Green Lawn Mowers

I was born in the late 1970s and my parents had this huge riding mower for the yard. Actually, I guess it might not have been all that huge if you were taller than hobbit, but since my mother sold it by the time I was 5, I've no idea. Anyway. That mower was cool and I used to love riding around it with whomever was mowing the yard. Of course, we didn't know that mowing the yard was throwing more pollution into the air than a state-to-state car ride might. The next mower we had was smaller, but it, too, was a polluting monster that contributed to our current climate dilemma.

Ignorance Isn't Necessarily Bliss

In my 20s I rented a house which had a big lawn and paid someone to come mow it -- with their gas guzzling, fume emitting mower. So I've been just as polluting as the next person, if I'm honest. I'd heard of electric mowers at the time, but I had no idea how bad the gas powered ones were, do I didn't go out of my way to find anyone who might have one. And then I moved to Europe -- and I've get to see a gas powered one in use.

Electric Mowers Are Just As Good!

My landlord has a normal-sized electric mower which he uses once or twice a month. It works as well as a gas-powered mower, but it's 80% quieter, and it doesn't leave a trail of cough-inducing fumes. Oh, and it doesn't require 30-odd tugs at a starter cable; you just push a button, and whoop, there it is. Additionally, electric mowers don't cost a lot of money to run and they're perfectly capable of doing everything your gas powered one does. It's certainly cheaper with today's gas prices, but it would be cheaper regardless. If you don't want drag a cable out into the yard (it's not that big of a deal, really -- you already do it while vacuuming) you can even get the wireless rechargeable kind.

Manual Mowers Are Good, Too!

And, if you want to be a seriously green person, you could get one of those old-fashioned push mowers that run on manpower. (And, um, I mean that literally, cos this woman isn't about to push one of those suckers around the yard!) Of course, you might be married to Xena, in which case, she might love the idea.

Some Reasons To Switch

• Electric mowers are quieter.

• Electric mowers aren't stinky.

• Electric mowers cost less to power.

• Electric mowers don't need engine work done.

• Electric mowers don't leak messy stuff.

• Electric mowers are better for the environment.