by Judy Ryan and Suzanne Buchauer
Early in the morning, I awake to the sound of birdsong. Soon I hear the thwack of a tennis ball on the nearby court, the chatter of children playing in the yard next door, a splash of water in the pool across the street. I love these sounds.
By 9AM (or earlier) the mowing and blowing begins. Sometimes just next door, sometimes in as many as six properties well within earshot of our own. Most are gas powered, and I’ve seen two landscapers within feet of each other blowing in tandem across a lawn free from any detritus that I can see. The sound is deafening (literally), especially for the landscapers – some, but not all of who wear ear protectors. The noise rises and falls until sunset.
How many of us know that …
- eighty-five decibels of sound can damage your hearing? Leaf blowers operate at 80-115 decibels, depending on distance from the blow.
- winds of up to 250 miles per hour are produced by leaf blowers, which damage small and delicate plants and blow away your precious topsoil?
- pollutants such as carbon monoxide, nitrous oxides, and hydrocarbons are emitted? In addition, oil particles, fertilizer, mold, pollen, and feces are kicked up in the dust of the blowers. In spring allergy sufferers are especially impacted.
- one hour of leaf blowing with a gas blower creates as much air pollution as driving from Nyack to Memphis?
- acids, fine particulate matter, heavy metals, and carcinogens are emitted with the exhaust of two stroke gas blowers, since about 30 percent of the gas and oil do not burn completely?
- gas spillage happens almost every time a blower is filled? On average, four ounces are spilled, which means that in the US, approximately 17 million gallons of gas are spilled per year, contaminating ground water.
What can we do to raise awareness among our friends, family, neighbors and landscapers?
- Talk to our family, friends and landscapers. Information is key to making good choices.
What can we do to help?
- Sweep or rake leaves and clipping from beds and sidewalks.
- Lower our standards for lawns. Mulch leaves instead of blowing them. Mulching lawnmowers are able to break them down right away. Mulched leaves can be left on our lawns to decompose. The plant matter breaks down and helps feed the lawn, resulting in less need for fertilizer.
- Encourage our landscapers to limit their use of gas powered leaf blowers, and to consider a move to electric. Electric blowers are quieter and produce a small fraction of pollutants. Blowing is rarely necessary in summer, and often just redistributes pollutants, wafting them through the atmosphere, and back into our noses and yards.
Noise and air pollution have received increased attention from citizens, who are asking their towns and villages to consider ordinances to regulate them. The Upper Nyack Green Committee is working on ways to lessen the sounds and smells of gas mowing and blowing in our village, while considering the needs and preferences of landscapers and homeowners alike. Stay tuned for more.
So many happy summer sounds are drowned out by mowing and blowing. And how many of us remember the lovely sound of silence?
Upper Nyack Green Committee 