We’ve written sample letters that you can send to your landscape maintenance company or HOA to request that they move away from gas-powered leaf blowers or other gas tools in servicing your property.
Letter to your landscape maintenance company (English) (Spanish)
Letter to your HOA (coming soon)
Please customize it by putting in the name of the company owner, putting a check mark next to the type of change you are requesting, and adding or removing anything else you like.
For instance, do you want them to stop using gas-powered leaf blowers, or all leaf blowers?
If you want them not to use any leaf blower, gas or electric, you might ask them to clear leaves from hard surfaces only and leave them on the soil, so that the job doesn’t take longer. It’s a good time to talk with them about what you actually want them to clear on your property, as removing all the fallen organic matter takes more time and deprives your soil of nutrients.
If you still want them to remove all the leaves, from all surfaces, and to use only manual tools, it could take longer, so you might reasonably expect them to charge more. If you’re only asking them to switch to electric (battery) tools, this will actually save them money over time as they will not have to pay for gas and oil; however, changing tools and buying extra batteries does require an up-front purchase and not all companies have the money on hand to make that transition. In such cases, some customers have offered their landscape company a contribution to help them acquire that new equipment, or accepted a slightly higher rate for a time. MBARD may offer an incentive program at some point to help people and companies transition to electric, but does not at this time.
What you want is up to you, but these are some of the things to think about. And remember that retooling can take some time, so be flexible yet clear in expectations and timelines. The main point is to communicate with your landscape company and find an arrangement that works for everyone. If your landscaping company tells you they can’t make the switch, or tells you it will cost you much more going forward, get some quotes from some other companies that do offer electric or no-blow options. We have a small list of clean-air landscapers here and are working on expanding it.