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Say goodbye to those noisy, ear-piercing gas-powered leaf blowers that independent gardeners currently use throughout South Pasadena neighborhoods.
Not too far into the future through legislative action, both locally and at the state level, they will be just a memory.
South Pasadena’s City Council has taken efforts to eliminate gas-powered leaf blowers starting October 1, 2022 while through a new law, AB 1346, a ban on their sale, along with other tools, will take hold in 2024.
On board with both bans is South Pasadena Mayor Pro Tem Michael Cacciotti, a longtime proponent of battery-powered equipment to replace the high polluting models. He’s all for a quieter and cleaner environment as workers around town get their lawn maintenance jobs done.
“Using small, gas-powered equipment like leaf blowers and generators is much worse for air quality than driving a car from here to Denver,” said Cacciotti, who also serves as a board member for the South Coast Air Quality Management District. “Our ordinance and the new law,” he continued, “takes aim at the small off-road engines (SOREs) that can be found in residential and commercial lawn and garden equipment.”
Cacciotti will join other City Council members, city staff, State Senator Anthony Portantino for a “No Gas South Pas” celebration of the ban on gas-powered leaf blowers Saturday, November 6, at Garfield Park in town. Cacciotti and Portantino will be among speakers at the event, slated from 10 a.m. to noon, joining Dan Mabe, the founder of the American Green Zone Alliance (AGZA), who will showcase the latest in battery-operated lawn maintenance equipment. AGZA continues to urge cities across the country to go green, from gas-powered to battery-electric operated equipment.
Mabe proudly points out that South Pasadena is the first AGZA Green Zone city in the United States, earning certification to ensure that all grounds maintenance on municipal properties are serviced with low-noise zero-emission machinery and manual hand tools.
In conjunction with the demonstrations of electric power, and remarks by the elected officials, a family bicycle ride is being planned, getting underway at 11 a.m., starting from the corner of Stratford Avenue and Grevelia Street.
“We hope everyone comes out for this important event in our city,” said Cacciotti. “It’s going to be informative and fun at the same time, to learn about electric-powered alternatives, to hear from our state senator and enjoy a bike ride through our town which offers beautiful tree-lined streets.”
Further, the mayor pro tem stressed that small gas engines are not only bad for the environment, contributing to the climate crisis, they are also a leading cause of asthma and other health issues.
“These gas-powered gas engines are super polluters and it’s time we phase them out and help our commercial gardeners transition to other greener, healthier alternatives,” said Cacciotti, a youth soccer coach, whose team includes three players with asthma. “We need to do our part to make life better for them and all our residents. So, I urge you to come out and join us on November 6th.”
For more information about the “No Gas South Pas” event, call (626) 403-7253. To sign-up for the bike ride go to: SoPasBikeTrain.eventbrite.com
