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| If hand-powered tools are too much for you to manage, cordless, Energy Star-certified tools are the next best thing. |
Early in the season we’re always gung-ho with the loppers and
garden shears. We have been happy to trim shrubs, clip tall weeds beside our stream
and cut the high grass growing along the edge of the deck, all by hand using
nothing but the most basic tools and elbow grease.
But after years of by-hand gardening in a fairly large yard using
shears that never held an edge, left shrubs a little shaggy looking and made my
wrists ache, we decided enough is enough and invested in a weed whacker and hedge
trimmer.
Elbow grease is of course the greenest route to lawn care, but
if it’s too daunting or too much work and you want powered yard tools, the next
best choice is cordless instead of gas powered. We switched to a cordless lawn
mower three summers ago and have been very pleased with our choice. There is a
great variety of cordless tools available, with good battery life, easy recharging
and no extension cord to haul around.
Cordless tools are 90% less polluting that the standard two-stroke
engine and at least 20% more efficient than a four-stroke engine. (If you mix oil and gas together to run your
lawn mower, it’s a two-stroke engine. If your oil and gas is separate, it’s a
four-stroke.)
If you need more convincing to move away from gas-powered lawn
care tools (including mowers) consider this: according to the Union of Concerned
Scientists, a new gas powered mower pollutes as much in an hour of mowing as 8
new cars driving on the highway for an hour (two-stroke engine). And there are
ground level emissions that you’re inhaling as you mow or trim. According to
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), one gas mower spews 120 lbs. of
CO2 and other pollutants into the air every year. There is no data for other
gas-powered lawn care tools. With smaller engines the emissions are lower but
add up over the growing season nonetheless.
Another reason to switch from gas-powered: the EPA also estimates
that over 17 million gallons of fuel (mostly gasoline) is spilled each year
while refueling lawn equipment. These spills work their way into groundwater
and also emit volatile organic compounds that are harmful if inhaled.
An often overlooked perk of cordless lawn care equipment is the
peace and quiet of yard work. While battery operated equipment isn’t quite
early-morning quiet, it is quieter than your regular gas-powered equipment.
If you’re looking for cordless equipment choose Energy Star
certified models. To receive the certification, lawn mowers, string trimmers,
shears, and other cordless yard care tools must use at least 35% less energy
than non-certified models, a requirement set by the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA).
Our mower is Earthwise brand from Kent and our new trimmers are
Ryobi from Home Depot (an Eco Option). Canadian Tire carries a selection of tools
as does Home Hardware so you won’t have to go out of your way to make an eco-friendly
choice.
7 comments:
Nice tips, I will be going to a tool rental to rent some of this stuff though, as buying right now is not in for me :) thanks for the tips!
Good point...I think it's best to rent (or borrow) any tool that doesn't get much use.
Hello there! You have such an interesting and informative page. I will be looking forward to visit your page again and for your other posts as well. Thank you for sharing your thoughts about lawn maintenance in your area. I am glad to stop by your site and know more about lawn maintenance. Keep it up! This is a good read.
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