Isn’t the Worst Thing About Leaf Blowers the Pollution, Not the Noise?

In your recent column about leaf blowers, I was disappointed that you did not mention the pollution from those infernal machines. The emissions from half an hour of leaf blowing are equivalent to driving a car at 30 mph for 440 miles. —Tom M.

I don’t want to stereotype people who send angry letters about lawn care to their local newspaper, Tom, but I can’t say I’m surprised to find some overlap with people who think it’s normal to drive 440 miles straight at 30 miles an hour. You make a good point, but I’m afraid you’re going to have to do that road trip to Sun Valley without me.

Leaf blowers that use two-stroke engines are the worst offenders. These engines are lightweight, powerful, durable and cheap—and, like all fun things, extravagantly toxic. They don’t use much fuel, so their climate impact is minimal, but a third of the fuel they do use is vented, unburned, into the atmosphere, along with various other smog-creating, acid rain-causing chemicals. By some estimates, one leaf blower can release as much of this type of pollution as 300 full-sized cars. Pretty bad!

Of course, this is a lucky break for people who already hate leaf blowers. It’s not every day you can claim to be saving the world from a (legitimate!) threat that you really only started hating because you found it personally annoying. It’s like finding out that Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, in addition to being terrible, also causes HPV. Even more conveniently, the most-polluting type of leaf blower turns out also to be the loudest. Bring on the righteous fury!

Compared to this, electric leaf blowers are practically environmentally friendly. (As environmentally friendly as a plastic consumer appliance made to human vanity can be, anyway.) They’re not quite as handy—the user is reliant on a cord of finite length or a battery pack of limited duration, for example—but considering the alternative, those modest limitations shouldn’t be a deal breaker for the average homeowner.

In fact, PGE is sponsoring a trade-in of gas-powered tools for (credit toward the purchase of) electric ones at the upcoming Fall Home and Garden Show. Sure, it’s mostly a ploy to sell tools (and electricity), but at least you can blow away leaves and liberal guilt at the same time.

Questions? Send them to dr.know@wweek.com.