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A group of activists got leaf blowers banned in the nation’s capital (2019)

theatlantic.com

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Re: A group of activists got leaf blowers banned in the nation’s capital (2019)

#11

Post by nkrisc »

_Wintermute wrote: post #5

Living in Europe, most people just leave fallen leaves alone. I've never seen someone use a leaf blower except for dust etc. Is it a uniquely American thing to obsess over tidying up leaves?

Part of it is because of lawns, if you have a lot of trees the leaves can simply smother your lawn.

But even in cities there’s reasons to clean them up. They clog drains, they lump together in the gutter creating blockages that cause large puddles when it rains, they stain the pavement, they decompose on the sidewalk and people track it everywhere in buildings, and more. Maybe you don’t see these as problems that need solving, but people aren’t tidying up leaves just for the fun of it, they have reasons. We’re not simply obsessed with cleaning up leaves.

Re: A group of activists got leaf blowers banned in the nation’s capital (2019)

#12

Post by chrisseaton »

nkrisc wrote: post #11
_Wintermute wrote: post #5

Living in Europe, most people just leave fallen leaves alone. I've never seen someone use a leaf blower except for dust etc. Is it a uniquely American thing to obsess over tidying up leaves?

Part of it is because of lawns, if you have a lot of trees the leaves can simply smother your lawn. But even in cities there’s reasons to clean them up. They clog drains, they lump together in the gutter creating blockages that cause large puddles when it rains, they stain the pavement, they decompose on the sidewalk and people track it everywhere in buildings, and more. Maybe you don’t see these as problems that nee…

> Part of it is because of lawns, if you have a lot of trees the leaves can simply smother your lawn.

Do you think we don't have trees and lawns in Europe?

Re: A group of activists got leaf blowers banned in the nation’s capital (2019)

#14

Post by jamal-kumar »

I hate these things and weed whackers with a passion.

I don't want to hear power tools first thing in the morning, whoever wakes up thinking "I'm going to start up some LOUD shit at 8am" better be playing bob marley records or something.

Re: A group of activists got leaf blowers banned in the nation’s capital (2019)

#15

Post by GRBLDeveloped »

That's interesting about the 2 stroke engine being the issue for pollution.

"In 2014 a study published in Nature Communications found that VOC emissions (a variety of carbon gases that can produce smog and harm human beings) were on average 124 times higher from an idling two-stroke scooter than from a truck or a car"

Though this quote does make me wonder, what about when each vehicle are in transit?

Re: A group of activists got leaf blowers banned in the nation’s capital (2019)

#17

Post by Balero »

_Wintermute wrote: post #5

Living in Europe, most people just leave fallen leaves alone. I've never seen someone use a leaf blower except for dust etc. Is it a uniquely American thing to obsess over tidying up leaves?

In the UK, the local council blows them off of the town centre's paths, but not off the grass.

Re: A group of activists got leaf blowers banned in the nation’s capital (2019)

#18

Post by bjornorn »

Markoff wrote: post #7

Wouldn't be more efficient to just ban ICE cars? I'm sure they create way more pollution than leaf blowers.

Here's a quote from the article:

> In 2017, the California Air Resources Board issued a warning that may seem incredible but has not been seriously challenged: By 2020, gas-powered leaf blowers, lawn mowers, and similar equipment in the state could produce more ozone pollution than all the millions of cars in California combined. Two-stroke engines are that dirty. Cars have become that clean.

Re: A group of activists got leaf blowers banned in the nation’s capital (2019)

#20

Post by fat_cantor »

nkrisc wrote: post #11
_Wintermute wrote: post #5

Living in Europe, most people just leave fallen leaves alone. I've never seen someone use a leaf blower except for dust etc. Is it a uniquely American thing to obsess over tidying up leaves?

Part of it is because of lawns, if you have a lot of trees the leaves can simply smother your lawn. But even in cities there’s reasons to clean them up. They clog drains, they lump together in the gutter creating blockages that cause large puddles when it rains, they stain the pavement, they decompose on the sidewalk and people track it everywhere in buildings, and more. Maybe you don’t see these as problems that nee…

Everywhere in America that I have lived, their primary use case is landscapers blowing leaves and trash from private property into the street, thereby clogging drains.
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