Eco Friendly Mowing Myths

Myth #1: Eco-Friendly Mowers Lack the Power You need
Short of thick brush or wet grass, you will not see a lack of power from an electric mower or weed eater. Todays electrics have powerful motors that are suitable for most urban lawns. In fact, this 36-Volt Cordless Lawn Mower offers the power equivalent to a 4.0 horsepower gasoline-powered mower. The only difference is that you do not have to deal with the hassles of buying gas, changing oil, exhausting pull starts, figuring out why it doesn’t start and all the other problems that make gas mowers such a pain . Lastly, many people have been conditioned to look at horsepower figures when shopping for anything that has a gas engine. The reality is that most people buy way too much horse power than they really need. After all, you are cutting blades of grass, not not bamboo canes!

Myth #2: Green Eco Friendly Lawn Mowers Are Much More Expensive than Gas Power.
By in large, most electrics cost about the same or less than your run of the mill gas mower. Then of course, you have all the operating costs associated with gas power. For example, if takes half a gallon to mow your lawn and you mow 10 or more times each year, then at current fuel prices you are spending over $20-$30 a year to operate your mower. By comparison, It costs about $5 a year in electricity to operate a battery or electric-powered lawn mower. An electric mower will actually pay for itself, the same cannot be said about a gas mower.

Myth #3: Eco Friendly Lawn Mowers Will Not Make a Difference in my Mowing.
When thinking about making green changes, one of the stumbling blocks is always thinking that what you are doing makes no difference in the grand scheme of things. If everyone thought like that, then no one would recycle, use energy efficient bulbs, drive low emissions cars, etc. If it helps you, think about all the benefits and changes you will make right in your own back yard with an eco friendly mower.

• Save money on running costs.
• No oil changing or other expensive repairs that end costing more than the mower.
• No more fumes or carcinogens to breathe while you mow.
  
• No dangerous fuels to store or spills to clean up.
  
• No flying projectiles from over powered engines you do not need.
• No obnoxious or harmful noise levels to annoy your family and neighbors.
• No exhausting pull cords , fail starts.
• Lighter and easier to maneuver, especially around obstacles.

Myth #4: Using an Eco-Friendly Lawn Mower is Too Hard.
Im not sure how this one got started, the fact is they are much easier to use. Forget about pull starts, just press a button and start walking. Talk about easy! Unlike gas powered mowers, electric mowers are much lighter and easier to push. This eliminates the need for self propulsion. You will find electrics to be much easier to maneuver especially around obstacles.

Myth #5: Choosing The Right Green Lawn Mower is Too Difficult or Confusing.
While there are many choices such as cordless, corded and robotic. Choice is good! Depending on your fitness level, yard size, environmental interest, and needs, this website as well as others such as GreenGardenTools.com can help you select the right lawn mower for your job. .

Who cares about the environment?  is a common question and it deserves an uncommon answer.   Without sounding sappy or unreal, the environment is and should continue to be every one’s concern.  Everyone!  We’ve pointed out how negatively our precious environment is affected by poor decisions or inaction but what about conscious decisions and conscious actions?   What about decisions we make each time the gas lawn mower is started?  or that gas grass trimmer?

These actions make us all guilty of harming the environment and we’re here to tell you it’s not hard to change.  Our planet needs people who know the damage they can cause as well as the good they can share.

Share the good by doing away with your gas guzzling lawn mower and upgrade to an earth friendly electric powered lawn tool.  It will make a difference the first day and that is a satisfaction no one can take!  That good feeling to know you are not contributing to our earth’s pollution is one that can leave a lasting scene of goodness that is also contagious.

As a contributor of green garden tools, you can tell others you’re not contributing to more pollution and can even be a hero in your children’s eyes as well as your neighbor’s but more importantly, a hero in your own eyes.

Black and Decker grass trimmers (about 200,000) are recalled  Tuesday due to serious safety concerns.  The Black & Decker Grasshog XP has been in trouble in the past after approximately 700 reports of incidents and over 50 citing real injuries in July of 2007.

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, the Black and Decker Grasshog can cause “serious” lacerations and burns.  These are not light problems that Black and Decker has to face including future losses due to the massive recall.  Reports indicate the spool cap and other pieces of the unit can can become loose and be shot out from the unit at high speeds causing serious injuries to the operator and others including children.

This report comes at a time where consumers are trying to make good decisions based on the environment and the economy and now 200,000 Black and Decker grass trimmers are being pulled from store shelves around the country.  Black and Decker used to be a trusted name in garden tools and other but with a second incident, experts indicate they are going to have to work very hard and struggle to get their reputation back on track and get Americans to trust in their products again.

Look at other alternatives here
Unfortunately, the entire industry is getting a bad rap however there are still plenty of reputable, durable, and efficient power tools to consider.  Take for example the 21.6 Volt Cordless Lithium String which converts from trimmer to edger for a very economical price.

One aspect of using electric powered garden tools may not occur to you right away but it is the one thing most people complain they don’t have enough of: TIME!

Believe it or not, electric power tools can actually save you time.  It is an obvious fact that electricity is available immediately and it’s this quality that ensures electric garden tool users save time.  While not to exaggerate the extent of the time saved, it can become significant over a period.

The electric powered tool requires less maintenance and no gas filling at all.   The electric garden tool is available right away either with a battery pack or an extension cord.  Many of you may already be familiar with electric weed wackes, they have been around for a very long time but are now more popular along with electric lawn mowers.

Saving time is a nice benefit of using electric powered garden tools.

One thing everyone has to deal with if they use gasoline powered garden tools is odor and dirt.  Gasoline engines get quite filthy over time.  The gas smell and oil tend to come out and can even add to earth pollution by contaminating our ground.

Gasoline engines require extra maintenance and when neglected can  be more problems than what they are worth.  If you are going to keep a gas powered garden tool, you will need to change the oil, replace filters, and in severe cases, rebuild the engine.  The gas lines can clog, spark plugs can fail and other countless problems can arise.

For the most part, gasoline engines are simply dirtier and less attractive than quiet electric garden tools.  When deciding what electric lawn mower or weed eater, it’s important to consider the long term maintenance and car of the tool.

Electric engines are what some might call “plug and play” and require very little maintenance.  Take a look  at some options.

When deciding which electric lawnmower to go with, you have one critical choice: cord
or no cord. As with most things, convenience and affordability are king. Not having the cord is obviously convenient however having a cord ensures continuous power to your lawn mower and can ensure
a faster job.

Consider the Following:

• Price
• Power
• Convenience
• Ease of use

Cordless Lawnmowers
The cordless mower may cost quite a bit more than a corded mower but you get a huge advantage in that you can mow a more expansive lawn without being tethered to a power source. Due to recent advances in battery technology, a cordless mower can have up to 4 hours of run time on a single charge. They are also quite powerful, with 36 volt models having up to 4hp power motors. As with anything, there are some drawbacks, the main one being having the extra costs of replacing batteries. Another drawback is that mowing long or wet grass will put more strain on the battery and reduce continuous run time.

Corded Lawnmowers
Corded lawnmowers are perfect for those who have a typical small suburban lawn. You get continuous run time without having to worry about batteries. Maintenance costs are virtually 0 and the mowers are quite inexpensive. Another big plus is that they only cost about $5 a year (the cost of 2 gallons of gas) in electric costs to run. So the mower will pay for itself in no time versus a regular gas mower. The obvious disadvantage is the cord. While not a big deal on small lawns, the biggest concern here cord damage from accidentally mowing it over. This can be overcome with a little bit of care however.
Get FREE SHIPPING on Selected Electric Lawn Mower Orders at GreenGardenTools.com

Making the leap to electric powered garden tools is a serious decision.  How and when to do it requires planning and thought.  The best time to go green and change from gasoline power to electric is usually during the summertime when the garden requires more care and maintenance.

But I already have a gas powered mower and other tools….

Here is the tough part.  What do you do if you really want to go green but already have existing tools in working condition.  This is a sacrifice you need to make and retire your older tools for newer more efficient and earth friendly tools.  Just like changing light bulbs to more energy efficient ones, you actually have to eliminate the old and go with the new.

Should I donate the old tools?

At first, this seems like a perfectly logical solution but if you’re serious about going green and are ready to invest a few hundred dollars, you don’t want to give your problem away, you want to eliminate it.  Here is where you can reuse an old lawn mower or other tools by turning them into other useful things such as ornaments or re-purpose them  to serve a different function.  We have heard of people reusing the metal or turning the metal in for scrap and actually making money!

It is clear that going from gas to electric is a big and serious decision and one that will make a huge difference in your life as well as the planet’s.

As an environmentally conscious person, I take extra care in keeping Mother Earth  free from more pollutants and take steps to do my part.  In addition to recycling and reusing, taking little extra steps can make a big difference.  The power is in numbers! Here are five ways to help your planet:

Plants are a great way to offset CO2 gases and produce fresh Oxygen.  Keeping the garden well trimmed also adds to beautifying your neighborhood and naturally, using fuel efficient or electric powered garden tools seals the deal and if you really want to do your part, plant a tree!

It may sound simple but changing light bulbs to CFL (compact fluorescent light bulb) use 1/4 the energy than conventional incandescent bulbs.  This means less energy wasted.

For the really green, go natural and hang your washed clothes on a clothes line instead of the dryer.  Many have even taken up hand washing clothes and making it a Sunday morning family event.

Insulation and basic inexpensive house treating to save even more energy such as carefully wrapping your water heater with a low cost insulated blanket.  You can also reseal windows to keep cold/heat from escaping.

Reuse fabric bags instead of paper or plastic at the grocery store.

Most people don’t think about garden tools as an environmental polluter and simply use gas powered tools because well “that’s how it is”.  The truth however is that gas guzzling lawn mower is a big contributor to air pollution.  Think of how many other lawn mowers are around your neighborhood and how often they are used and increase the usage due to Summer then multiply that by the hundreds of other neighborhoods around the block, city, state, country.

This puts the reason to get an electric garden tool into perspective.  Not to mention, the electric versions are cleaner, quieter, save money and overall a better choice!

Reasons to Go Electric!

• 0 emmissions and no polution
• Never have to make those  inconvenient trips to the gas station
• Mow or weed eat as early as you want
• No more pull starts that never start
• No gas storage hassles and dangers
• Lighter equipment that’s easier to handle and use

Are you ready to go electric? View a great selection or electric both corded and cordless tools here