Leaf blowers are noisy nuisance

The fall season is upon us and soon all of Northbrook will be able to appreciate the beautiful colors of changing leaves. Unfortunately with all the fall beauty comes a very real beast: increased air pollution through the use of gas-powered leaf blowers.

Leaf blowers are a major source of noise pollution year-round but are particularly bad during the fall. They cause unsafe, disturbing levels of noise even when we are inside our homes, and they spew pollutants that poison our air and harm the natural world.

You can make a positive difference with two easy steps:

Let your Northbrook village trustees know that you want to restrict gas-powered leaf blowers by visiting www.gogreennorthbrook.org.

Leave your leaves on the ground over winter. Leaves on lawns can be mulched with a lawn mower to provide nutrients to the lawn or raked into flower beds to provide habitats for beneficial insects. Your garden will thank you in the spring.

Catherine Caporusso

Northbrook