One more day, and another hollow claim that we must change our lifestyles in order to appease our power-mad countrymen. The latest hectoring warning is that landscaping equipment is killing the planet and so we need to enforce changes. The over-educated, under-employed generation has created this constant need to graze for the next offense.
USA Today offers this solution to a manufactured problem. It claims that lawn mowers and leaf blowers are the worst offenders, and are responsible for most deadly emissions.
Experts say that while many initially attacked small engines because of their noise, they actually release shocking amounts of pollution. This is a problem that can be solved by modern, increasingly affordable, electric-powered equipment. The advocates say that workers are directly exposed to exhaust fumes and do not wear filters, which can protect them from the harmful emissions.
As if we didn’t have permission to stop listening, they then make this claim about the quality of fertilizer to justify their anger.
According to environmentalists, using a gas leaf blower commercially for an hour emits emissions equivalent to driving from Denver all the way to Los Angeles.
Environmentalists do say a lot. If they just stopped, CO2 emissions could drop precipitously. Who is going to believe that running my Husqvarna maple Blaster 2000 an hour is more environmentally friendly than driving across the country? It is important to call out this kind of hysteria. Then loudly laughed at.
This article contains some glaring facts, buried deep beneath a heap of press release mulch. This is the reality, even though we are praising lithium-powered lawncare as a “more environmentally friendly alternative”.
Some critics say that battery-powered equipment is not as powerful as gas-powered equipment. Others worry about the cost of buying new, more expensive equipment. Gas-powered equipment is available for around $6,000 but electric versions can cost up to three times as much.
This is not “generally more expensive”, it is a 300% price increase. If you force lawn care companies into using battery-powered equipment, the bills of homeowners will increase by three times. Environmental prophets have a tendency to be rash with their solutions, as they’re essentially spending money that belongs to other people. The next culture wars will be fought over the lawnmower issue.
We have seen this cycle over the years. A new mandate is passed, citizens push back, then lawmakers and the media dismiss the outcry as a fabricated controversy.
This has been happening for years, when conservatives reframe the response to a proposed rule as a culture war. In complaints against the blocking of it, there was a claim that Critical Race Theory wasn’t taught in schools.
Note that Republicans claim drag shows have existed for decades, but are now trying ban them. Conservatives were accused earlier this year of causing a controversy over gas stoves. Drag shows sexualize children in their performances and CRT is being pushed into the schools. The Biden administration was also the first to propose eliminating propane ovens from homes.
You could keep this USA Today article on your desk so that when someone tells you no one wants you to get rid of the Toro you have in the shed, you can show them it’s not a fake controversy. When the culture war is declared in the media, it will be hard to blame conservatives. The opening sentence reveals their newly formed conflict: Your lawn could be the next battleground for climate change. And parks. And parks.
