By John Hoelle Santa Monica
As I type this, I am listening to the incessant racket of yet another leaf blower across the street, the man lazily blowing around a few leaves so that they wind up in the gutter. The noise could just as easily be a weed-whacker or another gas-powered mower. It seems like most days I end up closing my window in frustration because the neighborhood peace is constantly under attack by these machines. Today, I was awakened by a leaf-blower in the alley behind my girlfriend’s house. It was 9 a.m. this time, but not long ago someone fired up one of these machines at 7:15 a.m. We called in a noise complaint. I can only hope the managers of the building behind her were at least contacted.
Why are leaf blowers still being used, in an alley or anywhere else? If gardeners used a broom, maybe our gutters wouldn’t require street cleaning once a week.
Lawn care equipment burns fuel inefficiently and is a major polluter, and Santa Monica would do well in leading the nation in requiring lawn care equipment to be electric powered, reducing emissions and noise.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on June 13, 2007. Read the original PDF.