Electric leaf blowers are much quieter and don’t stink.
Like the Whisper Aero: https://techcrunch.com/2023/10/18/whisper-aero-unveils-ultra...
Leaf blowers are a scourge. Why is it hard to get rid of them?
21–30 of 150 posts
Re: Leaf blowers are a scourge. Why is it hard to get rid of them?
#22Right at the very bottom the article suggests the correct way to deal with fallen leaves: leave them alone. They decompose and provide nutrients to the grass.
I really don't understand moving leaves unless it's walkways and driveways. Fallen leaves are the ways trees work and have always worked.
Re: Leaf blowers are a scourge. Why is it hard to get rid of them?
#23It’s just a symptom of the larger problem of manicured lawns being the number one “managed crop” in America. Eliminating home lawn is probably one of the singular things that would significantly slow down our destruction of the planet I’m sure someone will post some reason why their lawn is different somehow [1] https://www.huffpost.com/entry/lawn-largest-crop-america_n_5... [2] https://amp.theguardian.com/commentisf…
Even without lawns people will use leaf blowers to blow leaves, off their driveways or xeriscapes or whatever. So we should ban gas powered leaf blowers regardless.
I think he means that everybody should be made to live in apartments or condos, without any sort of garden, patios, etc. Dense urban living for everybody.
Re: Leaf blowers are a scourge. Why is it hard to get rid of them?
#24It’s just a symptom of the larger problem of manicured lawns being the number one “managed crop” in America. Eliminating home lawn is probably one of the singular things that would significantly slow down our destruction of the planet I’m sure someone will post some reason why their lawn is different somehow [1] https://www.huffpost.com/entry/lawn-largest-crop-america_n_5... [2] https://amp.theguardian.com/commentisf…
Why people would put so much effort into growing useless grass is astonishing to me. You can grow anything there and you choose grass? Why? I assume it has to do with an HOA? Or aesthetics? Or it’s easier?
If you have small kids that like to play outside, you would likely have grass, not trees or something else that is more wild.
Re: Leaf blowers are a scourge. Why is it hard to get rid of them?
#25Earlier quoted context omitted.
Pretty sure driving 1-2 ton cars every day and flying planes do a way better job of destroying the planet than mowing the lawn with a small four-cycle motor once a week.
Lawns use ridiculous amounts of water for zero agricultural productivity.
No, they don’t. The vast majority of water is used for agricultural and industrial purposes.
Even if you completely eliminated lawns, you wouldn’t make a meaningful dent in water consumption.
Re: Leaf blowers are a scourge. Why is it hard to get rid of them?
#26"California Air Resources Board says a gas-powered backpack leaf blower produces the same amount of harmful emissions in an hour as driving a car for 1.1k miles."
The article mentions two stroke backpack blowers are 75% of the market, with landscape company owned tow behind four-strokes making up the rest.
Re: Leaf blowers are a scourge. Why is it hard to get rid of them?
#27It’s just a symptom of the larger problem of manicured lawns being the number one “managed crop” in America. Eliminating home lawn is probably one of the singular things that would significantly slow down our destruction of the planet I’m sure someone will post some reason why their lawn is different somehow [1] https://www.huffpost.com/entry/lawn-largest-crop-america_n_5... [2] https://amp.theguardian.com/commentisf…
Why people would put so much effort into growing useless grass is astonishing to me. You can grow anything there and you choose grass? Why? I assume it has to do with an HOA? Or aesthetics? Or it’s easier?
Sheep, cows and goats were the original reason
Re: Leaf blowers are a scourge. Why is it hard to get rid of them?
#28It’s just a symptom of the larger problem of manicured lawns being the number one “managed crop” in America. Eliminating home lawn is probably one of the singular things that would significantly slow down our destruction of the planet I’m sure someone will post some reason why their lawn is different somehow [1] https://www.huffpost.com/entry/lawn-largest-crop-america_n_5... [2] https://amp.theguardian.com/commentisf…
Why people would put so much effort into growing useless grass is astonishing to me. You can grow anything there and you choose grass? Why? I assume it has to do with an HOA? Or aesthetics? Or it’s easier?
It’s important for me to have grass to keep the dogs away from the ticks. Since I like the grass, I put about 2-3 days a year into maintaining it and making it as nice as I think is necessary. And mow 40mins a week. But growing grass can be just as rewarding as growing anything else.
Re: Leaf blowers are a scourge. Why is it hard to get rid of them?
#29It’s just a symptom of the larger problem of manicured lawns being the number one “managed crop” in America. Eliminating home lawn is probably one of the singular things that would significantly slow down our destruction of the planet I’m sure someone will post some reason why their lawn is different somehow [1] https://www.huffpost.com/entry/lawn-largest-crop-america_n_5... [2] https://amp.theguardian.com/commentisf…
> Eliminating home lawn is probably one of the singular things that would significantly slow down our destruction of the planet
This is a city opinion that not many people in suburbia would agree with.
It's also motivated by West coast water shortages, something that those on the East coast can't relate to as easily.
It's a lot like the /r/fuckcars argument. It's a great idea inside a single population of like-minded users, but there's an unspoken silent majority whose lifestyle and entire world doesn't work in the same way.
Re: Leaf blowers are a scourge. Why is it hard to get rid of them?
#30Right at the very bottom the article suggests the correct way to deal with fallen leaves: leave them alone. They decompose and provide nutrients to the grass.
This right here. But then HOAs gotta have lawns which also take mowing most of the times by leisurely ridden gas mowers. The leaves on the lawn obstruct water and sunlight from getting to the roots of the lawn and makes the lawn look not green. So now you have to blow the leaves so you can mow the lawn or just mow the lawn to crush out the leaves. Either way there's double whammy of gas and noise ruining your weekends.
The one thing that helped somewhat is replacing windows on my house - new windows seem a lot better at noise reduction. I am also seriously considering synthetic grass and getting rid of the stupid Oak trees on my lawn - I don't think those leaves decompose soon enough!