Lawn mowers can be green too. Green mowers produce little or no pollution, they are quiet, have few moving parts, demand minor maintenance, and no gasoline, spark plug, filters, or oil.
Introduction
Still using a gas powered lawnmower? Come on, this is 2013… We’ve got electric cars, solar panels on our homes, and giant windmills turning wind into power. Everything runs off electricity now, your mower should too. And there’s no need to increase your utility bill just to tend to your yard… the sun helps grow your grass, it should contribute the power to cut it. Don’t just make your mower electric, make it solar too. Another benefit? It’s practically silent. You can cut the grass and listen to the game at the same time.
Lowering your carbon footprint one day at a time is your objective. Regardless if you are reducing the number of plastic water bottles that enter the environment by refilling the old bottles you have, or using your bicycle to get to work, you are pleased to say that your efforts will ideally make a difference in preserving the environment for future generations.
But there is one area of your life that you wish to go green in: your lawn. You actually have to grit your teeth when filling up the lawn mower’s gas tank with fossil fuels. You know you are generating harmful carbon emissions in the environment the moment you pull on the starter string. Seeing the sputtering smoke rise from the cutting machine makes you cough and hunch your shoulders hoping your eco-friendly friends don’t drive by and spot you.
Solar Lawn Mower
Presently there is only one major company selling a solar lawn mower, the Husqvarna Automower, and it has an incredibly large price tag. Nonetheless, there are many electric, battery powered lawn mowers available on the market that generate only a fraction of the emissions of their gasoline powered counterparts, and this is merely due to the fact that they use traditional electricity to charge their batteries.
The Husqvarna Automower is basically a solar hybrid mower, which consists of solar panels on the surface of the mower and also a base station which uses conventional electricity to help recharge the battery. However, you can always buy a solar battery charger to replace the base station which can turn the Automower into a truly 100% solar powered lawn mower.
This is quite a different product that is actually a lawn mowing robot which trims your grass on its own by following a set path. It then returns itself to its base station to be recharged after it finishes mowing your lawn. Just about all solar mowers on the market today incorporate small solar panels that really just give the mower a boost while operating. These mowers need to sit out in the sun between uses for quite a long time to recharge the unit’s batteries.
Electric, Battery Powered Lawn Mowers
Electric eco-friendly mowers have started to develop into a new trend. This means no running to the local gas station with a fuel can and no gas emissions. Find the best electric mower for you. While mowers like this have been on the seen for many years, new technologies have allowed the electric lawn mowers to go cordless. For individuals who have accidentally ran over the old mower’s cord a few times, this is a great innovation. A rechargeable battery can be powered up the night before you plan to mow, decreasing the amount of electricity used. One more plus side, especially if you have had to deal with neighbors complaining about the lawn mower noise on an early Saturday morning, is that electric mowers are quieter than gas-powered mowers. You still have the same amount of cutting power to get the lawn cut to your preferred height. Also, you can play with all the cool little features specific to the type of mower that you purchase.
Gaining in popularity, especially with the advent of mower exchange programs where people trade in their gas mowers for rebates towards battery powered mowers. They are silent, light weight, have few moving parts, and are really low maintenance. Their drawback is that batteries eventually die and can be improperly disposed of or hazardous.There are quite a few battery powered lawnmowers that can be found either at online retailers or in home and garden or hardware stores. These products run completely off a battery and come with a standard battery charger which needs to be plugged into a power outlet.
Conclusion
Going green has become easier when it comes to mowing your yard. You can cut out the emissions while still keeping the beauty of your property by purchasing an eco-friendly lawn mower. Such an investment for the sake of the environment is a sound one.
Author Bio: This guest post was written by Philippe Allaire, a French Canadian writer with a passion for solar power. Solar power comes in many different sizes, powering your entire house, or even your lawn mower and to as small as little solar gadgets/toys.
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