To the editor:
With ever denser communities comes increased noise levels and frequent use of power tools for yard maintenance. For someone who works from home, my wife (Greta Guzek) is subjected to this constant barrage of noise every day, which is very irritating.
Two years ago I bought a battery-operated weed eater, mower and blower to use around the businesses I maintain. The tools are so much quieter. I have had endless interest and compliments from the public on the use of my less noisy equipment.
Because I work on commercial properties I have two batteries, each lasting an hour and a half, that I interchange. It only takes fifteen minutes to re-charge if necessary.
Since using these products I have had no trouble, no gas to buy, no cords to drag around, my nerves are much less frazzled at the end of the day and most of all, the neighbourhood is much quieter.
I would love to encourage people to consider switching to battery operated equipment; it helps keep our community a livable place.
Geoff Clement
Not to mention this bit of data from The Atlantic’s City Lab division regarding leaf-blowers:
“The crude little two-stroke engines used by most commercial backpack-style blowers are pollution bombs. ‘Simplest benchmark: running a leaf-blower for 30 minutes creates more emissions than driving a F-150 pickup truck 3800 miles,’ Fallows writes. “About one-third of the gasoline that goes into this sort of engine is spewed out, unburned, in an aerosol mixed with oil in the exhaust.'”
See https://www.citylab.com/navigator/2016/11/the-case-against-neighbors-with-leaf-blowers/506324/?utm_source=SFFB for more information.