Leaf Blowers

Living in Montclair, New Jersey, I am surrounded by leaf blowers. Most people in the area hire landscapers to maintain their perfectly manicured lawns. I try very hard to make changes in my life as not to pollute the earth any more than I have to. I recently purchased a battery lawn mower for my son to use, and I only call on the landscaper when we are going to be out of town or if life just gets too busy that we do not have time to mow. I occasionally trim with an electric trimmer and once, maybe twice a year, I use an electric leaf blower.

I subscribe to Dr. Weil's website on healthy living. I just read his article about leaf blowers and he has some very harsh things to say about them- especially the gas powered blowers. At one point, he goes so far as to say that they are almost "criminal". I thought this was a bit extreme until I read about why he feels this way. The Doctor explains in his article that the fast winds cause damage to plants and soil, thus making them more susceptible to disease and mold. There is much, much more to it and I suggest you read it yourself.

I think that it is an interesting debate and we are going to see some changes in the near future. In fact there already are some movements to have them banned in our area. I can see why landscapers want to use them. They can do clean up in a fraction of the time- saving them money. But at what cost? I recently saw a man spraying round up in his lawn. Are a few dandelions that unappealing that we are spraying poisons where our children and pets play and where it runs into our water supply? My aunt Gail would suggest pulling them up and making a salad. I don't particularly care for dandelion leaves myself, but I asked the landscaper to stop putting chemicals on my lawn a long time ago. We just pull dandilions out with our handy weed tool in the front lawn and try to keep them mowed down in the back. It ain't perfect! But what is?

Well, I may have used my annoying, electric leaf blower for the last time. I'll keep you posted!