Episode 147

[FOCUS] Getting Rid Of Leaf Blowers

Episode Summary: This episode is an excerpt from a previous episode about How leaf blowers are a problem for the environment.

A 2011 study showed that a leaf blower emits nearly 300 times the amount of air pollutants as a pickup truck.

Having contributed to many areas of the Carbon Almanac, Jenn and Imma came together to discuss a number of different environmental issues.

In this episode, the problem with one piece of garden machinery is discussed; the leaf blower. The pollution from gasoline and noise, as well as the alternatives are covered. How communities can help each other provide different solutions to clearing up, or even making use of, the leaves which fall from our trees.

To listen to the full episode of ‘Leaf Blowers’ go here.

For more information on the project and to order your copy of the Carbon Almanac, visit thecarbonalmanac.org

Want to join in the conversation?

Visit thecarbonalmanac.org/podcasts and send us a voice message on this episode or any other climate-related ideas and perspectives.

Don’t Take Our Word For It, Look It Up!

You can find out more on page 90 of the Carbon Almanac and on the website you can tap the footnotes link and type in 034

-----  

Featuring Carbon Almanac Contributors Jenn Swanson and Imma Lopez.

From Langley in British Columbia, Canada, Jenn is a Minister, Coach, Writer and Community Connector, helping people help themselves.  

Imma is from Cádiz in the South of Spain, living in Aberdeen, Scotland. Imma is a sommelier, a poet, a podcaster, a mother, a slow food advocate, and an animist activist.

----- 

The CarbonSessions Podcast is produced and edited by Leekei Tang, Steve Heatherington and Rob Slater.

Transcript
INMA:

We were talking the other day and two things have happened since then.

2

:

One is I've been, I read on the

thread that how can we speak about,

3

:

or have a conversation about not

just to take an action of me?

4

:

No.

5

:

Um, using a rake or a brash instead,

but what about an action that include,

6

:

let's say all my neighborhood or even

the whole town to do something to.

7

:

What do you think?

8

:

JENN: So getting more people

on board with, um, changing the

9

:

use of using a leaf blower and

maybe doing something different.

10

:

INMA: Yes, we'll come.

11

:

We tell our Lisa.

12

:

Yeah, how can we start?

13

:

JENN: Well, one of the things that you

can do, if you absolutely must have

14

:

a leaf blower is get an electric one.

15

:

They have electric ones out there.

16

:

They're not as loud.

17

:

They do just as good a job and they

run on battery rechargeable batteries.

18

:

So you can put a rechargeable battery.

19

:

That you can put in your lawnmower

that you can then put in your leaf

20

:

blower and your weed Wacker, and

you could use an electric one would

21

:

be one solution that I would have.

22

:

INMA: Yes.

23

:

And then, and then that's

for us, for us individually.

24

:

And then yes, after that, or

let's say I'm totally for.

25

:

If this is my decision, but how,

how can, what do you seeing, or

26

:

what would you do if you want to

make an action with a lot of people?

27

:

JENN: I think he needs to have a

conversation, like bring them all

28

:

together and have a conversation about it.

29

:

And, and maybe people would

have solutions amongst.

30

:

You know, I mean, a whole group of

people always comes up with different

31

:

ideas and yes, and it might be,

you might end up sharing tools.

32

:

You might end up, um, you know,

one person really likes to rake and

33

:

somebody else really likes to use.

34

:

You know, another tool and they could

share, or, uh, they could trade or they

35

:

could make a decision that this was going

to be a quiet zone and they weren't going

36

:

to have the pollution and the noise of.

37

:

Gas power leaf blowers

in this neighborhood.

38

:

It's a leaf blower, free neighborhood.

39

:

INMA: Oh, I love that.

40

:

I love that.

41

:

Yeah.

42

:

And then also I wanted to tell

you my experience, since we, we

43

:

talk, we have sold the low moaner.

44

:

We had decided to go free.

45

:

JENN: Good soldier lawnmowers.

46

:

INMA: Uh, well he was quite

old and he was of the soul.

47

:

The selling part of it was just like

an, a statement, more that something,

48

:

something that, oh, we want, we

are not going to use C anymore.

49

:

What we can do with it.

50

:

We are not going to put it in the being.

51

:

So someone else, uh,

52

:

JENN: And that's great because

53

:

INMA: also when I was speaking with,

when we had a conversation with

54

:

Alabama, we were talking about food

forest and I saw, okay, no, cutting.

55

:

The, the lawn could be an

interesting step toward.

56

:

And then the other day, the only day

we have sun here, seeings, two weeks

57

:

ago, we went to the garden and we

started to use manual cutting tools.

58

:

Right.

59

:

And it was beautiful.

60

:

It w it was, it was like having a

conversation with the grass and with

61

:

the trees and with the, with the shrubs.

62

:

And I'm telling you, I'm

telling everyone, you must try.

63

:

JENN: Maybe that's how

I should cut my lawn.

64

:

Although I do, I do again, have

an electric lawnmower, but I have

65

:

a very, very tiny lawn because we

removed our back lawn a couple of

66

:

years ago and turned it, turned it

into flower beds and, um, uh, gardens.

67

:

So we don't, we only have a

tiny, tiny little patch of

68

:

mostly Moss, not really lawn.

69

:

Yeah.

70

:

Um, but we don't certainly

don't need leaf blowers,

71

:

INMA: but I love, uh, what you

said to the Wade was tar we action

72

:

inaction where a lot of people

joined together the way to start the

73

:

asset conversation because ideas.

74

:

Like really interesting ideas

could come from, from a group.

75

:

JENN: Absolutely.

76

:

I love this.

77

:

Thank you.

78

:

INMA: And ma'am.

79

:

Thank you.

80

:

You've been listening to Karbon

sessions, a podcast with carbon

81

:

conversations for every day, with

everyone from everywhere in the world.

82

:

We'd love you to join the carbon

sessions so YouTube can share your

83

:

perspectives from wherever you are.

84

:

This is a great way for our community

to learn from your ideas and

85

:

experiences connect and take action.

86

:

If you want to add your voice to

the conversation, go to the carbon

87

:

almanac.org/podcast and sign up

to be part of a future episode.

88

:

This podcast is also part of the

carbon Almanac network for more

89

:

information, to sign up for the

emails to join the movement and to

90

:

order your copy of the carbon almond.

91

:

Go to the carbon almanac.org.

92

:

Be sure to subscribe

and join us here again.

93

:

As together we can change the world.

Next Episode All Episodes Previous Episode

About the Podcast

Show artwork for CarbonSessions
CarbonSessions
Carbon Conversations for every day, with everyone, from everywhere in the world.

Listen for free

About your host

Profile picture for Carbon Almanac

Carbon Almanac

When it comes to the climate, we don’t need more marketing or anxiety. We need established facts and a plan for collective action.

The climate is the fundamental issue of our time, and now we face a critical decision. Whether to be optimistic or fatalistic, whether to profess skepticism or to take action. Yet it seems we can barely agree on what is really going on, let alone what needs to be done. We urgently need facts, not opinions. Insights, not statistics. And a shift from thinking about climate change as a “me” problem to a “we” problem.

The Carbon Almanac is a once-in-a-lifetime collaboration between hundreds of writers, researchers, thinkers, and illustrators that focuses on what we know, what has come before, and what might happen next. Drawing on over 1,000 data points, the book uses cartoons, quotes, illustrations, tables, histories, and articles to lay out carbon’s impact on our food system, ocean acidity, agriculture, energy, biodiversity, extreme weather events, the economy, human health, and best and worst-case scenarios. Visually engaging and built to share, The Carbon Almanac is the definitive source for facts and the basis for a global movement to fight climate change.

This isn’t what the oil companies, marketers, activists, or politicians want you to believe. This is what’s really happening, right now. Our planet is in trouble, and no one concerned group, corporation, country, or hemisphere can address this on its own. Self-interest only increases the problem. We are in this together. And it’s not too late to for concerted, collective action for change.