Cleaner air starts in your front yard and your back yard
ELECTRIC LEAF BLOWERS readily available for purchase.
By Aysie Bower
If you live in Los Angeles, chances are gas-powered leaf blowers roar outside your windows every day, producing more smog in a single hour than driving a car from Los Angeles to Denver and emitting such known cancer-causing particles as benzene and formaldehyde.
Thankfully, on Jan. 1, 2024, California banned the sale of new gas-powered lawn equipment. Los Angeles has had a ban on gas-powered blowers in place since 1998, punishable by a $100 citation to gardeners and homeowners alike.
Why, then, are the vast majority of gardeners still using these harmful tools? To find out, I surveyed several local gardeners who, between them, own over 60 gas-powered tools. Their answers reflected serious concerns about staying afloat in an already low-margin business.
Gardening routes run on tight schedules, and powerful gas tools let crews complete the 10-15 home and apartment yards a day needed to stay in business. Switching to electric means a steep upfront cost, with one contractor estimating $40,000 to convert his full tool inventory, and a real drop in speed: batteries die mid-task and are slow to charge and swap. Plus, commercial backup batteries run $500 or more. “Gas-powered tools are stronger and more efficient for my work,” one gardener explained. Another noted that electric equipment is heavier and costs twice as much to repair.
These barriers are compounded by how this workforce operates. Gardening is one of the few immediately accessible jobs for immigrants, requiring little more than a willingness to work. Many crews are paid in cash and operate without a business license or a business tax ID number. The informal nature of this workforce excludes many gardeners from programs meant to ease transition costs. The South Coast Air Quality Management District offers commercial gardeners and landscapers up to 85% off electric equipment but requires a business license or tax ID number. None of the gardeners I surveyed had even heard of the program.
However, homeowners can help close these gaps and make a real impact on our air quality. Talk with your gardener about making the switch to electric. Even better, buy an electric blower yourself and keep it charged and accessible for your gardener to use each week. Consumer models cost about $250, and SCAQMD’s residential rebate refunds up to $250. Be willing to accept a yard that isn’t quite as spotless, or a monthly bill that’s a bit higher. It’s a small price to pay for cleaner air, and for L.A.’s hardworking gardeners to stay in business.
Editor’s note: While gas-powered blowers are no longer available for sale in California, some gardeners buy the banned equipment secondhand. Existing gas-powered blowers can still be legally owned, used, repaired, and refurbished but are subject to the Los Angeles ban on being used within 500 feet of a residence.
Aysie Bower is a rising senior at Larchmont Charter School at LaFayette Park. She’s working on an initiative about replacing gas-powered lawn equipment for the Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council Environmental and Sustainability Committee.
Category: Real Estate
