Leave The Leaves Alone

Nothing says “Fall” like raking leaves on a cool autumn afternoon. Nothing drives environmentalists more crazy than you raking leaves on a cool autumn afternoon.
The green guard maintains that raking is terrible, especially for the environment. They say bagging up leaves and throwing them away destroys habitats for small animals and fills up landfills.

According to the National Wildlife Federation, leaves and other "yard debris" make up 33 million tons of solid waste, or 13% of the solid waste in the US. The group says that in addition to becoming natural fertilizer for your soil, leaves stay where they fall creating "mini ecosystems." All that is cool for the forest, but what about the yard of the month man?

It’s true that a very thick layer of leaves can harm your lawn under certain conditions, especially if covered by snow all winter, so here are some environmentally approved alternatives: turn the leaves into mulch by shredding them with a lawn mower, they'll break down more quickly, or rake the leaves up and save them to use as compost for your garden. Don't burn them, the smoke they create contributes to air pollution. (Huffington Post)