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

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

#141

Post by mcpackieh »

voisin wrote: post #140
mcpackieh wrote: post #139

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Lawnmowers also kill people outright, about 90 people a year which is way more than bears: https://www.newsweek.com/lawnmowers-kill-more-people-bears-s... I actually went to school with a kid who was run over by a lawn mower. He survived but it chewed up the side of his leg and left him with a limp. I think he was lucky he could still walk at all.

What an amazingly useful article for this discussion! Sometimes the internet still manages to surprise me.

Yeah, I searched "lawn mower deaths" on DDG and that was the first result. I had to do a double take, uncanny relevance.

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

#142

Post by 1letterunixname »

The problem isn't leaf blowers per se. The problem is noisy, polluting, and sometimes exhaust-modified 2-stroke leaf blowers.

Palo Alto banned them. There were a few who switched to electric with a gas generator on wheels, but otherwise it solved the problem of noise pollution.

In urban and suburban areas, it's essential to remove leaves from surfaces used by people and vehicles. There isn't an absolute need to remove them from anywhere else.

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

#143

Post by 1letterunixname »

pbj1968 wrote: post #2

The official soundtrack of Houston, TX. The noise is so ubiquitous it is almost noteworthy when you can’t hear it. Paradoxically, the better the neighborhood, the worse the noise.

It's the same wasteful, inane absurdity of Irvine, CA over-manicured emerald lawns. My late grandparents were adherents of Orientalism landscaping and interior decorating and on this train of 19th century French aristocracy subsumed by Americana.

Visit somewhere like the quieter residential neighborhoods in Palo Alto where native plants and the natural look is less effort, cheaper, more efficient, and less noisy.

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

#144

Post by 1letterunixname »

smolder wrote: post #36
pbj1968 wrote: post #2

The official soundtrack of Houston, TX. The noise is so ubiquitous it is almost noteworthy when you can’t hear it. Paradoxically, the better the neighborhood, the worse the noise.

Maybe it's worth rethinking what a "better neighborhood" is to exclude their use. Do appraisers put extra value in manicured lawns having pesticides in them and the leaves blown off? When someone says you can't have X on your property or you need Y there to maximize the value of a property, that's all the excuse people need to act like assholes sometimes, imposing stupid HOA rules or, in this case maybe, polluting &…

There actual is a way to define "better neighborhood" (property value or desirability) with data independent of human occupancy and qualitative appearance: count of large trees.

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

#145

Post by xboxnolifes »

r3trohack3r wrote: post #54
reidjs wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 (critter…

I don't hate grass, I actually quite like it. But I think a lot of people put way too much effort into lawn care, complain about the effort, and then stand on it maybe 3-4 times a year. At least those in my family do. Then they act surprised when I mention that I don't think I'd bother going though the effort to maintain a lawn. I'm not really interested in adding mowing a lawn every week or two to my chore list.

So, I guess I hate the expectation of a lawn more than the lawn itself.

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

#146

Post by votepaunchy »

offtrail wrote: post #108
jetpks wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

i tried this with the 50 foot sycamore in my back yard and the leaves didn't decompose at all. they fell and froze. then in the spring when things thawed out, they formed a thick wet mat that suffocated and killed everything underneath.

Your lawn doesn't have a healthy fungal community. Probably because of lack of diversity in you lawn from years and years of pesticides, fungicides, and fertilizer use.

One can walk in an Eastern deciduous forest and see that the leaves never fully decompose, despite the lack of pesticides, fungicides, and fertilizer.

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

#147

Post by Gigachad »

xboxnolifes wrote: post #145
r3trohack3r wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 (critter…

I don't hate grass, I actually quite like it. But I think a lot of people put way too much effort into lawn care, complain about the effort, and then stand on it maybe 3-4 times a year. At least those in my family do. Then they act surprised when I mention that I don't think I'd bother going though the effort to maintain a lawn. I'm not really interested in adding mowing a lawn every week or two to my chore list. So,…

The utility isn't even that good. Standing/sitting on lawn isn't that nice. It's always got a humid feel to it and will stain your clothes. Much nicer to just have pavers and shade.

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

#148

Post by h0ek »

In Poland, the town where I live, the problem is even funnier. They use these blowers to push the leaves from the pavements and streets onto the lawns every day at 8 a.m. and nobody collects the leaves. When the guy finishes his work, the wind blows the leaves back onto the pavements and streets. When we reported this to the council, no one saw a problem and the cleaner was happy because he had work every day. The leaves are only collected once before winter, when there are no leaves on the trees.

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

#149

Post by taylodl »

voisin wrote: post #136
nyjah wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

> But growing grass can be just as rewarding as growing anything else. Well, you can’t eat it. So doesn’t that immediately knock it down some pegs from growing many other, edible things? It’s also not great for pollinators and other important participants of the food chain, so perhaps that reduces its mental rewards?

If you can eat it, then so can a lot of other critters. The rabbits, possums, and squirrels quickly figure out you're the Grub Hub of the neighborhood. The crows will join in, too. There's nothing inherently wrong with that, but if you think you're growing food for you to eat then boy are you in for a surprise!

Also, most lawns I've seen will inevitably have clover, unless you're overly aggressive with your herbicides, which most people aren't. The pollinators are supported, not that that really helps anything since they're not commercial pollinators.

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

#150

Post by AndrewKemendo »

panarky wrote: post #131
namaria wrote: post #130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Close to 5% total water usage being just to keep the vanity ground colorful seems like a huge waste.

Many things are wasteful. An equivalent amount to grow almonds for export also seems wasteful. Do either of these wasteful uses of water constitute an existential risk to the planet?

Yes both contribute to the depletion of the freshwater resources available.

This is a well documented problem

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