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Zero emissions lawn care



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  4. jashinspawprint
    • Mark Lewis
    • reporter
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"Gallon for gallon — or, given the size of lawnmower tanks, quart for quart — the 2006 lawn mower engines contribute 93 times more smog-forming emissions than 2006 cars, according to the California Air Resources Board."

A 2006 New York Times article pretty much sums it up.

But Robert Johnson does something different. His Green Team Lawn Care service, only recently started, uses zero emissions equipment: a reel mower, brooms, lawn clippers. And he travels around pulling all of it in a trailer behind his bike. The verdict? His customers love it.
jashinspawprint

24 responses // Zero emissions lawn care

  • It seems so simple...why don't we have more zero emissions equipment and services?
    kunnikr
  • I bought a reel mower a couple of years ago and now refuse to use gas mowers. It's quiet, it doesn't leave you smelling like gas, and it's lightweight and easy to use. I think everybody should get one. Oh, and there cheap, I got mine for about $90 at home depot.
    jostamey
  • do the trimmings also decompose on the ground?
    sustainablejohn
  • Yeah, they do! The worms love it and it makes the soil healthier.
    jostamey
  • Just curious, how much longer does it take to do the lawn with no power equipment?
    Liberal_Extinction
  • Johnson said it took him about an hour per average lawn - but keep in mind, there are no average lawns. The general advice is that reel mowers are appropriate for properties up to half an acre.
    jashinspawprint
  • i gotta say this service sounds great! but i like mine better. i raise goats. they trim the yard fertilize and aerate it. of course the fertilizer can be a bit sticky on the shoe.....
    somefamilylove
  • Wait really, familylove? Are the goats trained to stay in the boundaries of the yard? Was that a joke?
    asbomberox
  • http://current.com/items/88911339_from_drivers_to_cycli...
    Image...
    It's good to see that there are more and more people catching on...
    naty_forty
  • We always go over the top on things that don't need to be. Do we really need surround sound inside our cars? Do our showers have to be 2 hours? Yeah, they give us a better living, but its very selfish and superfluous. Somethings are better kept simple.
    ipodrulz
  • Gee, I wonder how much emissions the tractor uses when I bush hog the lots. 13 gal diesel to cut the grass in a 50 hp tractor. It's a good thing the cutter is 7' wide or I would use more diesel! Guess I could get some goats.
    Paratus
  • No oil, no electricity, just good old-fashioned elbow grease! I also hang my washing (much of which I have washed by hand) to dry - it is better for textiles than dryers, and doesn't use any electricity at all.

    I wash my dishes by hand - one bowl of water with the suds, a second bowl of water to rinse, then lay them on the rack to dry. This way, far less water and no electricity are used.

    Recycling waste includes a bin for organic waste which goes for compost - these are also collected in urban environments. Thus, no need for grinders under the sink, which also means that drains don't get clogged up and the water that goes down to the sewer is easier to process at the water-purifying plant.
    Vierotchka
  • are we all totaly paranoid of how this world
    is leading to by getting everybody to slash global emmisions by half and people like the goverment
    and energie power companies trying to get people
    to go green by switching off any electrical items
    that not in use during the day and when we go to
    our beds at night but people are switching to the
    futuristical atternative is by installing solar energie
    power pannels in the gardens and on roof tops on houses to give cheaper and safer engergy around the house and if we all that paranoid
    we all might as well do an rendition of the movie highlander 2 by putting a huge shield around the planet but it dose not stop the risk of armageddon though.


    from

    frankie smales

    (frankie smales movie and tv review uk)
    vectra08
  • could have gone for another minute of info...just really short. What else does this guy do that's green?
    image0434
  • Yeah, I'd like to know what kind of rates he has, too. This sounds like a service that could catch on, and I'm wondering if cutting down on equipment/fuel costs so much makes for a significantly more lucrative practice.
    benjaminV
  • lawn care? to hell with lawn care! the very idea of a "lawn" is such a new, yuppie idea. I say just back off and it grow wild and free! talk about zero emissions!
    thedismembermentplan
  • An environmentally friendly approach to lawn care that's totally retro... this is a great subject to profile and a good pod - but I want to know more! How did this guy get started, are more people starting similar businesses? I had no idea that lawn mowers contributed so much to pollution.
    hynese
  • This guy really must get paid.
    deg334
  • heidsmembermentplan, the very idea of a "lawn" is hundreds of years old, the art was developed centuries ago in Great Britain.
    Vierotchka
  • I love it! This is so the perfect pod for Earth day. It was extremely well paced, but the only thing was I was wishing there was a little more.

    Like maybe the counter argument from someone who swore by their power/drive mower and could give reasons for using it. And maybe a little bit about why it what made him think of the idea. But really don't take this as a bad review in any way this is a great subject and great story.

    patballosu
  • Vierotchka, yes you are correct. I was just watching the history channel earlier today and I saw a show called "the lawn: an American obsession". I guess I meant the lawn as in the very plain grass laws of suburbia in between white picket fences which became popular in the 1950s. the ones that conjure up images of stereotypical white neighbors competing for green-ness and battling weeds. but I do stick to the gist of my point, no cutting! just let it grow wild!
    thedismembermentplan
  • letting it grow wild. sounds romantic. but not very fun. long grass and weeds means more (hahchooo) pollen by the house,more ticks on the dogs cats and kids. and not to mention a great hiding place/ breeding ground for all kinds of nasty flea's. better i think to let the goats ( no not trained just awesome rumens. even if touched by loki.) trim, follow with the chickens to remove grubs n eggs from da poo , fertilize,aerate and de-tick n flea the area. this process will build topsoil from both ends. ( under and on top of the soil. ) it will also provide eggs and milk. throw in some worms to eat household leftovers and yer well on your way. or stay in the city and hire this eco-warrior to keep things up! hey honestly if you just do whatever you can you do make a difference.
    somefamilylove
  • somefamilylove -brilliant!
    thedismembermentplan
  • thank you sir ( non-gender specific sir intended here. lol)
    somefamilylove

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