Live data from Hacker News

Leaf blowers are a scourge. Why is it hard to get rid of them?

thehustle.co

51–60 of 150 posts

Re: Leaf blowers are a scourge. Why is it hard to get rid of them?

#51
post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Not really, but suburban life should stop being indirectly subsidized.

Re: Leaf blowers are a scourge. Why is it hard to get rid of them?

#53
post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Having a lawn and having a garden are two different things. You can have a house with property without a giant lawn. Your comment is a disingenuous interpretation of the original poster

I do agree that houses with large lawns and zero food crops are just... wasteful. I rent so I am limited to what I could do, otherwise I would just till my lawn and make almost the entire thing into garden beds.

I dislike seeing those houses that have what amount to prairies and on that grass you see just a few horses or whatever. Such a waste of arable land.

Re: Leaf blowers are a scourge. Why is it hard to get rid of them?

#54
post #13

It’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?

I’ve always taken grass as a granted for landscaping in climates that support it. Didn’t know there was so much hate for grass until this thread.

I think grass is utilitarian. It’s carpet for outside. The kids can play on it, you can bbq on it, have a picnic, etc.

As for why you’d want to keep it short? Bugs, utility, etc. The taller you let it grow, the less usable the space is and the more critters move in (critters that bite in the Midwest)

As for why you wouldn’t let stuff rot on top of your outdoor carpet over the winter, vs process it through a compost pile and spread it as fertilizer in the spring…

Re: Leaf blowers are a scourge. Why is it hard to get rid of them?

#55
post #13

It’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?

Aesthetics. You want sunlight for a variety of reasons, so you cannot grow trees, passability, so not thick bushes, and you don't want it looking like crap. A lawn is am easy default. Pass any zombie home with unmaintained lawn for even a month in the height of the summer and it's obvious why continual manicure is needed. It's not a happy equilibrium, but it is a stable one.

Re: Leaf blowers are a scourge. Why is it hard to get rid of them?

#56
post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/anthropology-in-practic... says "Lawns are the most grown crop in the U.S." - would be interesting to see more detailed data on that.

Re: Leaf blowers are a scourge. Why is it hard to get rid of them?

#57
post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you have small kids that like to play outside, you would likely have grass, not trees or something else that is more wild.

Ridiculous, kids love trees. But also, rats and therefore snakes love leaves, as does fire. If you live in the woods the kids will love it, but you still have to keep leaves away from the perimeter of the house.

You would let a small child just run around in the forest? OP said small. Where I live the woods have bears and mountain cats. A teenager may be able to navigate those dangers successfully but a small child, toddler age, would not do so alone.

Re: Leaf blowers are a scourge. Why is it hard to get rid of them?

#58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Lawns use ridiculous amounts of water for zero agricultural productivity.

This has some merit in the mountain west, but back east nobody waters their lawn, it just comes from the sky for free. (I know some people have sprinklers, but having grown up in Chicago, I can tell you that they're not strictly necessary.)

Chicago lawn here. As a point of principle I don't water the lawn. It sometimes goes dormant for a bit in the summer - I don't mind the yellow look since the park is yellow and it feels like it fits the general hot, dry spell - but springs back to lush and green once the rains come again.

Re: Leaf blowers are a scourge. Why is it hard to get rid of them?

#59
post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

That’s a cynical interpretation. I have about 4000 sqft of garden with only about 25sqft with grass. Trees, plants, flowering plants, succulents - all of them infinitely more beautiful and low maintenance than a lawn.

Re: Leaf blowers are a scourge. Why is it hard to get rid of them?

#60
post #13

It’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?

I'm a never-HOAer, but I do like my own lawn for the aesthetics and utility for the kids, dog, for having friends over, and frankly, for the distraction and sense of accomplishment that growing a beautiful and lush, dark green carpet of grass provides.

We grow a small family vegetable garden as well, which is probably substantially less practical than buying the equivalent amount of produce at the best and most expensive organic farmers' market you could imagine.

Post reply on HN