Get a Broom!

The noise over leaf-blowers is literally getting louder. The usage of leaf-blowers in total is increasing as more busy homeowners outsource their yardwork to a company who wants to bill as many visits as possible, mowing and blowing even when hardly needed. In between visits, one of my neighbors brings out a leaf-blower every couple of days to clean off the driveway (apparently it is beyond the capability of cars to drive over those leaves). If I’m outside at the same time, it’s pretty hard not to yell over to him: “Get a broom!”

As someone who works from home, the frequency of visits to homes in my neighborhood is quite numerous, sometimes for landscapes that don’t even need these services. I’ve watched contractors mow grass that hasn’t grown and scour away every single leaf during a time when leaves are falling constantly. For a brief moment in time, a moment when the homeowner is usually not even home, the yard is a sea of green, unblemished by the unsightly appearance of a single red or golden fall leaf.

Usage of leaf-blowers, on residential yards in particular, has the following impacts over more traditional methods of dispersal like brooms and rakes: 

• The pollution impact of small engines themselves. 
• The dispersal into the air of dust and particulate matter on human respiratory systems (including things such as animal droppings, fungi spores, pesticides, fertilizers, road debris, and heavy metals). 
• The impact of the noise on humans and small animals and birds, including the enjoyment of the outdoors by humans on a pretty fall day. 
• The impact of wind on the insects that curl up for the winter in dead leaves (as high as 200 mph).

Cities, counties, and states are looking at leaf-blower bans; some have implemented them. The goal is primarily to reduce noise and pollution. The Pollinator Friendly Yards Facebook page owner has started her own petition to ban gas-powered leaf-blowers. You can find it here.

Tiny snake on the rake

Now for the good news - using brooms and rakes can be a healthy form of exercise! Getting outside also puts you in touch with nature. I love to take the time to look at the various leaves that I'm sweeping or raking: oaks, maples, dogwood, cherry, sourwood - how many different ones can I find?

I find bugs and other cool critters too: toads, snails, beetles, and even a tiny snake this year. Sometimes my neighbors walk by and we spend a few minutes talking. I look at the garden and think about changes while my arms do the raking and sweeping.

So, pick up that broom again and take a trip back to the time when things were manual, and we had to work for that piece of pie! Brooms also make great gifts, and you know the holidays are coming up soon.

[Thanks for indulging this rant. For another good rant, see my blog post on red mulch.]