There is very little a green campaigner can do when there isn't an election campaign on, so before getting selected for next time, and having cast my ballot for the new green party leadership election, I have been sending off a couple of letters asking my neighbours to stop the leaf-blower nonsense. The reply from Nico the gardener was angry but brief. "You have no right to tell me what to do. I've been doing this job for 25 years for Mrs... er. .. and unlike other gardeners I leave the path tidy and thirdly, the children should be playing in the back garden if they are outside. It is not safe for them to be in the street. And one other thing," he shouts through the closed door, "You need a gardener, or you will get rats." Right. He doesn't know I am a gardener and I am not in a hurry to let on.
Feel free to adapt the letter for your own use. I have yet to hear back from Moshe's wife about whether she has had this discussion with him.
Tue 21/8/2012
Dear Neighbour,
I ask that you ask your gardener to cease using the
leaf-blower to sweep the path and drive, for the following reasons
1. It is not autumn and there are no leaves to blow, only
bits of wood and dust.
2. It is the school holidays and children are playing outside.
3. It is very
loud. Prolonged exposure may damage your
staff's hearing.
4. The two-stroke
engine has the worst particulate emissions of all engines, even worse than
diesel.
5. Your gardener has
several rakes and I am willing to lend you a broom.
6. All the blower
does is temporarily blow everything somewhere else.
7. As a result the
street is getting dirty and full of weeds and debris.
8. Air pollution is
already very bad here causing health problems as it is.
9. There is a bylaw
against burning garden waste and this is worse.
10. The fuel is very
costly and it is a waste when people are complaining it is too dear.
Yours sincerely,
Ben Samuel
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