On Consumerism: The answer, my friend, is blowing in the leaves

Photo by Micah
We consumers can use our voices to advocate for quieter cities, streets, and communities. Take, for instance, the matter of leaf blowers.

Last month and this month the leaf blowers have been out in full force. And at full volume.

I’ve been running a supposed air-cleaning machine indoors solely to block out the noise of the leaf blowers.

Manufacturers make then loud. Even when they don’t have to be. Years ago, a company built an almost silent vacuum cleaner. But it never went into production. During a test period, the company learned consumers didn’t have faith the vacuum was doing a good job. Why? Because it was too quiet.

It’s almost comical, but that’s human nature.

I imagine if Harley-Davidson came out with a silent motorcycle, motorcycle enthusiasts might not be very enthused. The very sound of the engine connotes power. Or so I’m told.

Without that sound, only folks like me would be content.

I wonder if this translates into politics. Do voters opt for the loudest candidates, believing them to be more powerful than quieter candidates?

Anyway, some help is on the horizon. Noise pollution, though not a top priority, is at least being taken more seriously than in the past.

For instance, a city ordinance in Naples, Florida, now requires blowers to be electric and less loud. The new law, which took effect Oct. 21, bans gasoline-powered blowers. Electric or battery-operated blowers are permitted, but only if the generated noise level does not exceed 65 decibels.

Nobody is running around measuring sound emanations. Instead, the city relies on the the decibel rating placed on the item by the manufacturer.

As of January 1, operating a gasoline-powered leaf blower will become illegal in San Anselmo, California.

Los Gatos, California has had a similar ban since 2014. In Los Gatos, the decibel level must be measured at a distance of 50 feet from the leaf blower. They also ban all blowers on Sundays and holidays.

The mayor of Fort Lauderdale, Florida wanted a ban on gas-powered leaf blowers, but the notion failed to become law; not enough city leaders supported it.

Since 2017, Palm Beach, Florida has banned gas-powered blowers, but only on properties that are at least one acre in size. I doubt that law does much good.

Some communities opt for very limited regulations, such as what time of day or what months of the year the machines are allowed. But such nibbling at the edges doesn’t address the problem. For instance, New Castle, New York has a ban on gasoline-powered leaf blowers – but only from June through September. Which misses the whole point of the noisy leaf-blowing season.

The trend of implementing local laws to battle noise remains small, but it is growing gradually. And, I predict, will continue to grow.

But to see widespread results, we’re going to need action at the state levels. Last month California became the first state to ban gas-powered leaf blowers. A similar ban is being debated in the state senate of New York, but it’s too soon to judge what will or won’t be passed.

Even the California law is limited. Although the law also encompasses lawn mowers, chain saws, and other equipment, the ban will not take effect until about 2024. And even then, the ban merely affects the sale of such devices, not their use. Machines now in use will continue to be used. Machines bought in other states and brought into California will remain legal.

Still, in time, the law should help. It’s a valid start.

However, I wish legislators would address electric and battery-operated blowers as well. Although they are less noisy, they’re still noisy enough.

I’ve observed a lot of unnecessary leaf blowing over the decades. The goal should be leaf disposal, such as by bagging or (where permitted) burning leaves.

The goal is not merely to blow leaves from Point A to Point B.

But that’s what plenty of folks do.

Before moving to New England, my wife and I rented half a house. We tenants had nothing to do with groundskeeping. The owners, who lived elsewhere, hired companies to mow the lawn, shovel snow, and remove leaves.

Except, from my vantage point, the leaves were never removed. They were merely blown into the street, or across the street, depending on the wind. Often the leaves ended up on the lawn of the house across the street. That house, too, had hired leaf blowers who were content to blow the leaves into the street and onto the grounds of the house we were renting.

I once asked one of the laborers if they ever bagged the leaves. He said no. The very idea shocked him. Then he blew some more leaves off the property.

Maybe they were hoping a town truck would come by and suck up the leaves. Maybe town trucks did do so. I don’t know.

But it was quite entertaining to see hired guns blowing the leaves one way, and at the same time the neighbor’s hired guys blowing them right back.

When I was a kid there was a hit song called “Dueling Banjos.”

As an adult I witnessed dueling leaf blowers.

Arthur Vidro is one of the Eagle Times’ recurring financial columnists. His “EQMM Goes to College” appeared in the May/June 2021 issue of Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine.