We’ve been around long enough to remember the icy stare of elected officials unmoved by our requests for reconsideration of then-unrestricted use of Satan’s Whistle – aka, A Leaf Blower – in our neighborhoods.
We remember committed noisemakers and spewers chortling openly when we were told we could solve our issue by moving, or spending several thousand dollars on triple pane windows.
Harumph. Unfortunately, long-time readers (of which there are apparently many) may remember our whiny, pitiful exhortations to eschew usage of Die Maschine des Teufels in favor of something less offensively windy – like a rake.
Sadly, many Americans do not share our sensibilities (a fact we bemoan constantly, believe us, as we could save you all so much trouble!) and all our chubby little fist-pounding was for naught as unrestricted use of the shrieking Hell-Fluffer continued unabated until we caved like a circus tent, accepted our fate – and moved.
Now, however, we can’t help but notice that our way of thinking is currently being touted as the latest approach to ecological salvation, with a certain unnamed city named Lafayette even going so far as to offer unAmurican, underpowered electronic versions of the Pollution Puffin for use by interested members of the citizenry on a trial basis.
Zounds! Eureka! And Excelsior… and lots of other latin phrases thrown in as we relish the moment city councils and administrators agree with what we’ve been advising for more than a decade now:
“Electric leaf blowers offer a cleaner, quieter, and less destructive option compared to gas-powered leaf blowers, which emit high levels of toxic pollution, as well as noise pollution. Ironically, gas-powered leaf blowers can be harmful for the long-term health of a garden in that they are destructive to the topsoil, which is an important component for healthy soil and plants. For these reasons and more, gas leaf blowers will no longer be sold in California as of January 1, 2024. If you are a Lafayette resident (over age 18) and would like to sign up to borrow an electric leaf blower, visit www.lovelafayette.org/leaf-blower-lending.
So, time for a semi-rural “Hell Yeah!” and let’s hope our thinking and these dadgum things catch on. Things would be so much better!
But yet batteries ending up in 3rd world countries and being dumped in river beds. Oh and do your homework. Find how Cobalt is mined and processed. Lets see what you think about that.
Last we checked rakes didn’t run on batteries. We use rakes. But we’re grateful some of the world appears to be heading away from gas-powered gear. It’s a small step in the right direction.
I think it is odd how much people suddenly take an interest in mining methods in Africa and elsewhere when restrictions against PROVEN POLLUTERS like fossil fuels go into effect.
Yes, But…what about? batteries in a river? That’s not even a strawberry to watermelon comparison. The petrochemical footprint on planet earth is the 800 lb durian in the, er, garden.
Does Exxon Valdez and Prince William Sound or BP Deepwater Horizon and the Gulf of Mexico ring a bell? Kuwait oil fields set ablaze by Hussein? Love Canal? Global warming? That’s the short list. All byproducts of the petrochemical industry.
I own an electric leafblower. It’s light yet powerful and reasonably quiet. It runs 20 minutes on a charge. The battery costs $100 so I hope it lasts many years. Gardeners need more than 20 minutes of run time, but homeowners don’t.
We use ours for those hard to reach places but most of the time we just use a rake. Seems to work just fine.
Local governments by their nature are not the most visionary bodies. It’s partly due to the way they’re constructed. Good people, mostly volunteers – but they’re not really able to get things done.
Amazing how the use of whataboutisms has become an acceptable and weaponized method of distraction from the truth.