Eco-Lawn Mowing... Yeah, I'm a nerd. What of it?

So I’m shifting focus from politically charged entries to environmentally focused ones for a bit now. It only seems appropriate since my degree is in Environmental Studies and all... 

Since graduating, I’ve really tried to look critically at everything I do in my day-to-day life, to determine what can be done in a more Earth-conscious way. Especially now that Bill and I are “homeowners,” I’ve  discovered a lot of different approaches for tackling things around the house. And the first thing I’d like to focus on is lawn mowing. (...NOT the euphemism.)

Having done lawn and garden maintenance daily for a summer job, I have often thought about the impact of all that gas people used, just for the sake of keeping up appearances. It especially bothered me when we were doing weekly maintenance on places that were used for maybe two weeks of the entire year. I remember hearing about one girl that was interviewed to work with our company who refused the job because our boss would not use anything but gas-powered mowers. I thought that this was fantastic. Having never used a hand-powered mower before however, and knowing that some of the lawns we were responsible for were quite large, I didn’t think this was a very practical approach to the business we were in, and I liked the work, so I stayed. This was a few years ago now, when gas was cheaper, weed killer was allowed, and global warming was still debated as being a possible “myth”. Besides, there weren’t many people who would take you seriously if you were combating the evils of gas-powered lawn mowers, even just those few years ago.

When we first took over the house, I was actually excited to buy a “reel” lawn mower. I know this sounds dumb, but I’ve always liked mowing the lawn (again, NOT implying a euphemism here!!!!) I think it’s because I’m a little OCD and like to keep things groomed and tidy. (.... Ok, the innuendo just keeps coming to mind now... so let’s just move on...)

As mentioned, I was really looking forward to buying a hand-powered lawn mower, but most people I talked to about it were cynical naysayers. “Have fun pushing that thing around the yard five times” or “Yeah, I’d like to see you try to move one of those things” were the most common reactions. To be honest, I was starting to question my thinking, but I’m stubborn and like to prove people wrong, so I convinced Bill (who only agreed with the condition that I would have to be the one to do all the mowing) that we should buy a reel mower. I am so glad I didn’t listen to all of the negative comments, because I am so happy with our hand powered mower!

It is SOO much easier on my wrists and hands than pushing around a motorized mower, and despite what people think, it’s actually lighter and easier to move. Cost-wise it is absolutely the best investment. It was cheaper to buy than any other type of mower, we don’t need to purchase any fuel, and it doesn’t add to our electric bill like a plug-in mower.  The only maintenance fee is sharpening the blades, and you aren’t going to get away from that with any other mower either. Honestly, the only cheaper option is not mowing your lawn. And of course it is more environmentally friendly than burning through gas and oil, or plugging into the questionably sourced electric grid.

I will admit there is at least one major drawback to the reel mower though. No, I do not have to go over the lawn multiple times – it cuts all the grass just fine the first time around. But dandelions? Forget it. You can go over dandelions (and similar weeds) 50 times if you want to, but for some reason they just will not be defeated by a hand powered mower. Sure the weed might get a little hacked up here and there, but you just won’t be able to chop it down nearly as well as with a motorized mower. But don’t let that little issue stop you from choosing to buy a reel mower over a motorized one. With the new laws regarding weed killers, and the push toward eco-conscious lawn maintenance, the best and most effective way to get rid of weeds on your lawn is to actually physically hand-weed them anyway. And there are lots of tools you can buy to make this easier, including  those ones that allow you to rip the weed up without even having to bend over. Not that I’m recommending that style, because I hear it leaves a big hole in the ground... but you know, you do have options.

Forget the environmental aspect for a minute. If you’re looking for the lightest, easiest to use, most cost-effective lawn mower, it doesn’t make sense to buy anything but a hand-powered reel mower. If you’re not looking for those things, you should be, because honestly, why make your life any harder than it has to be? Even if you don’t care about the environment at all, there are enough selfish reasons to buy a reel mower that cancel out the eco-conscious aspect, so you don’t have to come across as a tree-hugging hippy.

And now that I’m writing about home maintenance I officially feel like an old lady.