Resources

Calling noise a nuisance is like calling smog an inconvenience. 
Noise must be considered a hazard to the health of people everywhere.

– U.S. Surgeon General William H. Stewart (1978)

Media Articles

• Princeton Echo: The Origins of Quiet Princeton
• Town Topics, Princeton: Quieting Noisy Leaf Blowers is the Goal of Local Activists
• New York Times “On Banning Leaf Blowers”
• Washington Post: Effect on the Environment
• Eliminating Leaf Blowers: The myths of common objections
• Rakes beat Leaf Blowers in actual use
• Origins of Quiet Lincoln: Genesis of an activist group
• Manufacturers can be a powerful lobby against improvements

History of Leaf Blowers

1970’s           Leaf blowers introduced in USA
1970’s           Leaf blowers banned in a number of CA cities
1980’s           Leaf blowers power and noise increases; Backpack leaf blowers introduced
1997              Los Angeles bans gas-powered leaf blowers
1997              Princeton, NJ, rejects ordinance to control leaf blowers: see section below
1998              Los Angeles bans gas-powered leaf blowers within 500 ft of residences
2000’s           Leaf blower use increases continually
2017              More Municipalities and Universities ban gasoline lawn equipment

• History of Leaf Blowers by Paul Ahern
• Wikipedia “Leaf Blowers”

Princeton, NJ Municipality

• Princeton Town Municipal Noise Ordinance revised 2014
• Leaf Blower Noise FAQ’s: Princeton Town Public Works Dept.
• Princeton votes against Leaf Blower Ordinance in 1997. (Note that many of the objections made at that time are no longer valid.)

Elimination of Gasoline Leaf Blowers and other actions by Municipalities and Universities

• Maplewood, NJ, bans leaf blowers in summer
• Harvard University stops using gas powered equipment
• Blower bans in Rye, Aspen, Carmel, Beverly Hills, and Los Angeles
• California State LA goes to lithium battery equipment
• Sonoma CALM has silenced leaf blowers in Sonoma, CA    The results are well received
• Westchester County, NY: “Love Em and Leave Them” mulching program for cities
• Southampton, NY stops using gas-powered equipment

Activist Organizations Addressing Leaf Blower Noise

• Quiet Communities. A nationwide organization connecting many groups on the community noise issue  Jamie L Banks, PhD, MS, Executive Director Brochure
• Quiet Lincoln (MA)
• Sonoma CALM, CA
• Green Zone Cities
• The Quiet Coalition addresses wide aspects of noise from a professional standpoint

Pollution caused by Leaf Blowers

• The State of California has concluded that pollution from garden equipment will exceed that from cars (even in California!) and is considering pollution regulations.
• Leaf Blowers emit 30 to 100 times the pollutants as cars and trucks (Chart from Edmunds Inside Line)      Full Article

Noise Levels, Disturbance, Health Effects

• The Devil’s Hair Dryer: Hell is Other People, with Leaf Blowers
• A California Air Resources Board technical study
• Two-Stroke Engines in Landscape Maintenance: A Growing Public Health Problem
• What is a safe noise level?
• Impacts of leaf blower noise (Greenwich, CT) and Leaf Blower Facts (Sacramento, CA)

Actions by Homeowners and Landscapers

• Benefits to landscapers and Sample Letter to Customers
• Advice for Landscapers from a Westchester, NY town
• Equipment to use for mulching-in-place
• Another community approaches neighbors directly

Princeton, NJ Organizations with Related Interests

• Princeton Environmental Commission
• Princeton Board of Health
• Sustainable Princeton
• Princeton University Office of Sustainability