USERS OFFERED QUIETER BLOWERS MACHINES A WAY TO BYPASS NOISE.Byline: Susan Abram Staff Writer LA CRESCENTA - In an effort to rid residential neighborhoods of air and noise pollution, air quality officials Tuesday launched the first in a series of leaf blower A leaf blower is gardening tool that propels air out of a nozzle to move yard debris such as leaves. Leaf blowers are usually powered by two-stroke engine or an electric motor, but four-stroke engines were recently introduced to partially address air pollution concerns. exchanges for landscapers, gardeners and other yard work enthusiasts. About 300 people paid $200 each to ditch their outdated, ear-splitting, cough-inducing machines for quieter, low-polluting brands that retail for $460. The event, sponsored by the South Coast Air Quality Management District The South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD), formed in 1976, is the air pollution agency responsible mainly for regulating stationary sources of air pollution for most of Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside County, and all of Orange county. , took place at Toro's Lawnmower, Garden and Chain Saw Center off Foothill Boulevard The following streets are named Foothill Boulevard:
``A lot of professional landscapers and gardeners know they get a lot of flak about blowers,'' said Laura Toro Toro may refer to:
Dan Andrus was among those who made the switch. ``It's quieter,'' said the landscaper, one of the last customers of the day. ``You're not going to have the ear problems in 20 years.'' Andrus, who runs All American Landscape in La Crescenta, said shelling out an extra $200 for the tool was a good compromise to meet various regulations on leaf blowers still imposed in some cities across the state. ``I think the biggest danger (of a ban) is landscapers are going to go back to hoses and waste precious water,'' he said. The AQMD's goal is to retire 1,500 blowers and cut 14 tons of pollution. A typical backpack-style blower can blower can in the meat trade a term meaning a can of preserved food which has undergone sufficient bacterial contamination to distend the can. pollute pol·lute v. 1. To make unfit for or harmful to living things, especially by the addition of waste matter; contaminate. 2. To make less suitable for an activity, especially by the introduction of unwanted factors. the air as much as 80 new cars driven during that same year, experts say. Five more exchanges will be held throughout Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, in the next few days. Garden equipment generates about 6 percent of the region's smog-forming pollutants, compared to the 76 percent created by vehicles, including cars, trucks, trains and planes, AQMD AQMD Air Quality Management District AQMD Action Quake Map Depot officials have said. In recent years, state regulators have cut pollution from lawn mowers and chain saws as well. Barbara Alvarez, owner of Golden State Landscape Inc. in Valinda, said she purchased a half-dozen blowers seven months ago, and already her crew of 10 has given them a thumbs-up. Alvarez has worked to get statewide legislation that would make it illegal for cities to ban blowers, an essential tool for gardeners, she said. ``It is an excellent blower,'' she said. ``I haven't had one complaint from any customer. I myself can stand next to it and have a conversation.'' Staff Writer Kerry Cavanaugh contributed to this story. Susan Abram, (818) 713-3664 susan.abram(at)dailynews.com |
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