<![CDATA[Grist - Comment Feed for The perfect lawn doesn’t require a gas-powered mower]]> Grist Comment Feed en Comment #1 by Morgan http://www.grist.org/article/2009-07-13-green-lawn-care-electric-mowers/ Tue, 14 Jul 2009 09:20:41 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/2009-07-13-green-lawn-care-electric-mowers/1 Moving from gas to electric is definitely a step forward, but many are not aware that in many regions of the country, our electricity comes from burning coal. It's important to remember that in caring about the environment, less is more--all that upgrading fills up the landfill. http://www.ecohearth.com/eco-news/eco-op-ed/704-too-much-choice-bad-for-you-and-the-earth.html

]]> Moving from gas to electric is definitely a step forward, but many are not aware that in many regions of the country, our electricity comes from burning coal. It's important to remember that in caring about the environment, less is more--all that upgrading fills up the landfill. http://www.ecohearth.com/eco-news/eco-op-ed/704-too-much-choice-bad-for-you-and-the-earth.html

]]> Comment #2 by piglet http://www.grist.org/article/2009-07-13-green-lawn-care-electric-mowers/ Tue, 14 Jul 2009 12:52:54 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/2009-07-13-green-lawn-care-electric-mowers/2 YOU GUYS! YOU'RE ALL CAUGHT UP IN MOWING THE LAWN INSTEAD OF LOOKING AT WHY WE SHOULD HAVE NO LAWN! LANDSCAPING ACCORDING TO NATURAL LOCAL ENVIRONMENTS WILL BE ESSENTIAL AS WE AWAKE TO THE MASSIVE WATER ISSUES COMING OUR WAY. BESIDES, WHEN I THINK OF ALL THE CHEMICALS USED ON LAWNS TO KEEP THEM GREEN AND "WEED-FREE" ALL OF WHICH SEEPS INTO OUR GROUND WATER I WONDER WHY YOU ARE NOT PUTTING YOUR GREAT BRAINS AND THINKING INTO SOLVING THE "NO LAWNS" ISSUE.

]]> YOU GUYS! YOU'RE ALL CAUGHT UP IN MOWING THE LAWN INSTEAD OF LOOKING AT WHY WE SHOULD HAVE NO LAWN! LANDSCAPING ACCORDING TO NATURAL LOCAL ENVIRONMENTS WILL BE ESSENTIAL AS WE AWAKE TO THE MASSIVE WATER ISSUES COMING OUR WAY. BESIDES, WHEN I THINK OF ALL THE CHEMICALS USED ON LAWNS TO KEEP THEM GREEN AND "WEED-FREE" ALL OF WHICH SEEPS INTO OUR GROUND WATER I WONDER WHY YOU ARE NOT PUTTING YOUR GREAT BRAINS AND THINKING INTO SOLVING THE "NO LAWNS" ISSUE.

]]> Comment #3 by Cara_J http://www.grist.org/article/2009-07-13-green-lawn-care-electric-mowers/ Tue, 14 Jul 2009 16:25:26 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/2009-07-13-green-lawn-care-electric-mowers/3

I've used a manual mower for two years, except for about 3 occasions when we've let it get too long and had to borrow a conventional mower. The manual mower has some wonderful advantages but also a downside: It won't cut very long grass, wet plants, or various other plants/weeds--a problem for those of us who don't treat with chemicals. It's a workout and takes longer.


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I've used a manual mower for two years, except for about 3 occasions when we've let it get too long and had to borrow a conventional mower. The manual mower has some wonderful advantages but also a downside: It won't cut very long grass, wet plants, or various other plants/weeds--a problem for those of us who don't treat with chemicals. It's a workout and takes longer.


]]> Comment #4 by Morgan http://www.grist.org/article/2009-07-13-green-lawn-care-electric-mowers/ Tue, 14 Jul 2009 21:30:24 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/2009-07-13-green-lawn-care-electric-mowers/4 I live in a non-lawn community in the high desert and have never owned a mower. My yard is natural native grasses, flowers, and scrubby-looking trees, watered only by occasional rain.  Sometimes we cut the grass with a scythe to keep the fire hazard low near the house. A groomed, chemically treated lawn is not part of my universe. I can't imagine spending time and energy on something so trivial. Goats are probably the best solution for weeds.

I am aware though, that in most US cities, lawns are the norm. If I lived in such an environment, I would make my front yard edible and more interesting. For sure, there would be no chemical applications.  I agree that we will be facing major water issues. Some sort of ground cover holds the soil and regreens the land, which rainwater catchment can support. In the high desert, lawns are frowned upon if not completely disallowed by zoning laws. I'd be worried about the tap water if I lived in a lawn-speckled neighborhood.

]]> I live in a non-lawn community in the high desert and have never owned a mower. My yard is natural native grasses, flowers, and scrubby-looking trees, watered only by occasional rain.  Sometimes we cut the grass with a scythe to keep the fire hazard low near the house. A groomed, chemically treated lawn is not part of my universe. I can't imagine spending time and energy on something so trivial. Goats are probably the best solution for weeds.

I am aware though, that in most US cities, lawns are the norm. If I lived in such an environment, I would make my front yard edible and more interesting. For sure, there would be no chemical applications.  I agree that we will be facing major water issues. Some sort of ground cover holds the soil and regreens the land, which rainwater catchment can support. In the high desert, lawns are frowned upon if not completely disallowed by zoning laws. I'd be worried about the tap water if I lived in a lawn-speckled neighborhood.

]]> Comment #5 by kristen510 http://www.grist.org/article/2009-07-13-green-lawn-care-electric-mowers/ Wed, 15 Jul 2009 09:30:37 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/2009-07-13-green-lawn-care-electric-mowers/5 The perfect lawn is no lawn at all. That expanse of green has so many drawbacks:

-Excessive water use.

-Necessity of herbicides and fertilizers which poison our streams and groundwater.

-ZERO habitat and food value for birds, bugs, and wildlife.

-Boring. Not even the most imaginative kid can have as much fun on a bare lawn as in a tree or other secret garden hiding place.

Urban gardens with the proper plants can make a huge difference to native wildlife, especially pollinators like native bees. In terms of beauty, function and resource conservation, a yard filled with native drought-tolerant plants is the solution.

]]> The perfect lawn is no lawn at all. That expanse of green has so many drawbacks:

-Excessive water use.

-Necessity of herbicides and fertilizers which poison our streams and groundwater.

-ZERO habitat and food value for birds, bugs, and wildlife.

-Boring. Not even the most imaginative kid can have as much fun on a bare lawn as in a tree or other secret garden hiding place.

Urban gardens with the proper plants can make a huge difference to native wildlife, especially pollinators like native bees. In terms of beauty, function and resource conservation, a yard filled with native drought-tolerant plants is the solution.

]]> Comment #6 by Cara_J http://www.grist.org/article/2009-07-13-green-lawn-care-electric-mowers/ Wed, 15 Jul 2009 10:29:50 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/2009-07-13-green-lawn-care-electric-mowers/6 The "best" lawn may be very different in different climates.  Where I live in the Midwest, vegetation explodes with growth in spring and summer.  If we did nothing, the plants (whether native prairie or the "weeds" that grow in disturbed areas) would soon be taller than our young children and too thick to walk through.  Fun for exploring, perhaps, but no good for games of frisbee or football or for hanging laundry out.  And the prickly bushes are pretty brutal.  Therefore I think cutting part of the lawn during the growing season makes sense--but not with a gas mower!  I would love to know of low-lying ground cover plants that would thrive in my area, to further reduce mowing.  I pull the prickly weeds by hand.  

 And like I said, we never water or chemically treat our grass-covered lawn even though all our neighbors do.  The difference in appearance is not dramatic.

]]> The "best" lawn may be very different in different climates.  Where I live in the Midwest, vegetation explodes with growth in spring and summer.  If we did nothing, the plants (whether native prairie or the "weeds" that grow in disturbed areas) would soon be taller than our young children and too thick to walk through.  Fun for exploring, perhaps, but no good for games of frisbee or football or for hanging laundry out.  And the prickly bushes are pretty brutal.  Therefore I think cutting part of the lawn during the growing season makes sense--but not with a gas mower!  I would love to know of low-lying ground cover plants that would thrive in my area, to further reduce mowing.  I pull the prickly weeds by hand.  

 And like I said, we never water or chemically treat our grass-covered lawn even though all our neighbors do.  The difference in appearance is not dramatic.

]]> Comment #7 by piglet http://www.grist.org/article/2009-07-13-green-lawn-care-electric-mowers/ Wed, 15 Jul 2009 13:09:14 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/2009-07-13-green-lawn-care-electric-mowers/7 LOSE THE LAWN - SOME GREAT IDEAS TO GO LAWNLESS:

http://www.sunset.com/garden/earth-friendly/lose-the-lawn-low-water-landscaping-00400000041830/page11.html

]]> LOSE THE LAWN - SOME GREAT IDEAS TO GO LAWNLESS:

http://www.sunset.com/garden/earth-friendly/lose-the-lawn-low-water-landscaping-00400000041830/page11.html

]]> Comment #8 by Ravens Voice http://www.grist.org/article/2009-07-13-green-lawn-care-electric-mowers/ Thu, 16 Jul 2009 08:23:43 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/2009-07-13-green-lawn-care-electric-mowers/8 Lawns are only practical for people who graze livestock on them.  Otherwise they are simply evidence of how slavishly stupid status-seekers can be.


That's right, lawns are yet another example of uppity-middle-class status-copying from the days when only wealthy people had land they didn't grow food on.  The muddle-minded middle class has been copying the status symbols of the rich for FAR too long, often without any comprehension of why the rich had them to begin with.

Get rid of that uesless water-sucking patch pf patchy green-brown, and put in a nicely planned, mulched, low-moisture, high-yeld veggie garden.   Yes, your neighbors may look askance at you...but you'll be laughing with delight when you bite into fresh, organic veggies.

 



]]> Lawns are only practical for people who graze livestock on them.  Otherwise they are simply evidence of how slavishly stupid status-seekers can be.


That's right, lawns are yet another example of uppity-middle-class status-copying from the days when only wealthy people had land they didn't grow food on.  The muddle-minded middle class has been copying the status symbols of the rich for FAR too long, often without any comprehension of why the rich had them to begin with.

Get rid of that uesless water-sucking patch pf patchy green-brown, and put in a nicely planned, mulched, low-moisture, high-yeld veggie garden.   Yes, your neighbors may look askance at you...but you'll be laughing with delight when you bite into fresh, organic veggies.

 



]]> Comment #9 by pclemens http://www.grist.org/article/2009-07-13-green-lawn-care-electric-mowers/ Thu, 16 Jul 2009 09:46:35 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/2009-07-13-green-lawn-care-electric-mowers/9 We purchased a reel mower last summer in an effort to 'get off the gas'.  While I know they won't work in every situation, we have been extremely pleased with the experience and the results...clean, quiet, never runs out of energy; and it has a grass catcher attachment to boot so we can feed our compost tumbler!!

]]> We purchased a reel mower last summer in an effort to 'get off the gas'.  While I know they won't work in every situation, we have been extremely pleased with the experience and the results...clean, quiet, never runs out of energy; and it has a grass catcher attachment to boot so we can feed our compost tumbler!!

]]> Comment #10 by penguin http://www.grist.org/article/2009-07-13-green-lawn-care-electric-mowers/ Sat, 18 Jul 2009 17:02:56 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/2009-07-13-green-lawn-care-electric-mowers/10 I had a lot of fun as a kid out playing in the yard, and while i am an apartment dweller now, i can't imagine having a home without a lawn for my kids and maybe even a family dog to play in.  while i here the concerns over how damaging a lawn can be-- it just seems strange to not have one.  Maybe i'm just a spoiled american, but i think that encouraging people to go gasless is a great step, not everyone is willing to go grassless.  People are more likely to be willing to start with small changes that don't require them to change their lifestyles too much, when you ask them to do so they are more likely to not want to listen any more and less willing to make any change. 

]]> I had a lot of fun as a kid out playing in the yard, and while i am an apartment dweller now, i can't imagine having a home without a lawn for my kids and maybe even a family dog to play in.  while i here the concerns over how damaging a lawn can be-- it just seems strange to not have one.  Maybe i'm just a spoiled american, but i think that encouraging people to go gasless is a great step, not everyone is willing to go grassless.  People are more likely to be willing to start with small changes that don't require them to change their lifestyles too much, when you ask them to do so they are more likely to not want to listen any more and less willing to make any change. 

]]>