Now that leaf blowers are being stored for the season, snow blowers are getting cranked up. Though windows will be closed and most of us will be sheltering inside, the pollution caused by gas powered landscaping equipment of all kinds – including snow blowers – was the subject of debate last week.
Gas-powered equipment is much louder than electric equipment. Of course, the noise is more than just annoying – it poses a significant health threat as well. For example, most gas-powered leaf blowers exceed 70 decibels measured at 50 feet, which is considered dangerous to hearing. Additionally, this noise impacts the immune system, causes adverse cardiovascular effects, and impairs the learning, hearing, sleep, and language development of children. Acoustic research also shows that gas-powered leaf blower’s distinctive low frequency noise penetrates further than other machine-generated sound waves, even through solid walls.
This is not only annoying to the public, it damages the hearing of the landscaping workers, especially when the equipment is used repeatedly over long periods of time. Landscaping workers are more likely to suffer from depression, and are more likely to suffer from cardiovascular disease and cancer.
These machines are not only staggeringly loud, but they also produce a shocking amount of air pollution. And the pollution from those millions of landscaping machines adds up. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, fossil fuel-powered landscaping equipment emitted tons of greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution that can cause serious public health and environmental damage. Overall, New York ranked fourth (behind California, Florida and Texas) for climate pollution from gas-powered landscaping equipment, with emissions estimated at 1.37 million tons, the annual equivalent of the emissions from more than 300,000 cars on the road. The state ranked third (behind Florida and Texas) when comparing fine particulates (PM2.5). Fine particulates can damage people’s hearts and lungs.
Of course, a national ranking can mask local impacts. At a news conference last week, health, environmental and community groups released data on the impacts on a county-by-county level. Fossil-fuel-powered landscaping equipment releases fine particulates and greenhouse gases in every county in New York, with Suffolk, Nassau, Westchester, Monroe, Erie counties and the borough of Brooklyn, being the largest generators of greenhouse gases from this source.
The data was released on a regional basis, with Westchester residents exposed to the largest amount of emissions in the lower Hudson Valley, Albany County in the Capital District, and Saratoga County in the Upper Hudson/North Country region.
Westchester residents were exposed to over 143 thousand tons of greenhouse gas, the equivalent of the emissions of 31,500 cars, as well as 124 tons of particulate matter, the equivalent of over 1.3 million cars.
New Yorkers don’t need to give up well-tended lawns; there is an alternative. Gas-powered landscaping equipment can be replaced by cleaner, quieter battery-powered tools that have the same power. For most of us, we purchase our landscaping equipment when the existing one has run out of life. Often that can take years to occur.
However, for big users – local governments, large institutions and landscaping companies, they can go through landscaping equipment within a matter of months – or even weeks. The problem is that usually battery-powered equipment is more expensive, even if it is quieter and cleaner.
Weaning New York off of gas-powered landscaping equipment and moving toward electric was the focus of the groups that released the pollution data. They were urging Governor Hochul to include in her budget a financial incentive program to help offset the cost differences for the big users – municipalities, institutions and landscaping companies – to encourage them to purchase electric equipment as the need arises.
The groups’ request tracks legislation that has widespread support among lawmakers. The concept also has broad-based public support, including from over one hundred public health, environmental and community groups, equipment manufacturers, and equipment retailers like Home Depot.
Electric landscaping equipment is generally cleaner, quieter and easier to use. These electric alternatives are often just as capable as their fossil fuel-powered counterparts and, over a lifetime of use, cost less to operate.
It’s time to join the call for cleaner, quieter landscaping equipment in New York. Hopefully, Governor Hochul, through her executive budget power, will join the call.
Blair Horner is senior policy advisor with the New York Public Interest Research Group.
The views expressed by commentators are solely those of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the views of this station or its management.
