With Fall arriving here in the Southeast, I've become acutely aware of the number of gasoline powered leaf blowers being used. It seems I can't walk through my neighborhood or across campus without seeing at least one on a daily basis. Maybe I've become hypersensitive to energy issues, so I'm looking for some feedback. Here's my question:
What would happen if starting today, no one EVER used leaf blower again? Would there be any negative consequences?
Okay, I guess that was two questions. But seriously, tell me what you think.
JUST CLICK on COMMENTS to share your opinion!
5 comments:
Personally I don't think not using leaf blower will be a big deal. I don't see anybody using leaf blower in China. People just use brooms. And I don't see leaves flying everywhere without a leafblower. Maybe that's because America is more developed? China is still developing. The money and energy for a leaf blower can be used in other more crucial and beneficial ways. So with such limited resources in the country, a leaf blower shouldn't be the priority.
In my opinion,I think that it would be possible to cut out some of the usage of leaf blowers but I do not think it is necessary to eliminate the usage of all leaf blowers. Especially around Carolina's campus, I think that it is extremely necessary to keep the sidewalks blown off because it not only allows students to see where they are stepping (which is needed since we have brick sidewalks) but it also makes our campus look extremely neat and clean. I think that it would be easy to say, "Lets eliminate the use of all leaf blowers!
" but I think that if this were to be done, we would be able to physically see how they are extremely helpful in maintaining grounds. That's not to say that there are some unnecessary uses as well. I often times see workmen blowing leaves off the street in my neighborhood, when it is clear the leaves will be right back in a few hours. Is this a waste of gasoline? Yes, I would have to say it is. I think that we can use gasoline for leaf blowers and other machine tools, souch as lawn mowers, but we just need to use this fuel in moderation, which is what most Americans have trouble doing. Energy 4 tomorrow, you have definitely raised a very good question.
I think this is a perfect example of how truly lacking in discipline we are as a society to live in an environmentally sensitive way. I have many times been appalled by the legions of people at places like Whole Foods or Weaver Market, carrying their cloth sack (thus avoiding the paper or plastic question at the check out line), buying "all organic" foods, being very anal retentive about placing the recyclables in their proper bins, yet all the while, they drive from Chapel Hill to Durham in their SUV's twice a day, just for the coffee (it is better in Durham, I hear).
As Joni Mitchell says- "give me spots on my apples but leave me the birds and the bees".
I think that the use of devices like the leaf blower do not need to be eliminated, but could be used more sparsely perhaps. I know that back home my family works on leaf cleanup once or twice during the season because the leaves are going to continue to fall especially in early fall. By waiting until our yard is covered we save money, energy, and time. I definitely do not think that it is neccessary to blow leaves everyday when very few are on the ground because that is a poor use of electricity.
I think that today Americans are focused on time. We are always trying to find ways where we can do a certain activity faster. That is why leaf blowers were invented. I definitely think that they could be eliminated, but there would be a lot of complaining. Going back to the good ol rake would be pretty devastating for people just because they could do it faster with a leaf blower. however, I do feel that we should use less leaf blowers, since they do run on gas. Instead of a whole crew using leaf blowers just have one guy use one and the others using rakes.
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