Imagine a perfect morning: you’re sitting on your front porch, sipping coffee, listening to the birds, and breathing in fresh air as the sun rises over our beautiful city of Charlottesville. That small, peaceful joy is shattered when a gas-powered leaf blower cranks up nearby, drowning out the birdsong with its deafening noise and filling the air with a toxic cloud of dust. This is not just an inconvenience; it’s a public health and environmental hazard affecting our health and the health of our environment, wildlife, children and pets.

Gas-powered leaf blowers are not only noisy, often exceeding 100 decibels, (safe maximum decibel level according to the WHO is 35-50 dB) which is equivalent to a jet engine, or a jackhammer, but they are also major polluters. According to the California Air Resources Board, operating a gas-powered leaf blower for just one hour emits as much smog-forming pollution as driving a recent-model car for over 1,100 miles. 

GLBs  CAUSE: *Cancer  🏥 *COPD, Asthma and Chronic Bronchitis 🫁 *Permanent Hearing Loss and tinnitus 👂*Learning Disabilities in children 🏫*Cognitive Decline/Dementia 🧠*Autism *Carbon Monoxide Poisoning ☠️*Heart Attacks and Heart Failure ♥️ *Hypertension 💔 *Emotional Dysregulation 😟*Anxiety Disorders/PTSD  *Loss of pet wellbeing and hearing 🐕 🐈  *Destruction of habitat and reproduction for pollinators and wildlife (such as butterflies, fireflies, songbirds, chipmunks, bees, reptiles) 🦋 🦅 🐢 🐝*Water and soil contamination 🏡 *Dust clouds containing mold, pesticides, heavy metals, pollen into the air at speeds of 200 mph 

There are practical and eco-friendly alternatives: electric and battery-powered leaf blowers, rakes and brooms.  Better yet, leave the leaves for soil enrichment, wildlife and pollinator habitat, nests and food chain regeneration.

Communities across the U.S. have successfully implemented bans or restrictions on gas-powered leaf blowers. Places like Washington, D.C., Alexandria, VA, Arlington VA , New York City, and the  entire state of California have already moved towards a cleaner and quieter future. Charlottesville can join this growing movement, setting an example for others and preserving the peace and tranquility of our neighborhoods.

Let's urge the local government of Charlottesville to enforce its noise ordinance,  and ban gas-powered leaf blowers. Such a move would not only protect our health and environment but also uphold the serene, community-oriented atmosphere that we cherish.

Sign this petition to make Charlottesville a cleaner, quieter and saner place to live. Together, we can make a positive impact and reclaim the peaceful enjoyment of our homes and communities.