Stop Raking the Leaves

A week ago, I took a walk around the neighborhood and saw house after house with neatly piled leaves on the edge of the street. I never understood the purpose of raking leaves. I enjoy the colors of the leaves on grass and am captivated by the sounds of stepping on crisp leaves.

Now the National Wildlife Federation has written a blog post on the benefits of not racking leaves. This sum it up, the leaves act as fertilizer, mulch, and provides food and shelters for animals like turtles and birds.

"According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, leaves and other yard debris account for more than 13 percent of the nation’s solid waste—a whopping 33 million tons a year."

So let the leaves remain where they fall or relocate them to a garden. Instead of thinking that leaves are ruining the appearance of your lawn, admire the colors of the leaves and maybe walk on the leaves to increase your happiness. If that doesn't do it, avoid raking in order to help the environment including the appearance and health of your lawn in the future.

Lesson: Be lazy. Don't rake leaves.