Not only is mowing your lawn a noisy and tedious task, it can also be terrible for the environment and a significant contributor to smog. When considering the carbon footprint of your average around the house appliances, nothing is perhaps more polluting than the petrol lawn mower. According to a frequently cited 2001 study done in Sweden concerning small engine emissions, using the average petrol lawnmower for one hour emits the same quantity of CO2 as driving a 1992 model car 100 miles. For industrial-sized lawnmowers, the emissions are the equivalent of a 650 mile car trip. That is a lot of pollution just to cut the grass, especially when the gas guzzling engines can easily be replace with a battery powered electric engine. Beginning in 2011, the EPA will implement stricter emissions standards that are intended to reduce the CO2 output of lawn equipment by at least 35%.
There has been a new wave of electric lawnmowers to replace these heavily polluting gasoline mowers of the past. There is always to DIY option (an old mower, electric motor and controller, and a couple car batteries), but store bought electric mowers have increased in popularity over the past decade, with some pretty cool variations.
- The Plug-In Electric: Good for small backyards. All you need is a long extension cord and you are all set for pollution free mowing.
- Battery Powered: Loaded up with a powerful battery pack that will last you the hour or so mowing your lawn will take, battery powered mowers are versatile and clean. The battery pack will make them a little heavier than there gasoline predecessor and will require charging between jobs, but that is certainly a small price to pay for fresh air.
- Solar Powered: While the solar panel is really only good for recharging the battery, the image of a couple solar panels mounted to a lawnmower certainly catches my eye.
- Automatic Self-propelled Solar Powered Mower: This is perhaps the crown jewel of environmentally friendly lawn care; the spunky son of the automated vacuum.
Pictured above is Husqvarna’s Autonomous Solar Powered Lawnmower. Sit on your porch and watch as this little machine quietly mows ever corner of your lawn. About 40 minutes of charging is all it takes, and the mower will run for about the same duration of time.
