Editor’s note: Letters to the Editor should be less than 300 words. The Southeast Examiner reserves the right to edit letters for length or content. Submissions are not guaranteed to be published.
To the Editor,
Thank you for Gabe Frayne’s excellent article on gas powered leaf blowers. I hope to set the record straight, however, regarding a couple of points made by his sources.
A ban will not disproportionately impact people of color negatively, as claimed by the RNA endorsement dissenter, and battery powered leaf blowers are, in fact, efficient for doing the work, contrary to the claim by the quoted landscaper.
As Gabe’s article points out, quietcleanpdx.org lists numerous Portland area lawn maintenance services that do not use gas leaf blowers. That is now a booming business model because increasingly more customers do not want the noise pollution and toxic emissions of gas leaf blowers in their yards.
Years ago, battery powered blowers were not adequate for some heavy jobs. Current models, however, now have surge capacity and run times that exceed gas blowers, without doing harm to the public and our environment.
We know the health risks associated with two-cycle gas powered blowers are highest for those who operate them regularly. The assertion that a leaf blower ban would disproportionally impact people of color is hard to believe if that impact is on the health of lawncare workers, many of whom are people of color.
Quiet Clean PDX affirms the goals of Environmental Justice Oregon to protect all people from environmental health and health hazards.
Finally, the return on investment of battery powered leaf blowers over gas powered blowers is impressive. American Green Zone Alliance estimates that it costs about 10 times more to operate a gas blower than a battery blower. The cost of transition can be challenging, but the cost of running a battery blower is significantly lower, thus boosting revenue.
Rakes and brooms do a great job, too.
Michael Hall, Quiet Clean PDX