Tillers, mowers, blowers, weed-whackers and other lawn-and-garden power equipment are all sources of pollution. These gas-guzzling gizmos account for 5 percent of U.S. air pollution overall, and for that reason the EPA is requiring manufacturers to increase their efficiency. New regulations are expected to reduce hydrocarbon emissions and carbon-monoxide.
In the meantime, however, there are two excellent alternatives to traditional mowers, especially for those of you with small lawns. One is the old-fashioned, human-powered reel mower, for which sales have increased in the past five years. Another is the cordless electric mower. These rechargeable machines will cut the average lawn on a single charge, and they cost about as much to run as a toaster. They also don't require much in the way of maintenance.
Given the cost of lawn mowers, it's important to service yours regularly as a means of protecting your investment and keeping it running at peak efficiency. After all, a 3.5-horsepower lawn mower, if it's poorly tuned, will emit the same amount of pollutants in one hour as a new car driven 340 miles. Mowers should be serviced on a regular basis, ideally at the beginning or at the end of every mowing season. A typical lawn mower tune-up is much like a car's, including installing a new spark plug, belts, hoses and filters and inspecting all the parts. Also, remember to drain the gas from the tank before you put your mower away for the winter. Old gas left in the tank can gum up engine parts and cause all kinds of problems. And speaking of gas, the EPA claims that 17 million gallons of fuel, mostly gasoline, are spilled each year just fueling lawn equipment. That's more than all the oil spilled by the Exxon Valdez, in the Gulf of Alaska.
