PLEASE TO EXPLAIN

Living in Los Angeles, one cannot help but notice the preponderance of those gas-powered leaf blowers. They're everywhere. And if they're not being used for their intended purpose, then they're usually blowing garbage down the street and into someone else's yard. I call them "it's your problem now!" My eyes are watering just thinking about them.

A cursory glance on Google for "gas powered leaf blower emissions" yielded many disturbing facts. Whereas I merely regard them as a nuisance, they are actually horrible polluters. First, the emissions from just one of these creatures yields as much exhaust into the environment as 80 automobiles, driven 12,500 each year. Moreover, they contribute to the worsening of allergies, since their essentially just blowing everything into the air, and eventually up your nose, and they're a tremendous source of noise pollution to boot.

My question is thus; have we "advanced" our civilization so far that we are no longer able to use a broom and/or a rake? This article would dispute that claim. Further, why haven't more municipalities, in an effort to "green" their burgs, ban these wretched monsters?

I, for one, intend to find out by querying my own local city council. I'll let you know if anything actually develops. I encourage you to do the same.