Environmentally-Friendly Lawn mowers

Shoppers are taking a new interest in electrical and manual lawn mowers instead of diesel-fueled motorized mowers. Environmentalists say reel lawn mowers are a clean alternative to polluting gas-powered rotary models. Reel lawn mowers offer many benefits besides being environment-friendly, including benefits in safety, noise-level, maintenance and cost. Modern reel lawn mowers are easier to use than older models, because lightweight plastics and alloys incorporated into their framework have made them more maneuverable.

 

Home improvement stores are selling more electric mowers than ever before. Many consumers with smaller yards are purchasing reel-type mowers rather than investing in gas-powered or electric machines. Expense is one the factors with top-of-the-line electric mowers costing about $250 and the least-expensive gas mower costing about $300. People are not interesting in dealing with the noise, the fumes or the maintenance.

 

According to air quality experts, diesel lawn and garden equipment, including mowers, trimmers and leaf blowers, account for about ten percent of summertime ground-level ozone. Ozone pollution contributes to smog levels and the so-called "brown cloud" effect found in most U.S. cities in the summer.

Cities have responded. Lawn-mower exchange programs are one effort being made toward reducing lawn and garden equipment emissions. Cities offer cash incentives to exchange an older and less efficient mower for a cleaner newer one. Since 1997, all new mowers are required to meet tougher emissions standards, prompting many makers to do away with dirty two-stroke motors.