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Here’s a little bit of good, common-sense news to celebrate this Independence Day: city officials in drought-stricken Sacramento have decided against fining a local couple for not watering their lawn. Guess the ongoing news coverage embarrassed the right people into doing the right thing.
A little background: after California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared emergency drought conditions in the state early last month, homeowners Matt George and Anne Hartridge decided that lavishing grass with a precious liquid wasn’t the right way to deal with the crisis. So they stopped watering their lawn. Naturally, the grass responded by turning a crisp, dead brown. And, naturally, some disapproving lawn-lover complained.
By Joe Mohr •
June 23, 2008
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
By billygoodnick •
November 5, 2007
How many of you watered your lawn this week? Come on, raise your hands, don’t be shy. Good.
Bearing in mind that I’m writing from southern California, here’s your next question. If the average annual rainfall in Santa Barbara is between 18 and 21 inches, and we only received 6 this year, and a chicken gets on a train in Miami heading north at 60 mph into a 6 mph headwind, how long will it take to water your lawn [...]
