Gas-powered equipment gives off exhausts dangerous to the workers who use the tools daily and anyone in the immediate area.  The two-cycled engines are the worst. A large part of their fuel is not even burned.  Instead, it gets aerosolized.  The stink is unpleasant but more important are the toxic chemicals that are released along with microscopic particles.  Tiny particles can go deep into the lung and can cause lung cancer, heart disease, strokes, asthma, and other respiratory ailments.

The noise from gas-powered machines ranges from irritating to hazardous.  Some lawn mowers and leaf-blowers give off sound comparable to that of a nearby jackhammer or motorcycle.  Even when it’s not causing direct harm the noise can bother babies and others who sleep during daylight hours, those who study and the increasing number of people who work from their homes.   

Quiet and fresh air shouldn’t be considered luxuries!

Gas-powered machines give off global warming gases like CO2 and NxO and CO.  In Connecticut in 2020 we burned 40 million gallons of gas just for lawn-care. UN scientists say we must cut our carbon output nearly in half by 2030.  If machinery is to be used in lawns and forests, it should be powered by electricity. The trend around the country is to ban gas-powered machines.  Gas-powered leaf blowers can’t be used in Washington D.C. and all gas-powered equipment will be banned from sale in California on January 1, 2024. 

The government of the state of Connecticut should lead the way by stopping the use of gas-powered equipment on land it controls directly.  Governor Lamont, state legislature, take note!