A conventional gas powered lawn mower emits on average nearly 90 pounds of carbon dioxide and over 50 pounds of other pollutants into our air every year according to the EPA.
Manual reel mowers are making a comeback and have come a long way in the last few decades. Today's reel mowers are a far cry from the one your grandfather used. "Reel mowers are light, quiet, and virtually maintenance-free," notes L Hundley, Chief Gardening Evangelist at Clean Air Gardening. "The mowers are environmentally friendly, and also better for your grass.
"Rotary mowers tear the grass -- reel mowers cut grass like scissors, leaving a fine spray of clippings as mulch for your yard," he explains. They do take some effort, but they aren't any harder to push than an 80-pound gas mower that isn't self-propelled.
While it does take a bit longer to mow with a manual mower than a power mower, it is a much more pleasant experience. Instead of the roar of a mower, you hear the pleasant mechanical sound of the blades, the chirping of birds and buzzing of insects. Instead of the smell of gas exhaust, you have the smell of fresh air and fresh-cut grass.
With a reel mower, you have a lower purchase price, lower maintenance costs, and much lower environmental costs. And it saves you a trip to the gym.
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3 comments:
I can't believe we never thought to talk about how to go green with a push mower on TGB! I feel as though we failed!
I bought one of these this summer and it was a huge hit with my neighbors and my kids. I think the neighbors thought I was directly out of the 1950's, but they love how quiet it was when I was mowing and my kids actually wanted to help me mow the lawn. I'm hoping to see a few more of them in my neighborhood next summer. I do what I can go encourage green living and this was one cool way to do it!
I have been trying to talk my husband into one of these. I think I might just get one. I love the idea of not storing gas for a mower. We don't have a large yard so it just seems to make the most sense.
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