Great Green Idea: Green Gardening: Green Tools for the Yard

Green Tools for the Yard

Labor-saving devices for the yard are usually not very environmentally friendly. Having a green lawn usually has very little to do with being green. There is no easy way to go about saying this. The best types of tools for your yard that are green (energy efficient) are going to all have one thing in common! They are going to be human-powered! That's right â€” green yard tools don't depend on fossil fuels; they depend on sweet equity.

Unfortunately it is not always practical to use human-powered tools if you have a large area to care for. There are other energy-powered tools that are much more eco-friendly to use. Electric-powered tools and solar-powered tools are kinder to the environment than fossil-fueled tools.

The Facts

The facts about fossil fuel-powered yard tools can be quite astounding. Gas-powered lawnmowers are responsible for more gas spillage in one year than the entire Valdez oil spill, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Apparently, each year when lawn mowing season rolls around more people spill gas when they are trying to fill up their lawn mower than all of the oil spilled in one of the most tragic oil spills ever! This does not account for the leaky motors that are dripping oil as they chug along.

Here is another little factoid; little motors blow out a massive amount of emissions. According to the EPA mowing a yard that is one and one quarter acre large is equivalent to driving a nineteen ninety five pick up truck from Washington DC to New York than back again when it comes to the amount of emissions being released!

Options

You do have options. There are great electric mowers on the market that have come a long way since their inception that will do exactly what your gas powered models will do, without the emissions. More manufacturers are producing tools that are energy-efficient and green.

Solar-powered lawn mowers are also available but they are expensive. Of course with solar-powered models you never have to pay for energy so the expense will be offset after a couple of seasons of not buying fuel.

Reel push-mowers are making a come back. They are completely environmentally friendly because they rely solely on human power. They are the perfect green tool to keep a small yard well-manicured.

Keeping it Green

Keeping your yard green and not causing harm to the environment can mean giving up that riding gas guzzling mower for something a little more environmentally friendly! Consider planting a low-growing turf and native species of flora to keep the need for attending to the lawn and plantings to a minimum.

Use rakes and manual head trimmers instead of gas-powered models. If you insist on using gas-powered lawn mowers than make sure you follow the manufacturer's recommended maintenance schedule. Following the manufacturer's recommended maintenance schedule will keep some of the emissions in check!