by Charlotte Mielziner

Created on: February 17, 2009

On a typical summer weekend, approximately 54 million Americans will roll out their lawn mowers and cut the grass. Most of these intrepid weekend warriors are unaware of what their motorized maulers of the meadow are contributing to greenhouse gases. Combined, lawnmowers use 800 million gallons of gasoline per year and emit a quantity of polluntants into the air that would choke a lawn jockey.

Data from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reveals that one gas mower spews 87 lbs. of CO2 and 54 lbs. of other pollutants, primarily in the form of carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide and mulitple organic compounds into the atmosphere each year. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, using a standard gas mower for one hour is the polluting equivalent of driving 8 new cars at 55 miles per hour for the same period of time. The EPA statistics state that gas mowers contribute up to 5% of air pollution in the United States.

Partly due to the rising cost of gasoline and the neighborly concerns over noise pollution, alternative sources of lawn mowing have become more popular. Foremost among these are electric lawnmowers, both corded and battery driven. The noise produced by an electric mower is about half that of gas powered mowers. Not requiring gasoline amounts to a far greater savings both monetarily and environmentally than the electric needed to power the engine.

Financially speaking, an electric mower makes common sense. They generally cost about half the price of a gas mower. Cordless models can run a bit more, but have an added advantage of no cord to watch over. The savings continue. An electric mower costs around $3 to $5 dollars to power for a year of use. Filling the gas tank just once on a traditional mower can easily cost that much. Over the expected lifetime of the mower, the savings becomes significant.

Electric mowers tend to be lighter to push as well with corded units weighing less than battery operated models. This should be quite an advantage for the budding young entrepreneurs going about the neighborhood cutting the neighbor's lawns. Dad should also be happy not finding an empty tank every time he wants to use the mower.

Although technology is improving, the main drawback to an electric mower is that of power. Electric mowers are usually rated in watts (1hp = 746 watts) and the basic model starts at 1.5 - 2 hp where most gas models have at least 3 hp. This difference is probably negligible in small to medium sized lawns depending on how long and thick the grass is when cut. If you have a corded model, your limit is the length of the cord, usually a 100 foot cord is provided with your purchase. If you're cutting major acreage, a riding gas mower might be more to your liking.

Having that suburban symbol of pride in the neatly trimmed yard, being frugal and reducing your carbon footprint is a doable situation with an electric mower. It is one more step in diminishing our dependence on fossil fuels and one that we can choose for ourselves.

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