Hello All,

I’ve lived in this city for nearly 10 years, and I have loved almost every moment of it. I love this city’s natural spaces and sense of community. When the weather is nice, I spend every moment I can outside. However, in recent years, the frequent use of gas leaf blowers by private homeowners and by contracted landscaping crews has made it difficult to enjoy this outside time.

The use of leafblowers creates a large amount of irritating and dangerous noise and air pollution, not just for the people using them, but for the entire community. Leaf blowers are inefficient and emit carbon monoxide, nitrous oxide, carbon dioxide, particulate matter, benzene, formaldehyde, and other harmful pollutants. 

Beyond the emissions created by inefficient gas combustion, these leafblowers also blow around topsoil, dust, dangerous particulate matter, and particles of herbicide and pesticide, further worsening air pollution.

The noise they put out can be up to 100 decibels, comparable to a passenger jet taking off. Noise levels above 70 decibels are considered dangerous. They also put out low frequency noise that can penetrate walls and windows, meaning you can’t escape the sound indoors. The exposure to the noise itself is enough to cause physical health issues. 

Furthermore, leaves are crucial in the survival and overwintering of many insects and birds. I think we owe it to nature to allow these critters their survival.

Many cities such as Washington D.C., Portland, and Burlington have already banned gas leaf blowers. The state of California has also banned the sale of gas leaf blowers.

To my knowledge, there are no restrictions on gas leaf blower use beyond the allowed times of use. The city code currently allows for unrestricted use of these tools between 7 am and 10 pm, and it seems that people around here are keen to use that entire window of time.

Banning the sale and use of gas leaf blowers in the City of Minneapolis is possible, and would have many health and environmental benefits. 

This issue is very near and dear to my heart, and I vow to fight for this issue to create better conditions for my fellow Minneapolis citizens. 

Thank you for your time and support on this cause. 

Further reading:

https://kleinmanenergy.upenn.edu/commentary/blog/think-globally-on-climate-act-locally-on-leaf-blowers/

https://guides.monmouth.edu/Climate_Change/LeafBlowers

https://www.edmunds.com/about/press/leaf-blowers-emissions-dirtier-than-high-performance-pick-up-trucks-says-edmunds-insidelinecom.html