Name: Inside the fight to quiet leaf blowers
Uploaded: 2025-10-25T14:33:41.391Z
Duration: 3 min 11 s
Description: Cities and towns across America are banning leaf blowers because of their excessive noise and air pollution. But turning down the volume is not as simple as it may sound.

Cities and towns across America are banning leaf blowers because of their excessive noise and air pollution. But turning down the volume is not as simple as it may sound.

Portland

Portland, Oregon, has enacted a ban on gas-powered leaf blowers, aligning with more than 150 other U.S. communities that have implemented similar restrictions. The move is driven by concerns over noise, air pollution, and potential health impacts, including increased blood pressure, heart rate, and disrupted sleep linked to the low-frequency noise produced by gas-powered equipment.

The transition to electric leaf blowers presents challenges, such as higher upfront costs and lower power compared to gas models. Some landscaping businesses have already adapted, investing in electric equipment and charging infrastructure, though they acknowledge the significant expense and reduced performance. The city's ban will be phased in over two years, reflecting ongoing debates about balancing environmental and health benefits with practical considerations for workers.

Inside the fight to quiet leaf blowers

The serenity of a crisp fall day in the Pacific Northwest never seems to last quite long enough for Judy Walton. JUDY WALTON, Founder, Quiet Clean Alliance in Portland, Oregon They are just dirty machines and cause a lot of health harms. She's a founding member of Quiet Clean Alliance in Portland, Oregon. Last year, her group convinced the city council to ban gas-powered leaf blowers, joining more than 150 other communities in the U.S. that have either banned or restricted their use. This is a real grassroots organization, pardon the pun. Yes, that's right. And we're not on familiar turf either. I see what you did there. For Walton, limiting noise, air pollution and their impacts on public health made this a worthy cause. People think the noise is just annoying, but it actually has real harms on the human body. This 2019 study found that low frequencies emitted from gas-powered leaf blowers can travel over long distances, easily penetrating walls. The equipment raises concerns over adverse health impacts, such as higher blood pressure and heart rate and poor sleep. The sound of an electric leaf blower, while still loud, has less low frequency in it and does not travel nearly as far. Starting from zero and having to change out your equipment, how complicated will that be for people? It's not complicated. It's expensive. Sean Tripp should know. His landscaping company switched to electric leaf blowers when customers began asking for the service and were willing to pay a premium for it. That's because an electric machine costs about $1,500, roughly three times more than gas. But he also needed industrial-strength batteries and a trailer that could keep those batteries charged all day. How many of these setups like this did you have to make? We have currently five of these setups in total. It's a big investment, a huge investment. And Tripp says electric blowers have less power. Okay, we're going to do a little test here, see which one has more power, gas versus electric. Gas is on the left, electric is on the right. We saw that gas had more power to push the weight of a pile of leaves. And power is something landscapers and golf course superintendents brought up during the vote. The electric leaf blowers are not yet powerful enough. Insufficient power. Technology is close, but we are not 100 percent apples to apples at this point. How can you tell somebody to not use the best tool available? If that best tool available has impacts on our environment, on human health, and there's an alternative available that won't break the bank, that's reasonable to ask. Portland's ban will phase in over two years starting in January, a change that feels like a burden for some, but will sound like progress for others.

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