Somebody has to advocate for the natural world, I’ve always believed, since it doesn’t have a voice of its own. The environment can’t vote, attend meetings, write letters, or hire a lawyer to intimidate local regulatory boards.

Now, however, Mother Nature has found her voice. She is screaming for help with every hurricane, wildfire, drought and heat wave. Her message is clear: you are killing me.

Indeed we are, as we continue to emit greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere. We conveniently forget that we can’t survive without a functioning natural world.

As the earth heats up, the land, water, air, and every living thing is stressed. When we tamper with nature, we generally make things worse.

Take gas leaf blowers, for instance.

In 2020, according to the Environment American Research and Policy Center, fossil fuel powered lawn equipment emitted more than 30 million tons of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide.

Gas blowers pollute the air we need to stay alive. The toxins they emit cause respiratory diseases and have been linked to lymphoma, leukemia and other cancers. This is a concern for all of us, and especially for the machine operators.

The noise pollution is more than wildly annoying; it raises our stress levels and can contribute to hearing loss.

Imagine what leaf blowers do to all the birds, insects, and other wildlife that live and forage in our yards, innocently playing their role in the circle of life. The poor things get blown away, along with their food and the topsoil that protects plants and underground life.

One leaf blower in one yard may not seem like a big deal. It’s the cumulative impact that matters.

In 2021, all the Island towns supported a resolution to reduce the Island’s reliance on fossil fuels. Supporting the leaf blower regulations at Town Meeting is an important step toward achieving this goal.

Your ears will thank you and Mother Nature will, too.

Liz Durkee, MVC Climate Change Coordinator

Oak Blufffs