Green Options

When I think of Husqvarna, I think of chainsaws with 36″ blades that can fell large trees in a single pass. I think of 10 horsepower snow blowers that can clear a driveway in ten minutes. So when I learned that the Swedish power equipment company had developed a solar-powered lawnmower, completely eliminating the gas-powered hum created by virtually all of their products, I was intrigued.

Which is better for you and your lawn–the traditional gas-powered lawnmower or the human-powered push reel mower?

Pros and Cons of the traditional gas-powered lawnmower
Pros:
* Consistently cuts everything growing in your lawn, be it grass, weeds, vines, etc…
* Easy to push for long periods of time (ie large lawns)
Cons:
* Air pollution. According to the EPA the average gas-powered lawn mower emits as much pollution per hour as 11 automobiles do during that same time span. Why? The lawn mower engine is a two-cycle engine which pumps out over 90 times more pollution per gallon of gas than any car or truck.
* Noise pollution.
* Recurring gas costs. In case you were unaware–we’re over $4/gallon!
* Maintenance costs.

Pros and Cons of the human-powered push reel mower
Pros:
* Only pollution during mowing is the CO2 that you exhale.
* Quiet.
* The new models have sharp blades and will outperform and outlast the reel mowers your parents pushed around as kids.
* Inexpensive.
* Better exercise considering you aren’t inhaling engine exhaust while mowing.
Cons:
* Does not cut all tall grasses and weeds. After using one for 3 years now. I’d say (as I’ve said to my neighbors) it cuts at about a 93% success rate.
* Not reasonable for large lawns.

The (Unexpected) Outcome