- Field Day |
- Buildings Alive |
- Visions |
- CLGBT |
- Green Community |
- Fun & Free S#!T |
- Crossword |
- CL Space |
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Great eco-friendly products to have this summer: Push reel mowers and rain barrels
Posted by Linda Taylor on Tue, Jul 14, 2009 at 8:30 AM
I purchased a reel push mower and am having a blast mowing my lawn. People are always stopping to see this unusual time machine – (that my Dad used) …. No gasoline or noise – just people power, natural mulch and the time to smell the cut grass.
Reel push mowers are widely recognized as the superior cutting method for the health of the grass plant. Lawn grass forms a dense interwoven network of growth just above soil level. This network is a key element in the lawn’s desirable ability to retain moisture and crowd out weeds. The scissors-like cutting action of the reel mower cuts the grass blades cleanly, gently and precisely, with a minimal disturbance to the grass plant's natural growth pattern.
Just how much air pollution does a power mower cause?
Garden equipment engines emit high levels of carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides, producing up to 5% of the nation's air pollution and a good deal more in many metropolitan areas like Los Angeles.
A conventional lawn mower pollutes as much in an hour as 40 late model cars (or as much as much air pollution as driving a car for 100 miles).
A typical 3.5 horsepower gas mower, for instance, can emit the same amount of VOCs -- key precursors to smog -- in an hour as a new car driven 340 miles, say industry experts. A recent California Air Resources Board report shows lawnmowers statewide emit 8.28 tons of VOCs per day.
The replacement of every 500 gas mowers with non-motorized mowers would spare the air:
• 212 pounds of hydrocarbons
(smog ingredient)
• 1.7 pounds of nitrogen oxides
(smog ingredient)
• 5.6 pounds of irritating particles
• 1,724 pounds of carbon dioxide
To top it off, lawn and garden equipment users inadvertently add to the problem by spilling 17 million gallons of fuel each year while refilling their outdoor power equipment. That's more petroleum than spilled by the Exxon Valdez in the Gulf of Alaska!
Now what about that Rain Barrel I installed a few months ago?
Believe it or not, for every inch of rain that falls on a catchment area of 1,000 square feet, you can expect to collect approximately 600 gallons of rainwater. Your roof catchment area is equal to the total square feet of your house plus the extension of your eaves. More than you were expecting?
You can make such a difference by changing a few little things around your home while having a blast !
Comments (6)
Showing 1-6 of 6
THANK YOU! It is great to know that I'm not the only homeowner in St Pete with a push reel mower. I too get some quite funny looks while pushing the spinning blades across my rather small front lawn. Sometimes even comments from neighbors, such as "wow you really like doing things the hard way, don't you?" or "oh my god, those still exist?" Funny thing is that I look with just the same perplexed expression at those who are willing to pay money and burn gasoline just to make their lawns manicured. A great article, thank you!
like
dislike
Keep in mind that I don't think reel mowers work on all types of turf, for instance I don't think you can use them on St. Augustine.....
I was concerned about the same issue. I found a brand that specifically works on southern grass and has been effective on my St. Augustine.
Hey Linda, Thanks for your great ideas to make our landscapes more sustainable. Mowing your lawn "unplugged" is a great workout as well(just don't let the grass get too long in the Florida summer.) I'd add that if we moved to a Florida-friend landscape with native plants and less grass, the need for watering and mowing would be reduced.
This covers all the bases = saves you money, helps the environment, helps your health, makes you feel better, it's so easy to do and it costs less than $50.00; Save money and the Earth and be clean at the same time! Add Bathroom Bidet Sprayers to all your bathrooms. I think Dr. Oz on Oprah said it best: "if you had pee or poop on your hand, you wouldn't wipe it off with paper, would you? You'd wash it off” Available at www.bathroomsprayers.com with these you won't even need toilet paper any more, just a towel to dry off! Don’t worry, you can still leave some out for guests and can even make it the soft stuff without feeling guilty. It's cheap and can be installed without a plumber; and runs off the same water line to your toilet. You'll probably pay for it in a few months of toilet paper savings. As for water use a drought is always a concern and must be dealt with prudently but remember the water use of industrial users far exceeds the water use of household users and in the case of toilet paper manufacture it is huge. The pollution and significant power use from that manufacturing process also contributes to global warming so switching to a hand bidet sprayer and lowering your toilet paper use is very green in multiple ways.
Latest in Daily Loaf
-
GOP leadership now supporting bill that would allow all employers to deny coverage for contraception
The president thought he had sewn the issue up on Friday.
-
Cyber criminals don't want you to read this ...
Two experts on cybercrime are going to answer all your questions and satiate all your fears, hopefully, about cyber crime on Feb. 28. Take notes and keep yourself safe. It's a cruel world out there.
-
CPAC crowd eats up Sarah Palin's mocking of Barack Obama
"We're not Red Americans, we're not Blue Americans, we're Red White and Blue," declaimed Palin, "and President Obama, we are through with you!"
- More »
Top Commenters
