The village of Glenview is joining a study that will examine whether to place restrictions on the use of gas-powered leaf blowers within the north suburb.
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Glenview trustees on Aug. 4 approved a resolution to join a gas leaf blower restriction feasibility study at a cost of $15,550. The study is being undertaken by several municipalities that were part of the 11-member Regional Leaf Blower Working Group, formed in 2021.
These communities include Glencoe, Highland Park, Lake Bluff, Northbrook, Wilmette and Winnetka.
Each municipality has already enacted restrictions on the use of gas leaf blowers. The current feasibility study, according to Glenview village officials, will examine “further restrictions on gas leaf blowers from a private landscaping business perspective.”
In Northbrook, for example, gas-powered leaf blowers are banned from December through March and May through September, according to the village. A similar ban exists in Wilmette, but with the equipment prohibited during all months with the exception of April and October.
In Evanston, gas and propane leaf blowers have been completely prohibited since 2023.
Glenview currently does not have restrictions on the use of gas leaf blowers, though it is a member of the Regional Leaf Blower Working Group. That group initially examined regulations for leaf blowers in 2022.
“These leaf blowers are a menace,” Glenview resident Andrew Edwards told the Village Board on Aug. 4. “I just want the air to be healthy for my kid.”
The motion approving an intergovernmental agreement and cost-sharing for the study occurred as part of the Glenview Village Board’s consent agenda and did not involve discussion.
The action took place just over a year after Greener Glenview, a local environmental action group, presented a petition to the Village Board calling for restrictions on gas-powered leaf blowers.
On Aug. 4, Mary Munday, co-founder of Greener Glenview, thanked the board for agreeing to work with neighboring communities that have already taken steps to restrict the use of gas leaf blowers.
“Hundreds of residents of Glenview, members of Greener Glenview and non-members alike are encouraged that relief from the harms and nuisance of this equipment is coming,” Munday told the board.
Resident Mike Bator called for a “ban” on gas leaf blower operation, noting that the operators of the machines are most at risk due to their close proximity to them.
“The benefit of banning gas leaf blowers is clear: Improved air quality, reduced sound pollution and a more sustainable ecosystem,” he said.
In recent years, concerns have been growing about the environmental and health impacts caused by gas-powered leaf blowers, particularly noise levels and exposure to airborne particles and other pollutants, including carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and benzene.
The American Lung Association has voiced its support for “measures to reduce the air pollution impacts of combustion-based, fossil fuel-powered lawn mowers, leaf blowers and other small equipment, which contribute a significant share of the air pollution burden in parts of the U.S.”
This year, Glenview adopted a Sustainability Plan aimed at establishing sustainable priorities and putting the village on the path to “a more resilient, efficient and environmentally responsible future.”
One of the goals contained in the plan is to consider implementation of the feasibility study’s recommendations for more gas-powered leaf blower restrictions.
Village President Michael Jenny said the village will take feedback it has received from residents and incorporate that into any recommendations that are made.
“I’m sure we’re on a course to make some changes,” he said.