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Clean Air and Water: Green Gardens
Gas-Free Gardens
Gas-Free Gardens
There’s a new & better way to garden maintenance
Campaign Goals
There’s a new & better way to garden maintenance
Campaign Goals
Educate homeowners on the health and environmental impacts of gas-powered gardening equipment, empower them as catalysts of change, and support them and gardeners in shifting from gas-powered gardening equipment to zero-emission alternatives.
TOOLKIT
What to buy, who to hire, and more!
FACT SHEET
CA Air Resources Board Emissions
BI-LINGUAL FLYER
For your gardeners
RETHINKING GAS BLOWERS
For homeowners & neighbors
TOOLKIT
What to buy, who to hire, and more!
FACT SHEET
CA Air Resources Board Emissions
BI-LINGUAL FLYER
For your gardeners
RETHINKING GAS BLOWERS
For homeowners & neighbors
Gas-Free Gardens FAQ
Gas-Free Gardens FAQ
Gas-free is the new and evolved way of maintaining your property, responsibly: Using a combo of electric and manual tools instead of highly-polluting and outdated gas technology.
Don’t let their ubiquity fool you. Every hour of gas-powered equipment (leaf blowers, lawn mowers, hedge and string trimmers, etc.,) is exposing you, your family, and your gardeners to extreme levels of carcinogens, particulate matter, ozone, and heavy metals. Not to mention, releasing high levels of climate-changing gases that are far more potent at trapping heat than carbon dioxide. Other communities have gone gas-free. Why can’t we?
Gas leaf blowers are illegal within 500ft of a residence, but there’s very little enforcement. (Also, enforcement only works with public outreach.) So it’s up to each homeowner, building manager, and institution to start the dialogue with their gardeners about changing from gas to a combination of electric and manual equipment.
Yes, change isn’t easy. But this is much simpler than it seems. And every hour is another hour of heavy and ground-lingering pollution, so please don’t wait.
Gas-free equipment is readily available at authorized dealers, ACE hardware, and online, so it’s just a matter of speaking with your gardener and working out a solution together. This is very low-hanging fruit to cleaning up heavy loads of toxins from your backyard and beyond.
Questions? Resilient Palisades is here to help! Email us for one-on-one help: sheda@resilientpalisades.org
Given their extreme pollution levels and archaic technology, California is the first state to have banned the sale of all gas-powered gardening equipment – starting in 2024, or when the CA Air Resources Board (CARB) deems it feasible.
But don’t wait until 2024. This historic law demonstrates just how harmful this equipment is to both the operators and residents. Every hour your gardener uses gas equipment is another hour of excessive carcinogens and heavy metals dumped in your backyard. Not to mention the smog and climate-changing emissions. Plus, the law only bans the sale of gas equipment. It will not make it illegal to use them. And some gardeners are saying they will reuse and repurpose their old equipment until their employers (you!) ask for a change.
Change is difficult for all of us. Once you have understood the negative impacts of gas equipment, use this bilingual handout to help start the conversation with your gardener. (Recent studies show that operators of gas-equipment have double the risk of cancer).
Electric equipment is much less expensive to operate and maintain, and gardeners will see savings within the first year. But the upfront cost is higher for new e-equipment, especially the cost of batteries. So consider offering a small donation to help cover the cost. Visit the Homeowner Toolkit’s “Buy” for more help.
Use this “Start” page, from our Homeowner Toolkit, to find the best strategy for you and your gardener.
In California and across our nation, communities are ditching the gas for a cleaner, safer, and quieter way of landscape maintenance:
In California and across our nation, communities are ditching the gas for a cleaner, safer, and quieter way of landscape maintenance:
Consumer Reports
What You Should Know About California’s Ban on Sales of Gas-Powered Outdoor Tools
LA Times
California regulators sign off on phaseout of new gas-powered lawn mowers, leaf blowers
The health impact
The health impact
Exhaust
These two and four-stroke engines are spewing heavy metals and carcinogens that linger at ground level. So as we walk, jog, play, or even sit inside our homes, these highly unfiltered and dirty compounds are landing all around us.
A 2012 EPA report concluded the well-known adverse health effects of this equipment:
- Benzene, 1,3 butadeine, and formaldehyde are top-ranking cancerous compounds, linked to lymphomas and leukemia.
- Gas powered gardening equipment release 25% (or more) of the total formaldehyde and benzene in the United States.
- Ground-level ozone and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) “cause or contribute to dementia, early death, heart attack, stroke, congestive heart failure, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and cancer.” (Pg 12, EPA study).
On Mondays, one of the highest gardener-activity days, the air quality index dips across the Palisades. Here’s a real-time look at air quality and particulate matter (PM) from monitoring stations around the Palisades: https://bit.ly/38fiUMM
As with any pollutants, impacts are most severe for children, the elderly, those with compromised immune systems, and pets
Noise
A Harvard University study warns that gas-gardening equipment noise has adverse health impacts not just on the user, but also on surrounding communities. The low vibration noise travels several city blocks and penetrates building walls. Studies warn that regular exposure to the >80-decibels (at 50 feet) increases chances of heart disease, diabetes, sleep disruption, obesity, and even dementia. (Walker and Banks, 2017). There’s also increasing evidence that seniors with hearing loss are significantly more likely to develop dementia over time than those who retain their hearing.
E-equipment, on the other hand, produces higher frequencies that travel shorter distances and are <50-decibels at 50ft; the absence of vibration also makes them unable to pass building barriers.
“Internal combustion power tools and leaf blowers (“equipment”) pose multiple hazards to human health. Children are the most susceptible members of our population to these hazards because they breathe more air per pound of body weight per day than adults and thus inhale more of any pollutants that are thrown into the air by this equipment. Children’s vulnerability to the health effects of this equipment is further magnified by the fact that they are passing through the stages of early development, and thus their lungs, ears, eyes, and other organ systems are inherently more sensitive to environmental hazards than the organs of adults.” (Sheffield, Perry, MD, et al., 2010)
The vibrating and low frequency of gas-powered equipment causes the noise to travel farther (a few city blocks) and pass barriers, including building walls (Pollock et al., 2018; Pasanen et al., 2004).
The environmental impact
The environmental impact
Source: California Air Resources Board, 2017
This outdated gas equipment has harmful impacts that are too high to ignore. Hundreds of communities across the USA have ditched the gas…shouldn’t Pacific Palisades?
Gas-powered gardening equipment is egregiously polluting our air, water, and even our soil. These two- and four-stroke engines emit high levels of hydrocarbons from burned and unburned fuel including carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and reactive organic gases. They’re directly linked to deaths and cancer, yet we continue to welcome them into our backyards and community.
Nitrogen oxide is a harmful greenhouse gas that traps 300x more heat than carbon dioxide (Chrobak, 2021). By using fossil fuels to mow, blow, and trim our gardens, we are releasing more emissions than our gardens can absorb.
When in contact with sunlight, these compounds create smog: In California, gas gardening equipment is creating MORE smog than ALL of our passenger vehicles (EPA, 2021).
These go on to form low-level ozone, which causes the much-reviled brown smog that hovers over Los Angeles. And nitrogen oxides contribute to acid rain. Thanks to evaporation, leaf blowers even pollute while they’re not in use. (TerraNova; EPA, 2015)
The refueling of this equipment also results in gas (and oil) spills that turn into ozone in the summer, and end up in our groundwater and the Santa Monica Bay all year long.
“I read…over 17 million gallons of gas are spilled each year refueling lawn and garden equipment – more petroleum than was spilled by the Exxon Valdez.” (EPA Senior Policy Analyst David Piantanida, 2008)
A Doctor’s Perspective
A Doctor’s Perspective
We all know that leaf blowers, especially the gas-powered variety, are obnoxiously loud, utterly stinky, and irritating to the eyes. Much more important than those nuisances, gas-powered leaf blowers and other gardening equipment are harmful to our health, both in the short and long term.
The fumes this equipment emits have been linked to human health harms such as an increased risk of heart attack, stroke, asthma, cancer, miscarriage, birth defects, and premature birth. Gas-powered lawn equipment contributes significantly to air pollution and climate change.
Blowers aerosolize and spread infectious organisms and toxins – think animal feces, fungal spores, viruses, and chemicals on the street from motor vehicles – all of which cause disease and death in humans. Blowing the soil in your yard disrupts the soil microbiome and insect life.
So please, do yourself and your neighbors a favor and consider these alternatives:
1. Leave organic matter on the ground to give nutrients back to the soil, as is the natural cycle.
2. Consider using a rake or broom instead of a blower if removal of leaves and organic matter is desired or needed.
3. If you feel it is necessary to use a blower, use an electric one and only intermittently when absolutely necessary, not simply out of habit.
The more people who make the change from gas-powered lawn equipment to a rake, broom, or electric device, the more of us will be able to live healthier, happier lives.
Karina Maher, MD
Pacific Palisades resident
Easy Solutions
Easy Solutions
We all know that leaf blowers, especially the gas-powered variety, are obnoxiously loud, utterly stinky, and irritating to the eyes. Much more important than those nuisances, gas-powered leaf blowers and other gardening equipment are harmful to our health, both in the short and long term.
The fumes this equipment emits have been linked to human health harms such as an increased risk of heart attack, stroke, asthma, cancer, miscarriage, birth defects, and premature birth. Gas-powered lawn equipment contributes significantly to air pollution and climate change.
Blowers aerosolize and spread infectious organisms and toxins – think animal feces, fungal spores, viruses, and chemicals on the street from motor vehicles – all of which cause disease and death in humans. Blowing the soil in your yard disrupts the soil microbiome and insect life.
So please, do yourself and your neighbors a favor and consider these alternatives:
Savings
Electric equipment is far less expensive and safer to operate than gas.
Source: AGZA.net
We all know that leaf blowers, especially the gas-powered variety, are obnoxiously loud, utterly stinky, and irritating to the eyes. Much more important than those nuisances, gas-powered leaf blowers and other gardening equipment are harmful to our health, both in the short and long term.
The fumes this equipment emits have been linked to human health harms such as an increased risk of heart attack, stroke, asthma, cancer, miscarriage, birth defects, and premature birth. Gas-powered lawn equipment contributes significantly to air pollution and climate change.
Blowers aerosolize and spread infectious organisms and toxins – think animal feces, fungal spores, viruses, and chemicals on the street from motor vehicles – all of which cause disease and death in humans. Blowing the soil in your yard disrupts the soil microbiome and insect life.
So please, do yourself and your neighbors a favor and consider these alternatives:
Savings
Electric equipment is far less expensive and safer to operate than gas.
Source: AGZA.net
Dig Deeper
Dig Deeper
In 2015, the EPA issued a warning that by 2020, gas-powered leaf blowers, lawn mowers, and similar equipment in California could produce more ozone pollution than all the millions of cars in California combined. (EPA, 2015).
Gas vs Electric – Creating a zero-emission garden will greatly reduce your family’s: carbon footprint, emission output of harmful carcinogens and fine-particulate matter into the air your gardener and family breathe, gasoline and oil leaks that end up in the Bay, and, will create a quieter community.
Homeowners are the ultimate catalyst in creating zero-emission gardens in Pacific Palisades: Zero-emission equipment is infinitely safer and cheaper to operate than gas-guzzling alternatives. But gardeners aim to please their employers, so homeowners need to start the conversation.
Fuel Spills – Hundreds of incidental fuel spills happen every week during the refueling of gas-powered lawn equipment, poisoning our neighborhoods, the Santa Monica Bay, and our groundwater. (EPA, 1996)
Gas blower vs 2016 Toyota Camry – One hour of even the best-selling commercial gas-powered leaf blower emits the same smog-forming pollution as driving a 2016 Toyota Camry about 1100 miles, or approximately the distance from Los Angeles to Denver. The difference is that all of this pollution is being dumped into a single backyard in practically every home in Pacific Palisades. (CARB, 2017).
Gas-powered blowers produce nitrogen oxides. Nitrogen oxides can create environmental health hazards when they react with sunlight and other chemicals to form smog, including respiratory damage. Nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide react with substances in the atmosphere to form acid rain. (CDC, 2002)
Gas-powered gardening equipment used routinely around residential neighborhoods, schools, parks, and other public spaces – leaf blowers, mowers, string trimmers, and hedge trimmers – are creating a whopping 43% of our country’s volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and 50% of our fine particulate matter, PM2.5 (EPA, 2015).
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC’s) that linger at ground level – including benzene, butadiene, and formaldehyde – combined with particulate matter together cause or contribute to early death, heart attack, stroke, congestive heart failure, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and cancer. (footnote 1-5 from EPA study)
Resources
Resources
- Lawn Maintenance and Climate Change (Climate Action at Princeton University)
- 2015 Study: National Emissions from Lawn and Garden Equipment (EPA Files: Quiet Communities)
- Edmunds: Leaf Blower’s Emissions Dirtier than High-Performance Pick-Up Truck’s
- 2015 Study: Conference International Emissions Inventory Conference (EPA Files: Powerpoint Presentation)
- Health and Environmental Impacts of Gas-Powered Landscaping Equipment (Quiet Communities)
- California Air Resources Board Zero-Emissions Landscape Equipment Program
- Characteristics of Lawn and Garden Equipment Sound: A Community Pilot Study (J of Environ Toxicology)
- American Green Zone Alliance Residential Program (free in-home gardener and homeowner support and training)
- Commercial and Residential Rebates
- For your Gardener: Authorized Vendors for Professional Electric Mowers and Blowers (Qualifying for immediate in-store discounts of 75% off)
Lawn Maintenance and Climate Change (Climate Action at Princeton University)
2015 Study: National Emissions from Lawn and Garden Equipment (EPA Files: Quiet Communities)
Health and Environmental Impacts of Gas-Powered Landscaping Equipment (Quiet Communities)
California Air Resources Board Zero-Emissions Landscape Equipment Program
Commercial and Residential Rebates
