Re: Leaf blowers in cohousing/grass
From: Berrins (Berrinsaol.com)
Date: Tue, 2 Sep 2003 21:16:09 -0600 (MDT)
I have to agree with Liz, these kinds of decisions are best made after 
move-in.  

Before move-in several people wanted us to have minimal grass and use hand 
mowers instead of power mowers.  One of those folks now has one of the nicest 
lawns and likes riding our new lawn mower regularly.  

Other folks complained earlier this year that our riding mower, which is 
fairly loud, was used too much.  But their main gripe turned out to be timing.  
Unfortunately, an informal poll showed there is no real good time.  So now the 
folks who do the mowing do it when it fits their personal schedules.  Your 
future community may be able to find a good time.  You can ditto that for leaf 
blowing.

We are lucky in that our open lawn arrangement actually reduces the amount of 
leaf blowing necessary because the wind doesn't get caught up in barrier 
bushes and fences, so most of the leaves end up getting blown into the woods.  
We've only had to do leaf blowing once or twice a year, usually for an 
afternoon 
or two (this is despite being surrounded by over 30 acres of woods with mostly 
deciduous trees).  This year, when it comes time to do leaf blowing, we'll 
simply bag when we mow (instead of leaving the clippings like we usually do) 
and 
that'll take care of the leaves.  

On the other hand, I can see where it would be a problem if lots of people 
had leaf blowers and were obsessive about keeping their lawns cleared (although 
I just can't see this happening in cohousing).  Should that be the case, 
instead of outright banning gas powered blowers, your future community could 
encourage electric ones by buying a couple, try to hammer out a respectable 
time 
(like when you aren't home) and work at getting a crew of dedicated rakers.

But to address the main issue, re: outright banning of powered leaf blows in 
cohousing.  Are you prepared to do most, if not all, of the work by hand 
yourself?  As often as it takes to get the job done?  If you require that 
people do 
things by hand (which most certainly takes a lot more time) you may end up 
with fewer people willing to do the work, not to mention some resentment from 
those who don't like to be told how to do things.  That may not be a big deal 
in 
a small, urban cohousing community with little open space and few trees, but 
the work required, of course, is directly related to the number of trees and 
open space.  You could end up with a large task and few volunteers (or not!- 
who knows?).  

This question also touches on the much larger issue of work.  Some folks have 
physical problems that prevents them from doing much, if any, physical labor. 
 Others feel that they shouldn't have to do physical labor because they keep 
the books, or cook or garden a lot, or simply don't want to feel obligated to 
do any specific kind of work.  So you end up with a small pool of people 
willing to do a specific task on a regular basis.  Out of almost 50 adults at 
Pathways, perhaps 6 mow on a regular basis, with 1 or 2 others pitching in 
occasionally.  Our riding power mower has made this task much easier and, more 
importan
tly, take MUCH less time (it's also more fun).  

All this hinges on the value you as a community place on having nice lawns 
(the primary reason for leaf blowing is to stop the leaves from killing off the 
grass).  I like lawns.  I like the open space, the feel of grass on my bare 
feet and the relative ease of walking from place to place.  I love seeing our 
children play games together on our central commons.  And there are plenty of 
good resources for organic care of lawns.  (A rule of thumb- get good soil and 
make sure to take real good care of it from the beginning.  A thick, dense 
ground cover is the best way to get and keep a healthy lawn).

There are two main ways of restricting the amount of grass; hardscapes, such 
as pavement, pavers or gravel, or other plants, such as ground covers, 
perennial beds or bushes/shrubs.  Not too many people want a lot of hardscape.  
The 
alternative plants are excellent choices in the right places, but restrict 
movement and can't be played on.  Restricting movement is an issue in 
cohousing, 
because one goal is to foster interaction, which is literally more difficult 
when things are in the way.  Bushes/shrubs and ground covers don't take much 
maintenance (except in the beginning) but perennial beds, if you want nice 
ones, 
tend to be labor intensive.   

Okay, as usual, I've gone on much too long and I'm "digrassing".  But like 
many things in cohousing, issues are seldom simple.  Its too late to sum up, 
so- 
good night!

Roger (on the land committee at...)
Pathways Cohousing
Northampton, MA



 
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