Peter Bahouth is a former executive director of Greenpeace USA and the Turner Family Foundation, among other roles. On December 18, 2020, the Dallas Morning News published his commentary, called: “Shut off the leaf blowers and restore peace to suburbia.”

His argument involves technology, sustainability, and community. Samples:

I’ve started to hand out a Golden Rake Award, a miniature gold rake and gift card to folks I see raking leaves, to thank them for helping to keep the neighborhood a little quieter and the air a little cleaner. We each chose the issues — from the global to the personal — that we most care about. Common to all of them is the need for sanctuary in our lives, on our streets and in our homes. If given the choice, wouldn’t we all rather live in a clean, quiet neighborhood than a loud, dirty one with fewer leaves?
Nature is not someplace to visit, it’s all around us. Even the most urbanized places are home to countless populations of wild birds, butterflies, flowers and other species. Our surroundings have much to offer in an increasingly complicated and electronic world. Nature provides us a place to think, create and de-stress. Spending time outside is rejuvenating and important to our well-being, but the persistent noise of gas-powered blowers makes it tough to enjoy the simple act of being outside, and it’s loud enough to disrupt your day, even inside your own home, a place that has become more essential than ever.

It’s worth reading the whole essay in full, which you can do here. Congratulations and thanks to Mr. Bahouth.