Tip o’ the Day: A “Reel” Green Lawn
Editor's note: Rebecca's taking the week off to attend the New York International Auto Show, so several of us will be filling in for her.
Spring is here officially, and for many homeowners, that means its time to start thinking about the lawn. As you consider your approach to keeping the grass green, we hope you'll incorporate some greener methods of doing it!
Did you know, for instance, that a 2001 Swedish study showed that “Air pollution from cutting grass for an hour with a gasoline powered lawn mower is about the same as that from a 100-mile automobile ride.” Homeowners cranking up those gas powered machines on the weekends may create as much as 5% of the nation's air pollution.
There are alternatives, though. Electric mowers
Of course, there are other options that keep you from having to mow. More on those later in the week.
Jeff says: I've been using a reel mower for five years now on my small, urban yard, and love it. It cuts well, and takes no more time than a power mower. And, I spend nothing on gas or maintenance.
April 2nd, 2007 at 4:20 pm
Just a quick comment to say how much I’m enjoying GreenOptions. I’m not sure how much feedback you’re getting but I wanted to let you know that it is much read part of my RSS feeds. The content is great! Keep at it!
April 4th, 2007 at 1:28 pm
Thanks so much, Rob! We're glad you like what we're doing…
Jeff
_______________________________________
Jeff McIntire-Strasburg
Senior Editor
Green Options
jeff@greenoptions.com
April 5th, 2007 at 2:39 pm
It is inaccurate to compare lawn mower emissions to auto emissions because each type is measured differently:
• Auto emissions are measured in grams/mile
• Outdoor power equipment (OPE) emissions are measured in grams/kilowatt-hour
Some other facts to be aware of:
• Over the last 10 years, OPE exhaust emissions have been reduced by 70%
• Additional reductions are being made
• These have reduced greenhouse gas emissions by more than 15% industry wide —
more than the US recommended contribution to the Kyoto protocol
For an industry that makes up less that 3% of the total emissions inventory, this environmental effort is monumental.
James McNew
VP, Technical and Marketing Services
Outdoor Power Equipment Institute
jmcnew@opei.org
May 12th, 2008 at 6:05 pm
[...] Tip o’ The Day: A “Reel” Green Lawn [...]
June 24th, 2008 at 5:20 am
[...] Which is better for you and your lawn–the traditional gas-powered lawnmower or the human-powered push reel mower? [...]
June 24th, 2008 at 11:52 am
[...] Which is better for you and your lawn–the traditional gas-power [electricity, electrical [electrons flowing to produce electricity] generation, energy, etc…]ed lawnmower or the human-power [electricity, electrical [electrons flowing to produce electricity] generation, energy, etc…]ed push reel mower? [...]
June 29th, 2009 at 7:01 am
[...] mower? Check out this solar powered mower from Husqvarna. If you’re looking to save a buck, give a push mower a try. Or, you can take a page from Google and get goats to munch that grass for [...]