On Noisy Viticulture

If you drive in Geneva there are hundreds of vineyards. If you drive from Luins all the way to Leukerbad you have vineyards. In effect Switzerland has a landscape filled with wine making vineyards.

Whilst they are beautiful to look at, especially as the seasons change some of them, especially near Nyon have a critical flaw. They use very loud air canons to frighten birds. If you make the mistake of walking by one as it goes off, then it is deafening. Every few minutes all day long from dawn until dusk the canons are fired.

As if this wasn’t enough noise pollution they also have recordings of bird distress calls and these are played every few minutes all day long for weeks at a time. This noise pollution means that if you want to open your windows you need to deal with the noise pollution. If you go for a local walk, by the vineyards, then you also need to deal with that noise pollution. The result is that a beautiful, pleasant walk, stops being one.

It does get worse. They’re guilty of noise pollution with canons and speakers to scare away birds but later they bring in tractors and spray the grapes with pesticides to kill the insects. At this point you have air and water pollution that also has a negative impact on pollinators. It might also not be healthy for humans.

The paradox is that every single year there are articles saying “We can’t sell all of our grapes, we are overproducing wine grapes. My two reactions are “Then grow the international market” as well as “Then stop with the noise, air and water pollution. If you’re overproducing wine grapes then stop damaging the environment through endless noise pollution, air pollution and water pollution.

It seems ironic that in a country that bans noise from 22:00-07:00, that bans ULM, that bans lawnmowers on Sunday, that encourages people to be considerate of others, that, at the same time, they allow viticulture to be so disruptive. There are several walking routes that I avoid these days, because of the noise pollution.

On the one hand they complain that they can’t sell what they produce, but on the other hand, if they stopped wasting money on air canons, noise pollution, air pollution, and water pollution, then the cost of production would be reduced.

The paradox is that it’s around here that viticulture seems to enjoy making noise. I haven’t heard or seen the same thing in lavaux, around Luins and Mont Sur Rolle. or in Valais. This noisy vineyard problem seems to be a Nyon problem.

And finally, I’d like to open the windows, especially in the mornings, when people are quiet, and the air is cooled to get fresh air into a mynergie building. The noise pollution is never-ending so I have to decide between noise stress and heat stress, and heat stress wins. In the end the solution is to go for a bike ride, away from the noisy vineyards. I miss living in a quiet village. In a quiet village you open the windows in the morning, and close them in the evening.

It’s worth commenting that on Facebook, in the Nyon group, I noticed people complaining about the noise made by crows. If people can complain about the sounds of nature, then I can comment on the voluntary human made noises by viticulturists. I’d rather have the sound of cowbells, chirping birds, a murder of crows, than artificial noise pollution. I’m a villager, rural ‘noise’ is normal, to me.

The evolution of quiet lawn mowers and their impact on community noise and hearing conservation

https://ince.publisher.ingentaconnect.com/content/ince/incecp/2021/00000263/00000002/art00107 #Horticulture #Gardening #NoisePollution

I saw this on the local news today... 177 acres of woods!!! WTF! Gorham Sand and Gravel doesn't care about environmentally sensitive areas, or areas with children! They pushed to get mining in nearby #LimingtonME, despite the objections of the residents (and it being next to a State of Maine Nature Preserve)!

Neighbors in #AlfredME discuss controversial quarry proposal

by Julia Simone,WGME
Tue, April 7, 2026

ALFRED (WGME) - "Alfred residents said they feel stuck between a rock and a hard place, voicing frustration to the town’s planning board Monday night over plans for a new quarry in their neighborhood.

"The entrance and exit of the proposed quarry would be off of Route 202 in Alfred and the site would be 177 acres.

"#GorhamSandAndGravel are the developers behind the project."

[...]

"If constructed, developers say the project would involve blasting and dozens of dump trucks operating six days a week.

"But the project was put on hold last summer after residents in the area voiced concerns about noise, dust, and environmental impacts.

"Now, the potential quarry and the concerns are back.

" 'The noise, the fly rock, the #SilicaDust, and we have an #ElementarySchool that is 1.6 miles away,' Alfred resident Ralph Dean said.

" 'Gorham Sand and Gravel is willing to risk our safety to make money, our kids safety, our families safety, our community's safety, and safety should never come second,' Alfred resident Shannon Stevens said.

"Another resident says a third-party review revealed holes in the quarry plan that haven't been addressed.

" 'These big company they take advantage of these small towns that don’t have good strong ordinances and a professional planning board. These guys are all volunteers and it’s a lot,' Alfred resident Lauren Carroll said."

Read more:
https://wgme.com/news/local/neighbors-in-alfred-discuss-controversy-quarry-proposal

#NoisePollution #MainePol #Mining #ProtectTheForest #Pollution

RE: https://mastodon.social/@ECSA/116362663159433262

The project in this toot is not my cup of tea right now, but from there you can find many more. I found this one for me:

https://scistarter.org/noise-in-your-neighborhood

#NoisePollution