Love leaves
Who doesn’t love leaves?
Mow them into the lawn
Leaves are terrific mulch
It turns into beautiful soil
Wildlife will be happy too
A pupa made from leaves
Who doesn’t love leaves? We all appreciate the beautiful colors in the fall, and the environment welcomes leaves as a protective, and nutrient-rich layer for its plants and wildlife. Fallen leaves shelter plant roots from excessive heat and cold, and once they decompose, they keep the soil healthy. So why do we spend millions of hours and millions of gallons of diesel and gasoline to get rid of those leaves, while there is plenty of evidence that leaf blowers are:
- Extremely polluting: Leaf blowers have a carbon footprint 30 times larger than a passenger car. Leaf blowers account for a significant percentage of the total air pollution in this country.
- Disturb nesting and breeding of birds, harm microorganisms and other wildlife, and are bad for the soil.
- Stir up pollutants, such as mold spores, fecal matter, pesticides, fertilizers etc, and blow particulates in the air that aggravate allergies and asthma.
- Disturb neighborhood peace and quiet, raise our blood pressure and exacerbate pulmonary issues, such as bronchitis.
Yes, grasses used for lawns might be smothered by excess leaves, but it’s much better to mow right over the leaves and create mulch than to blow them away. Leaf mulch will settle into the grass, provide nutrients and reduce the need for fertilizers, weed killers and insecticides. So please, stop using leaf blowers in your yard, and ask your landscaper to do so, as well. Inquire if they are familiar with the leaf mulching practice, and if not, please direct them to our website. If you prefer to use a leaf blower for your driveway, terrace or other hardscape elements, please consider using an electric model. Electric leaf blowers are cleaner and quieter. Better still, clear up your paved areas with a broom.