Can’t wait for Paradise Valley council to act on leaf blowers
OPINION — Following the town council’s Oct. 22 study session on leaf blowers, one thing is clear: residents shouldn’t count on the council to lead any effort to reduce leaf blower noise and emissions. This is despite the council’s acknowledgment that leaf blower complaints are perennial — and have been among the most persistent concerns residents have raised over the years.
But we don’t have to wait for the council to act.
Paradise Valley resorts have already switched from gas-powered to quieter battery-powered leaf blowers because they don’t want to disturb their guests. With no commercial businesses to speak of in town, that leaves our own yards as the major source of the noise that disrupts our neighborhoods. And that means we have the power to make a real difference.
If enough of us ask our landscapers to switch to battery-powered blowers, they will have an incentive to do so. Better yet, we can ask them to rake whenever practical and reserve blowers for when they’re truly needed, like after major storms. My husband and I have already adopted this approach. Our landscaper has even told us that, in many circumstances, raking is easier than blowing.
Imagine the difference we could make if more of us took this simple step. I plan to rally my neighbors within leaf blower earshot to see what we can accomplish together. I urge other residents to do the same. We shouldn’t have to accept incessant leaf blower noise as the price of living in Paradise Valley when alternatives are available.
And when the next council election comes around, let’s ask candidates where they stand on leaf blowers. If this is one of our community’s most persistent complaints, it deserves more than another study session. It deserves action.
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