By: Scott Walker on Mon May 5, 2008

Did you know that one hour of riding lawnmower use creates the equivalent pollution of a car driving 1300 miles (based on an estimate by the Californian South Coast Air Quality Management District), and that in many cities, 33% of air pollution during the summer is caused by lawn and garden equipment small engines (source: EPA)? Greenhouses gases, small particle pollution, noxious fumes and the deafening din of a gas-guzzling engine – the days of Dad throttling about his little piece of terra firma on a lawnmower on Sunday morning are long gone.

This summer season it only makes sense to go green with your lawncare – rising gas prices and concerns about global warming are both at record highs, and Canadian company Linamar has launched the greenest lawn mower on the market with performance comparable to a traditional motorized lawnmower, one hour battery life, and solar energy charging capabilities.

Electric
The benefits of electric lawnmowers are many – incredibly cheap to operate, electric lawnmower use costs at the most $5 annually in electricity, which far surpasses the costly annual expenditures of a gas lawn mower. No tune-ups are required, and an electric lawnmower starts at the push of a button and doesn’t stall, which makes chore-time easier for your teenage son or daughter!

There are a couple of electric lawnmowers I’d recommend, depending on the size of your yard. For small yards, Black & Decker makes a cordless lawnmower called the CMM 100 that does wonders – the height can be adjusted quite easily, and it’s available for under $400. If that’s out of your budget, MTD manufactures a Electric Mini Mower that’s not cordless, but costs $200.

Manual
Sometimes known as the self-propelled or hand lawnmower, the manual lawn mowers of today are lightweight, operate on near friction-less bearings, and far more advanced than the one Archie used to push around the lawn in the Eisenhower years. Great exercise, too, but the downside is that if you’re an infrequent mower, (some of us do get distracted!), you’ll be pushing a lot harder to cut the grass.

But if you’re a cottage dweller, interested in a little more exercise, or just like the look, why not opt for Sunlawn’s LMM-40? The cutting height is adjustable, it’s lighter than previous models, you can add on a grass catcher, and it usually sells for around $180.

There are other manual lawnmowers on the market, as well, and the savvy shopper can often find a great deal by checking out local Mom & Pop lawncare shops, as well as the inevitable garage sales that accompany spring cleaning.

Any of these green lawnmower options are great, and they’ll ensure a tranquil and peaceful summer, giving the rest of the chance to sleep properly while you’re mowing!