What was once part of the American Dream -- having a perfectly manicured front and back yard -- has now become a greenie’s worst nightmare. Any way you slice it, the process of maintaining that lush carpet of monocotyledonous green plants gobbles up resources galore. The chronic thirst of your lush, green pride and joy is a given, especially in the sizzling summer months. Then, there’s the fuel required to power your mower, edger and weed whacker as well as the carbon monoxide and pollutants that such cutting equipment kicks out. If you’re a typical prideful and ritualistic Yank, then you’ll likely head over to the local home improvement center for bags of fertilizers and various containers of chemical weed agents. Imagine how many people on your block are doing the same exact thing and what kind of toll it ends up taking on the environment.
Apart from completely ripping out your emerald green grass and trying your hand at urban homesteading, xeriscaping or planting frankengrass, all sorts of new and improved options are making it easier to tend to the lush hallmark of home ownership. Have you considered simply renting a goat? Hey, if Google’s doing it, why shouldn’t you? Chuckle all you want, but this is serious business. Ruminants have an insatiable need to munch on anything green along their pathway, they are known to be diligent workers and they are particularly praised for their ability to destroy invasive species while depositing valuable organic fertilizer in their wake. You can even log onto goatfinder.com and secure the services of a willing and able herd right in your area.
For purists out there, think back to the days when a push mower was perfectly sufficient and guaranteed to git-er-done with no smog cloud or carbon footprint in sight. While new versions are making a comeback, there’s something particularly appealing about rigging your grandfather’s vintage model to the front of a bicycle for the ultimate statement in being eco-mowble.
Apparently, this isn’t a new idea but it certainly is a good one, especially if you want to kill two birds with one stone by aerobicizing while crossing a major weekly home maintenance chore off of your list.
Of course, for the rest of us who have grown to appreciate the modern convenience of a self-propelled model, there’s always the fully rechargeable 36 Volt, 10-amp Neuton CE 6 which plows through 15,000 square feet of grass in one hour of battery time before requiring replacement. Whisper-quiet and super convenient with no cord to trip on or external power source to tap into, the retail price is set at a surprisingly affordable $499, but be prepared to cough up a little more money for extras. With accessories that every self-respecting home landscaper loves -- including a backup rechargeable battery, a catcher bag, an attachable edger/trimmer and a side discharge chute – this mower could very well be considered the Prius of the grass set.
An overnight charge is all it takes to get your mow on the following day, and conservative estimates suggest that each battery has a 5 year shelf life which isn’t too shabby at all. The cherry on top for all greenies is that at the end of its usable life, 95% of the battery components can be recycled. Amazingly, the manufacturer is offering a one year trial period on it along with a 100% money-back guarantee if it doesn’t meet your scrutinizing expectations, plus free shipping until the end of June 2009. Hmmmm, this might be one fancy, new-fangled piece of equipment that’s definitely worth its chunk-o-green! Have you heard about any other eco-friendly mowing devices or can you offer additional ideas on how to maintain lawns in a greener way? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below!
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