Being someone who tries to live as green as possible comes with its own challenges and frustrations—perhaps even more so since our family chose to live in the suburbs.
At first it was clear that we were doing things that some of our neighbors found confusing or downright strange. At first we had a hand or “wheel” mower and I distinctly remember one of our neighbors across the street jokingly yelling that we should get a “real” mower. I called back to say that our lawnmower was indeed real, and the irony is that if my lawnmower was gas powered, I most likely wouldn’t be able to hear him if he called me.
I have since switched to a battery-powered electric lawnmower, but my frustrations in the yard continue. We have many mature trees and there is a strong emphasis on leaf collection and bagging by our community. I learned that this is worse for the environment.
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Leaf packing prevents environmental benefits
“Leaves are often thrown away – treated like rubbish,” said Matthew Shepherd, director of information and education at the Xerces Invertebrate Conservation Society, in an interview with PBS News Hour. By bagging them all, “we inadvertently impoverish our landscapes.”
Fall leaves, as it turns out, have many benefits. For example, they provide habitat for animals and nutrients for the soil.
And the situation with the leaves does not end there. On my frequent walks around the neighborhood, I enjoy the sounds and smells of several of my neighbors mulching their leaves (even in December) with their gas lawn mowers.
Ironically, with global warming, many will be using their gas lawn mowers almost year-round and on a regular basis in an effort to get golf course turf. But they may not realize the surprising amount of pollution being thrown into the air.
A CBS News report found out how much:
“Gas tools emit pollutants that can lead to lung cancer, heart disease and respiratory problems, California lawmakers say.” Using a gas lawnmower for an hour creates about the same amount of emissions as a car driving from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, according to the California Air Resources Board.”
If you must mow, Louisville has a program to help you switch to a cleaner, quieter alternative.
The Louisville Metro Air Pollution Control Area offers discounts for people who buy lawn care products like lawn mowers that don’t use gasoline through their Lawn care for cleaner air program. And rebates can go as high as $100 to replace polluting gas lawn mowers.
So maybe it’s time to rethink your yard routine. The health of your family, community and planet depends on it.
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Stuart Ungar is the executive director of the Louisville Sustainability Council.