Arlington, Mass., has joined in the fight against noise and air pollution by banning the use of leaf blowers between May 15 and Oct. 15. This gives languid homeowners and yard crews an opportunity to blast away when most of the leaves are conveniently on the ground, in mid- and late fall.

Arlington follows Brookline, Mass., which has banned most use of the earsplitting devices in the summer.
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Inevitably, of course, people will say their God-given liberties are being invaded. But what about the freedom not to have your ears drilled and to breathe air a little cleaner than the pollution that these machines emit? According to the California Environmental Protection Agency, a half-hour of leaf-blower use puts out as much carbon monoxide as a car traveling an average of 30 miles an hour for 440 miles.

That leaf blowers are obnoxious can be seen in the propensity of those hiring the yard crews that wield them to absent themselves from their premises when they’re being used. Let the neighbors suffer! The noise creates dead zones that extend out to many yards from the engines.

Wildlife flees and people go into their homes for relief.

The bid for at least partial bans on leaf blowers may be the start of a wider campaign against noise. Pressuring stores to turn off, or at least turn down, the generally awful music, or Muzak, they play would be another useful front in this war.

Meanwhile, we can hope that somebody invents a really effective and quiet electric-powered leaf blower, with some of the power produced by wind turbines. (They really are quieter than leaf blowers.) Or at least some kind of a super-muffler.

Why do people care about leaves being on your yard? It's outside. There are trees. Trees drop leaves.

Get a lawn mower that does a good enough job of chopping them up while you mow.

I've never used it to "rake" leaves. That doesn't really seem like it would work too well anyway.

I use it to clean off the sidewalks and driveway after I mow the lawn. Or to clean all of the crap off of the patio, etc.

Why would you need to clean anything off a sidewalk? Just leave it, and the wind will blow it away.

I've never used it to "rake" leaves. That doesn't really seem like it would work too well anyway.

The leafblowers that are used by me seem like they could blow over a small car.

The leafblowers that are used by me seem like they could blow over a small car.

Thumbs down.

I have a corner lot. I would be working forever to clean off my sidewalks and steps and....without the blower. The leaf blower runs for 5 minutes to get all of that done. The lawn mower runs for over an hour. Maybe I should stop mowing my lawn too - you know, so I don't cause any unnecessary noise pollution.

Plus 1. And....have you ever tried to sweep grass off a sidewalk? Fuck that!

The ones that attach like a backpack that lawn services use all day long to rake yards and especially entire apartment complexes?

I have a corner lot. .

Why is anyone sweeping grass off a sidewalk?

Look at mr. fancy pants with his corner lot and a chair in his house

The world has gone mad. People bitching about leaf blowers because they're noisy & pollute? Really? Whats next, NASCAR makes the Chevy Volt mandatory?

Find me a noise that is more ear piercing and awful than a leaf blower at 7 am.

I can't wait til you have kids.

Find me a noise that is more ear piercing and awful than a leaf blower at 7 am.

Find me a noise that is more ear piercing and awful than a leaf blower at 7 am.

a noise that is more ear piercing and awful than a leaf blower at 7 am.

GO PACK GO