Agreed. I got a a battery-powered mower, trimmer, and leaf blower fully expecting them to be subpar versions of their gas-powered counterparts. Instead, they actually work amazingly well and are...
Agreed. I got a a battery-powered mower, trimmer, and leaf blower fully expecting them to be subpar versions of their gas-powered counterparts. Instead, they actually work amazingly well and are much quieter. I love not having to wear ear protection when I use them, and it's nice to know I'm not angering my neighbors when I do yardwork.
Tuesday the City Council stopped short of banning gas leaf blowers in commercial areas, despite questions raised about homes located next door to businesses. The ban will take effect Jan. 1, 2021 and will prohibit the use of any leaf blowers — gas or electric — before 9 a.m. and after 3 p.m.
[...]
In a report to the council from Community Development Director Kimberly Cole, she notes that a California Air Resources Control Board study found that using a gas-powered leaf blower for one hour is the equivalent of driving from Los Angeles to Denver, a distance of 1,100 miles, due to newer equipment on cars that reduce dangerous emissions. Leaf blowers have few if any similar safeguards.
[...]
Carmel banned gas-powered leaf blowers in 1975 and Pacific Grove banned them last year.
Here I was hoping that the German warning from 2019 had crossed the water. But this ordnance is just common sense to appease citizens. Of course gas-powered gardening tools don't make sense in...
Here I was hoping that the German warning from 2019 had crossed the water. But this ordnance is just common sense to appease citizens. Of course gas-powered gardening tools don't make sense in neighborhoods or residential properties, unless they span several acres. But this shouldn't be considered an environmental victory. Simply put: a leafblower can't do shit a rake can't. It's a bazooka when you need a gun.
EDIT: make that "when you need tweezers"
The use of leafblowers has a very negative effect on the micro-environment. The German government has warned somewhere in 2019 against the use of leafblowers altogether. Given that the distribution of insect life and pollen are severely impacted by the use of them. Apart from the obvious factors mentioned in the article, a leafblower will severely impact the ecosystem and push it to a monoculture. So apart from being obnoxious as hell, they have no place whatsoever in natural landscapes. Use them to clean your house, but don't use them in any environment where you'd wish for ecological balande.
I'm always kind of unconvinced by ecological arguments in populated areas. I don't think a city or a suburb is a viable ecosystem at all, and if our conservation efforts (or other efforts) rely on...
The use of leafblowers has a very negative effect on the micro-environment. The German government has warned somewhere in 2019 against the use of leafblowers altogether. Given that the distribution of insect life and pollen are severely impacted by the use of them. Apart from the obvious factors mentioned in the article, a leafblower will severely impact the ecosystem and push it to a monoculture. So apart from being obnoxious as hell, they have no place whatsoever in natural landscapes. Use them to clean your house, but don't use them in any environment where you'd wish for ecological balande.
I'm always kind of unconvinced by ecological arguments in populated areas. I don't think a city or a suburb is a viable ecosystem at all, and if our conservation efforts (or other efforts) rely on them being that, then we've already failed.
Now, in this very situation I could be convinced if there's a argument that the ecosystem, messed up as it might be, contributed to pest control or otherwise population well being, and leaf blowers disturb that. But I can't quite see that.
Noise is part of the environment. Since I've been working exclusively from home for the last 6 months, I've become much more aware of how much noise landscapers/gardeners put into the environment,...
Noise is part of the environment. Since I've been working exclusively from home for the last 6 months, I've become much more aware of how much noise landscapers/gardeners put into the environment, and I would welcome this ordinance no matter what it's masquerading as.
Same here being work from home. The amount of times I had to close windows or go somewhere else due to the amount of noise from landscapers and leaf blowers in the neighborhood. I'm also far more...
Same here being work from home. The amount of times I had to close windows or go somewhere else due to the amount of noise from landscapers and leaf blowers in the neighborhood.
I'm also far more aware of the number of 18-wheelers that jake-brake on the way down the hill in front of my house.
I despise leaf blowers. Not just for the noise, but for the dust they kick up. They're ubiquitous here. Every day, a different leafblower. Friday morning at 7am, the neighbor's gardeners blast a...
I despise leaf blowers. Not just for the noise, but for the dust they kick up. They're ubiquitous here. Every day, a different leafblower. Friday morning at 7am, the neighbor's gardeners blast a leafblower 10 feet away from my window. If I neglect to close my window in time, I'm pretty much guaranteed to have a bedroom full of allergens and everything gets covered in dust. I could understand the necessity of using them from time to time. Sometimes ya just gotta get all those nooks and crannies. But every. dang. week. is just excessive. As a hermit, my room is my environment, doubly so through this lockdown. Please save my environment. I would welcome a leafblower ordinance with open arms.
The battery leaf-blowers and much quieter and work just as well nowadays anyhow.
Agreed. I got a a battery-powered mower, trimmer, and leaf blower fully expecting them to be subpar versions of their gas-powered counterparts. Instead, they actually work amazingly well and are much quieter. I love not having to wear ear protection when I use them, and it's nice to know I'm not angering my neighbors when I do yardwork.
From the article:
[...]
[...]
Here I was hoping that the German warning from 2019 had crossed the water. But this ordnance is just common sense to appease citizens. Of course gas-powered gardening tools don't make sense in neighborhoods or residential properties, unless they span several acres. But this shouldn't be considered an environmental victory. Simply put: a leafblower can't do shit a rake can't. It's a bazooka when you need a gun.
EDIT: make that "when you need tweezers"
The use of leafblowers has a very negative effect on the micro-environment. The German government has warned somewhere in 2019 against the use of leafblowers altogether. Given that the distribution of insect life and pollen are severely impacted by the use of them. Apart from the obvious factors mentioned in the article, a leafblower will severely impact the ecosystem and push it to a monoculture. So apart from being obnoxious as hell, they have no place whatsoever in natural landscapes. Use them to clean your house, but don't use them in any environment where you'd wish for ecological balande.
I'm always kind of unconvinced by ecological arguments in populated areas. I don't think a city or a suburb is a viable ecosystem at all, and if our conservation efforts (or other efforts) rely on them being that, then we've already failed.
Now, in this very situation I could be convinced if there's a argument that the ecosystem, messed up as it might be, contributed to pest control or otherwise population well being, and leaf blowers disturb that. But I can't quite see that.
Anyone know if this is a noise control ordinance masquerading as a "Saving the Environment" ?
Noise is part of the environment. Since I've been working exclusively from home for the last 6 months, I've become much more aware of how much noise landscapers/gardeners put into the environment, and I would welcome this ordinance no matter what it's masquerading as.
Same here being work from home. The amount of times I had to close windows or go somewhere else due to the amount of noise from landscapers and leaf blowers in the neighborhood.
I'm also far more aware of the number of 18-wheelers that jake-brake on the way down the hill in front of my house.
It's usually both. In particular, setting hours between 9 and 3 pm is about noise.
I despise leaf blowers. Not just for the noise, but for the dust they kick up. They're ubiquitous here. Every day, a different leafblower. Friday morning at 7am, the neighbor's gardeners blast a leafblower 10 feet away from my window. If I neglect to close my window in time, I'm pretty much guaranteed to have a bedroom full of allergens and everything gets covered in dust. I could understand the necessity of using them from time to time. Sometimes ya just gotta get all those nooks and crannies. But every. dang. week. is just excessive. As a hermit, my room is my environment, doubly so through this lockdown. Please save my environment. I would welcome a leafblower ordinance with open arms.