet Clean PDX website (www.quietcleanpdx.org) is impressively organized, persuasively presented, and consistently one-sided. Nancy Mogielnicki was equally as organized and persuasive in her testimony to the board, but also transparent in pointing out possible problems associated with the transition from GLBs to electric. For instance, in switching from gas-powered to battery-operated blowers, what of the economic impact on all those small, mostly Hispanic-staffed yard maintenance companies that operate on the slimmest of margins? The Clean PDX website answers the concern this way: “There is no evidence that using hand tools or the occasional electric blower will put people out of work.” However, for companies without the financial resources to replace their GLBs with electric blowers and/or to sacrifice efficiency by relying on hand tools (i.e., more time on each job = fewer jobs per day), the claim might seem disingenuous at best. And what about the problems associated with battery-operated blowers? The obvious one is that electric blowers propel unhealthy dust particles into the air just like GLBs do. In addition, as manufacturers increase electric blower power capacity to meet consumer demand, noise levels are likely to increase. Nancy suggested a “good neighbor lawn care” approach: a “no blow” consumer request to the company.
Despite the potential for unintended consequences, the board voted unanimously to endorse the resolution, acknowledging the existential threat of GLBs to the environment. Yet another concern: “blowing around of nonexistent leaves” during winter months, often a result of mandatory year-round contracts designed to retain workers. The board recommends exploring GLB alternatives via Quiet Clean PDX.