Perspective
What It Takes to Defeat the Leaf Blowers
To end the use of gas-powered blowers, advocates in one New Jersey town focused on public health and made their case directly to local elected leaders.
Local tensions over gas-powered leaf blowers are a rite of autumn in many US cities.
Photographer: valentina/iStockphoto via Getty Images
In February 2023, a father stood before the mayor and town councilors during public comment at a municipal meeting in Montclair, New Jersey.
“What is the threshold of danger?” he asked into the microphone.