The village of Larchmont Board of Trustees unanimously banned gas-powered leaf blowers effective January 2022. The board also limited electric leaf
blowers to spring and fall cleanups, with temporary allowances as determined by the mayor for extreme weather events.
“Larchmont is proud to be a leader in municipal green policy,” Mayor Lorraine Walsh said. “Policies such as this, which ban the use of gas-powered leaf
blowers entirely, are essential if we are going to make meaningful progress in turning back the environmental damages causing global climate change. Thanks
to the Larchmont Environmental Committee for working so hard on this legislative change and educating the community about the impacts of gas-powered leaf
blower use.”
The new code follows a four year outreach campaign by the Larchmont Environmental Committee to inform residents and landscape workers of mounting
evidence regarding the hazards of leaf blowers.
These include:
• Public health hazards, when gases and particulates are inhaled by crews, residents, neighbors and passers-by;
• Damage to the environment, as hurricane-force air currents dessicate soil and plants and destroy insect and wildlife habitat;
• Social and environmental justice issues, which affect crews exposed to health hazards often without knowledge, protection or power to object.
Larchmont made news in 1985 as one of the first municipalities to note concerns over leaf blowers (“In Verdant Larchmont, A Battle Over Garden Noise”
New York Times, June 10, 1985) and 10 years later, in 1995, when its board enacted a summer ban.
This past spring, Walsh issued an Executive Order banning leaf blowers during the COVID-19 pandemic to reduce noise for those working from home and
to protect residents, particularly the most vulnerable members of the community—children, seniors and convalescents. Residents praise the relative quiet,
clear air and greatly increased awareness of wildlife, especially birds, throughout the day. And Larchmont remains as beautiful as ever. (Submitted)
