Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village constantly use leaf blowing, despite their promotion at being a sustainable community, reducing greenhouse emissions and LEED certification. (That certification costs money, and the building complex is not inspected again.) Leaf blowing is a heath hazard. We are told that even after the leaves have been blow way, the blowers "put into the air little fragments of leaves, and other dust which could be irritating, and could aggravate asthma with exposure. Additionally, there are the exhaust fumes from gas-powered blowers." Here, in this complex which encourages dogs, there is the certainly that particles of dog refuse can be traveling in the air with these blowers. Yummy!
I have seen, and personally was "blown" by such leaf blowers, who use their blowers in the morning, when people are going to work (and later, too). Typically people off to work try to avoid the blowers, but this avoidance is every brief. Residents frequently pass through the kicked-up air on their way to work, shop, or, if they are younger, school. Stuyvesant is too small for the amount of people in the complex to allow this. And we are not even mentioning Covid or other viruses that may be put into the air briefly.
The reason Stuyvesant Town uses leaf blowing is that it gets the job done quickly. That's it. Before, rakes were used, but that takes time and taking time costs Blackstone money. But the rules may be changing, legally. There is a state bill up that may prohibit leaf blowers. Of course, our City Council (which got a pay raise of over 33%) should adopt this resolution, too, and sooner rather than later (or never). Perhaps, our councilman, Keith Powers, can introduce this legislation and work toward its implementation?
Stuyvesant Town is doing residents a harm with these leaf blowers. Management and Blackstone should know it. But, even if they don't, they are warned now. Next is a lawsuit if nothing changes.
Further reading: https://bigfrog104.com/grab-the-rake-gas-powered-leaf-blowers-being-banned-in-parts-of-new-york-state/
