CHAMBERS DESIGN
  • Home
  • Services
  • Projects
  • YardBlog

YardBlog

Test Drive Eco-Mowers with reYARD 

10/4/2016

1 Comment

 
This weekend, reYARD is giving you the chance to test drive eco-mower options.  On October 8, 2016 from 10am to 11am at the Maplewood Town Hall on 574 Valley Street in Maplewood, NJ, you can come check out two mower alternatives to the dirty, climate change contributing gasoline-powered lawn mowers. 
 
One of the options is a Push Reel Mower.  This is the old school human powered option.  You push it and it cuts.  The other eco-mower on display this Saturday is an electric mulching mower.  Electric mulching mowers do two things at once.  They can cut your grass and mulch leaves into your yard.  Mulched leaves are a great way to keep your lawn healthy while reducing the need to take leaves from your house. 
 
Best of all, when you come to the event you have the chance of winning your very own Scotts 20inch Classic Push Reel courtesy of Chambers Design.  It’s a great mower, I know.  I’ve used it to cut my grass many times. 
 
EVENT Details: 
October 8, 2016
10am – 11am
574 Valley Street, Maplewood, NJ (Maplewood Town Hall)

 
reYARD Recap
So what is reYARD?  It’s a rating system for residential properties to figure out how sustainable their landscaping is.  It’s full of incredible ways that you can use your yard to make the environment, your life and the planet happier and healthier.  As you implement sustainable practices to your landscape, you get points.  As you accrue different amounts of points, you level up your rating.  There are four levels: member, bronze, silver and gold.  Gold is the highest and the hardest to achieve.  The system was developed by the collaboration South Orange, Maplewood and Millburn.  I helped write it…so I think it’s really awesome. 
 
The system can also be used to gain ideas and inspiration for ways to go green with your yard.  Plus, it’s an educational tool for people that just want to learn more about sustainable yard care.  Since it was launched a couple of years ago, it’s been growing in popularity.  reYARD has 6 points that relate to the type of yard equipment you use, hence the reason for the eco-mower test drive. 
 
Bad, Bad Lawn Mower
If you are like me, you have sat in dread on a Saturday afternoon as your young child naps in the other room while outdoors the sounds of buzzing lawn mowers grows louder and louder.  The entire time you hope the noise doesn’t wake your sweet sleeping angel and then turns him or her into a screaming, cranky, unhappy baby!
 
Though waking up a kid is immediately troubling, the aftermath of gasoline-powered lawnmowers and other yard equipment linger long after the racket is gone.  
 
For example, one hour of mowing with typical gas-powered lawnmower equals driving your car for 200 miles…and I’m not talking about driving a Prius or Volt.  Most lawn care equipment is not manufactured with the same emissions regulations as cars, so higher amounts of air pollutants are emitted.  These noxious fumes can make you feel sick.  Long-term exposure can have bigger health impacts.  All of that exhaust equals lots and lots of greenhouse gases.
 
A small car emits nearly 1 ton of CO2 during a 200-mile trip while an SUV can emit more than double that.  So all of those buzzing lawn mowers literally represent thousands of tons of carbon getting into the atmosphere.  Climate change isn’t good for your kids either.  Though CO2 doesn’t amount to much danger in the moment, it is not just going away.  It’s making climate change worse.
 
But There’s Alternatives
I like solutions.  Problems without solutions tend to be just big pains in the butt.  For issue of emissions with your yard care, you can use electric mowers as well as human-powered equipment.  There’s no shortage of electrical equipment.  I’m personally a big fan of Ryobi’s battery operated trimmers (AKA weed wackers) and lawn mowers. I’ve owned both for several years.  They cut the grass and weeds will ease, and when the batteries need to be charged, they charge up fast. 
 
The other alternative is a push reel also called the push mower.  It’s the old school approach to cutting your grass.  Where electrical tools still emit carbon somewhere off site, push reels don’t need an external power source.  So you get nice carbon free mowed lawns. All you have to do is keep the blades sharp (which is very, very easy).
 
reYARD Again
The event on Oct 8, 2016 (at 10am) is an opportunity for homeowners to get first-hand knowledge of mower options plus you can find out more about reYARD AND potentially go home with your very own push reel.
 
EVENT Details: 
October 8, 2016
10am – 11am
574 Valley Street, Maplewood, NJ (Maplewood Town Hall)
Other blogs about how you can fight Climate Change with your Yard
1. Healthy Soil for Fighting Climate Change
​
2. Fight Climate Change with Your Yard
3.That Rain Barrel You've Always Wanted
​4. Yard Detox Challenge: Two Month Check-In
1 Comment

    About YardBlog

    The goal is to make this blog a resource for helpful tips and sustainable ideas.  I create original content that shows projects in progress and the behind-the-scenes of installation.  And, I try to have as much fun as I can doing it.

    Archives

    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    January 2020
    December 2019
    October 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

ABOUT
CONTACT
JOIN OUR TEAM
HIC# 13VH08327200
Photos used under Creative Commons from Just chaos, t-mizo