Are you in the market for a new lawn mower? Until recently there were really only two options when it came to lawn mowers: a push-type reel mower, or a gas powered mower. But today there is another option for a beautifully mowed lawn, all the while reducing your impact on the environment (and your neighbors) -- the electric lawn mower.

Reel mowers (the “old-fashioned push mowers”) provide a very crisp cut of the grass blade, are lightweight, quiet, efficient, and don’t pollute. However, mowing a large and/or hilly lawn with a reel mower can be a lot of work, and even with a small lawn it can be tough to push a reel mower that is set at the ideal 3” blade height. 

Mowers with gas engines may be easier to use, but are noisy and can be surprisingly big polluters. The average lawn mower is at least 100 decibels; noise levels over 90 can cause ear damage. The EPA estimates that 10-12% of the nation’s total air pollution stems from small engines, in particular lawn care equipment. Furthermore, gas powered lawn mowers consume 580 million gallons of gasoline annually, and 25% to 35% of that fuel escapes unburned into the atmosphere -- polluting the air we breathe and the water we drink.

Today there is another option: electric lawn mowers. Electric mowers are 50-75% quieter than a standard gas mower, are self-propelled, easily adjust to the desired cutting height, and are much less harmful to the environment. The Department of the Interior’s Green Seal program (an independent, nonprofit, standard-setting organization) estimates that electric mowers emit 3,300 times less hydrocarbons, 5,000 times less CO, one fifth as much NOx, and less than half the CO2 as gas engines. 

Electric mowers will save you money and body aches, too!  While the average initial purchase cost is about twice that of a power mower, you will save almost $70 a year in fuel, oil, and engine tune-ups. Plus your aching back will appreciate the benefit of instant start-ups (no more pulling a cord over and over), and your ears (and your neighbors) will love the quiet engine. Today’s electric mowers are available in cordless models, and can last up to 45 minutes on one charge to make your mowing tasks even easier.  For more information, see the complete Green Seal report.

So next time you are in the market for a new lawn mower, remember the advantages of electric powered machines. You and your neighbors will enjoy the peace and quiet, as well as the smell of freshly mown grass instead of burning gas!

Article written with the assistance of Andy Finch, Clean Air Lawn Care