How to organize your community to ban gas-powered leaf blowers:
Gas-powered leaf-blowers (GLBs) are noisy and polluting tools. There are better alternatives such as electric leaf blowers. Here are some ways our local Portland group, Quiet Clean PDX has gone about trying to encourage people and companies to switch away from using GLBs so we can have a quieter and less polluted urban environment. Feel free to use any of these methods where you live.
- Use Nextdoor.com to effect change in your local area
- Get a newsletter going so you can reach those interested in your efforts – send regularly
- Build an awesome website with a group interested in this issue – please sign up here for our newsletter
- This can also be a place to house links to online petitions
- Create a survey for local landscapers who don’t use gas-powered leaf blowers to list their services
- Create door hangers and postcards that neighbors can use to encourage their neighbors to change what they’re doing
- Create a fun cartoon explaining the issue
- Create legislation that can be passed at various levels of government – use all of the above to get the word out as you do this.
- Periodically, invite all newsletter subscribers and anyone else you can reach out to via social media (we have a somewhat active FB group – to meet together on Zoom to discuss how things are going and ideas for action.
- To be tried: Yard Sign Campaign!
- Get articles in local media – podcasts, videos – all are good!
- Gather organizational supporters like environmental groups and neighborhood associations.
- Connect with other groups around the country who are involved in similar work. There are also some great Facebook groups that can provide connections to people close to you that you can organize with.