Earth-friendly yard work tips
CONTENT BY Sustainability Subcommitte, Cumberland Lands & Conservation Commission
Before you reach for (or hire) a gasoline-powered leaf blower to help with your yard work, consider some healthier alternatives, including leaving some leaves under shrubs to help rebuild soil, using a good rake and other people-powered tools, or using a battery-powered leaf blower.
Did you know?
The two-stroke gas-powered engines found in most lawn equipment are highly inefficient, leaving significant amounts of gasoline unburned, and lack the emission controls that reduce pollution from gas-powered cars and trucks.
Operating a commercial gas-powered leaf blower for only one hour emits as much smog-forming pollution as driving a typical car 1,100 miles!
Gas-powered leaf blowers are very noisy, often reaching decibel levels of 85 or more for those within 50 feet of the machinery. The CDC recommends noise levels below 70 decibels within 50 feet (or wearing protective equipment) to avoid hearing loss and negative mental health impacts.
The air forced through leaf-blowers can reach speeds of 220 mph, destroying the upper layers of soil which support healthy bacteria, fungi, and beneficial insects that are good for your yard (and native critters).
Instead, try:
Battery powered tools — Consumer Reports have concluded from comparisons of gas-powered and battery-powered blowers are the “clear winner.” In addition to saving money over time, battery-powered blowers are a lot less noisy and avoid the unhealthy, carbon-heavy fumes of their gas-powered cousins.
People-powered tools — Using a rake for yard clean up avoids all the negative noise and pollution impacts of powered tools.
Leave the leaves! The ecological benefits of NOT blowing your leaves are enormous: leaving some leaves on the ground allows them to break down and rebuild the soil as well as to shelter beneficial insects.