Quote:
Originally Posted by ITD
The technology for snowblowers is nowhere near close enough to be useful to everyone. It's nice that you can get your snowblowing done in 35 minutes. My yard takes at least an hour with dry light snow, double to triple that with heavy wet snow. And that is with a 13hp 36 inch gas blower. You need to think a little harder before you make statements like the one you did above.
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(1) We who are using gas machines, cars, and boats today have contributed directly or indirectly to the climate crisis. I'm a baby boomer. My generation was part of the massive increase in industrialization and manufacturing, often to produce unnecessary products, that resulted in the crisis. My generation built and owns houses that are four times larger than needed and require a huge amount of oil to heat. My generation decided it needed ever larger vehicles that burn gasoline. This is not about what we actually need to survive and be content, it's about greed.
(2) Since we created the problem, we're responsible for trying to fix it. What some here are saying is, "I won't make any sacrifices or be inconvenienced. I need power, even if it puts more carbon in the atmosphere."
That's wrong thinking. It's obvious that we're all going to have to give up something, make some sacrifices, and lose some of the ease of life we used to have. If we don't do that, our children and grandchildren are going to suffer immensely. And they're going to look back and say, our parents and grandparents did this because they wanted to keep living the way they always lived, even when they knew it was hurting the planet.
(3) The fact that you have a huge area to clear with a gas snowblower points to the necessity of redesigning how we live: smaller houses, shorter driveways, lawns that don't need to be watered, smaller vehicles, grocery stores closer to residential neighborhoods, etc. The solution is not just to manufacture and buy efficient electric machines, it's to downsize our lifestyle back down to the level of what people actually require for survival and a reasonable level of contentment that has a minimal impact on the environment.
Come to think of it, the Lakes Region may be a poster region for the need to downsize how we're living. Prove me wrong and I'll be happy.