Like blowing leaves Seth’s Blog

It’s autumn in North America, and that means homeowners and contractors are busy removing suburban leaves. The deafening roar of a gas-powered leaf blower is nearly impossible to avoid.

Here’s what we know, without a doubt:

• Using a leaf blower is bad for the hearing and breathing of the user, often a low-paid worker with no real alternative.
• They are annoyingly loud, and can be heard from blocks away.
• There are many quieter, safer and cleaner alternatives, readily available. In the long run, they are also cheaper.

We also know that:

• In one hour, a gas-powered leaf blower will emit as much carbon dioxide as driving a typical internal combustion engine car 3,000 miles. (This is not a typo). Details are here.
• The competitive nature of commodity gardening forces gardeners to choose the fastest, cheapest option, regardless of labor costs, neighborhood or climate.
• Gas leaf blower replacement technology is proven, inexpensive and readily available. And yet… they are still here. And the reason is that they are convenient, a sunk cost and a short term profit hack.

The solution, if we are serious, is to ban gas leaf blowers. The replacement will pay for itself in a few weeks. When the competitive playing field is reset, gardeners will come forward. Employee well-being will increase, and the leaves will still bloom.

So what’s the problem?

We are not serious enough about making a change. If we care enough to get two dozen friends and neighbors to show up at the village hall, the rules can be changed in a few meetings.

But sometimes it’s easier to do nothing.