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Two-stroke engines that power gas leaf blowers have been called the dirtiest engines permitted by law. Washington DC, the State of California and 168 other municipalities have banned gas leaf blowers … is Philly next?
Gas-powered leaf blowers create air pollution that can cause significant impact to the lungs. Emissions generated by the machines can cause:
Asthma
Lung Cancer
High blood pressure
Noise pollution created by leaf blowers carries over long distances and penetrates walls. Noise from gas leaf blowers is linked to:
Hearing loss
Agitation
Cardiovascular issues
For more information about how gas-powered leaf blowers hurt our communities and landscape workers, download this PDF from the Respiratory Health Association.
How dirty are emissions here in Philadelphia from gas powered lawn equipment?
Newer battery-operated leaf blowers are an option that is now proven to work all over the country, including at the University of Pennsylvania.
Quiet Clean Philly provides resources for communicating with your City Council members to support a policy to phase out gas powered leaf blowers.
Learn how to educate your neighbors to encourage them to use cleaner, quieter and powerful electric leaf blowers that are also less costly to run than their dirty gas counterparts.
Send us an email to join the newsletter and join our Facebook group to stay up to date on actions to phase out gas-powered leaf blowers
Sign the petition requesting that City Council and the Mayor enact an ordinance to phase out the sale and use of gas-powered leaf blowers in Philadelphia.
Find your councilperson and let them know why you support phasing out gas powered leaf blowers (you can also contact all of the at-large council people about this issue).
Make the switch! If you maintain your own lawn, consider switching to an electric leaf blower. Checkout ABC’s coverage of the Consumer Reports Review and check out electric leaf blower manufacturers.
Or, hire landscapers and lawn care professionals who use electric leaf blowers. (Are you a lawn care professional that uses electric leaf blowers? Contact us to join the list.)
Download the flier to share with your neighbors and educate your community.
Are you an elected official or part of an organization that supports phasing out gas powered leaf blowers? Contact us.
City Council Member Curtis Jones
State Representative Darisha Parker (District 198)
State Representative Chris Rabb (District 200)
Battery powered leaf blowers are now roughly as good as gas-powered leaf blowers. See this Consumer reports article and 6ABC news segment.
We also support those who prefer to rake or "leave the leaves."
Note: Washington DC, a city with similar foliage to Philadelphia, has been gas leaf blower free since January 2022. Their lawns still look lovely!
Small contractors are reluctant to purchase the new blowers and batteries because, in a hyper-competitive market, even a small cost outlay can put them at a price disadvantage.
Using legislation to phase out gas leaf blowers– along with education and rebates – helps level the playing field for contractors.
The costs of new equipment will be recouped in a few years because of significantly lower operating costs (see The Economics of Switching to Battery-Powered Leaf Blowers: A Cost Comparison by the Santa Cruz Coalition for a Healthy & Safe Environment).
Improving the quality of life for all Philadelphians.