Major gardening ban in push for cleaner neighborhoods but favorite tool won't go quietly

In a latest push for clean air and quieter neighborhoods, Philadelphia City Concilmember Curits Jones Jr. introduced a new bill called "Noise and Excessive Vibration" to ban the use of gas-powered leaf blowers within city limits.

Philadelphia will join Washington, D.C., and Arlington, Massachusetts, in this leap towards building a clean, sustainable future. 

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that this is a welcome move for residents, landscaping pros, and clean energy advocates.

• Meghan Markle 'blacklisted' by Vogue in bitter fallout over 'Beyonce demands'
• FOX urged to make Danica Patrick change her outfit at Indy 500

Councilmember Jamie Gauthier, the chair of the environment committee, has also supported the bill.

However, the bill is not just about noise.

"Preparing our city to withstand global warming is perhaps the most important task we have right now," Gauthier said at a press conference, the Inquirer reported.

A PennEnvironment study revealed that gas-powered lawn tools contributed to the problem in Philadelphia, emitting over 50,000 tons of air pollutants in 2020. This emission is more than the carbon pollution of 400,000 cars.

These factors have contributed to the increase in temperatures and health issues like asthma, mainly in communities that already report high levels of respiratory problems.

Instead of using gas-powered lawn equipment, battery-powered tools are a better alternative.

Outside the Philadelphia City Hall, companies like Stihl and Milwaukee Tool demonstrated how much cleaner and quieter the new tech would be at only 60 decibels. This is similar to a conversation in an office compared to the traditional, nearly 80-decibel gas blowers.

These electric lawn equipment do not release toxic fumes or burn oil, thus being a cleaner alternative.

Using this electric equipment will help reduce pollution, lower noise levels, and push the city towards a more sustainable future.

However, this equipment requires more upfront investment and multiple battery packs to continue operating for a whole day without interruptions.

However, Andrew Rossi at the Milwaukee Tool told the Inquirer that the newer models will last longer and charge faster. Thus, companies would save money in the long run due to low fuel and maintenance costs.

"It's a beautiful thing. It's extremely efficient to be able to just pick up a piece of equipment, press the trigger or the power button, and go," said Gerhart Arndt, the founder of a landscaping service in Lafayette Hill, the Inquirer reported.