We did it! Portland will eliminate gas leaf blowers!

On March 13, 2024, the Portland City Council unanimously approved Ordinance 191653 phasing out the use of gas-powered leaf blowers citywide over the next four years. By 2028 the devices will be prohibited year-round anywhere in the city. Multnomah County  offered to provide incentives to offset the costs for small landscaping businesses that may be impacted by the change. It will also handle enforcement. Portland is the second largest city in the country to adopt such a complete ban (behind only Washington, D.C.) and is the largest in land area to do so.

A huge thank you to our dedicated supporters in Portland and across the nation whose efforts were pivotal in achieving this milestone. Your ongoing support will be crucial in ensuring the successful implementation of the ordinance. Stay connected for further updates and opportunities to engage through our website and the QCPDX newsletter. 

For a comprehensive look at this ground-breaking ordinance, including testimonies and its historical context, please visit our Legislation page.  

Gas-powered leaf blowers are hazardous to your health!

EXTREME NOISE:  Their exceptionally loud noise disrupts community peace and contributes to hearing loss, hypertension, and stress. The noise has a sizeable low-frequency component that penetrates further and affects more people than other sounds at the same decibel level.

DANGEROUS EMISSIONS:  Their highly polluting engines emit unburned carcinogens, toxins and fine particulates that increase one’s risk of getting cancer, lung disease, heart disease, dementia, and other serious health conditions. 

ENVIRONMENTAL DISRUPTION:  Their smog-forming emissions, toxic waste (from spills and discarded equipment), and hurricane-force winds damage soils, destroy ecosystems, and contribute to the climate crisis, directly and indirectly impacting human health.

Please join us in eliminating gas-powered leaf blowers and making our neighborhoods quieter and healthier!  Find out more below. 

 

 

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The Aggressive Ways of the Casual Leaf Blower

“Clean up,” they say, filling the air

with dirt and exhaust. As if

you can more quickly rake in cash

by blowing it into the street.

With all the force — and foresight —

of a tornado. Such logic

flies in everyone’s face, yet passes

for rational self-interest. How

so many ignore it, I don’t know.

It screams out to be heard

from blocks away, even with

the windows closed. And the stereo on.

Verse thanks to Jennifer Martenson