As summer continues in the Washington region, people are anxious to get outside and enjoy the multiple parks, from pocket parks to national parks, with which our region is blessed. People want to enjoy the calming effect that being in nature has been shown to have on our physical and mental health; they want to enjoy birdsongs, if not the annoying buzz of mosquitoes. What they do not want is to hear the penetrating noise of gas-powered leaf blowers.
Thanks to the efforts of volunteers with several “quiet clean” groups around the Washington region, the District of Columbia has banned gas blowers since January 1, 2022. Montgomery County’s ban took effect July 1, blocking gas-powered leaf blowers throughout Maryland’s most populous county.
A last-minute effort to give professional landscapers still more time to comply failed to persuade the county council to weaken the ban. Virginia is following the trend, too. Within 18 months, residents of and visitors to the City of Alexandria will be freed from the gas blower scourge when Alexandria’s landmark ban goes into effect on November 17, 2026…