Anne Dumontier didn’t know there was a ban on gas leaf blowers in Los Altos until her gardener shared a letter with her that he received from Karan Malhi, Los Altos Code Enforcement Officer. According to the letter, he had to stop using a gas leaf blower while gardening in Los Altos. Dumontier’s first thought was “the homeowner should take charge” of this situation and support her gardener of 15 years. First, she asked him to give her a list of names and addresses of his Los Altos customers. Then she “blew" into action. She started by researching electric leaf blowers then sending a letter to his customers to ask for their
participation in purchasing a backpack blower with a powerful battery and charger so that their gardener could use it through several houses a day. Three of the customers were happy to contribute and Dumontier could buy the blower. As expected, the gardener needed a second battery. So she sent another letter to more of his customers and received an even more positive response. A total of seven residents contributed $109 each for the blower package with one extra battery. And it seems this was a proverbial win/win. Dumontier's gardener likes the electric better than the gas blower because it's lightweight, quieter, cheaper to use, batteries are cleaner than a gas tank, plus it is much better for the environment.... Have you looked into helping your gardener replace their gas leaf blower with an electric one? We’d love to hear more stories, email us yours here.