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Not mowing your lawn and stopping cooking on an outdoor grill are non-starters for most people.

by stewx 3y ago

namdnay 3y ago
you can mow a lawn with either an electric mower or an unpowered mower, the former can be found for any surface, the latter are great for surfaces up to about 100m2
- brewdad 3y ago
  My Costco had an electric riding mower on display this week. I didn’t stop to look over all of the specs since my lawn isn’t anywhere near big enough to need one but it appears having too big of a lawn isn’t an excuse anymore when it comes to electric mowers.
  - cwkoss 3y ago
    I love electric mowers (all of my yard tools are now electric actually) I have an electric push mower for our home - we have probably 1500 sqft of grass currently (including the strip in front of our house that might technically be owned by the city) a single charge can mow everything if the grass isn't too long/wet, but there is usually a mow or two after spring rains that has to be done in two parts. I also have a "cabin" (hopefully future farm) property that was horse pasture a decade ago. My splurge toy last year was an electric riding mower - ours is greenworks - and it is really a joy. Can mow 1-2 acres on a single charge (depending on grass height/dampness). It's so fun my wife and I have actually had an argument about who 'gets' to mow next. Perhaps my favorite thing about electric mowers is they literally start with a button. Pull starting sucks, especially when it isn't working.
alistairSH 3y ago
A few points related to lawns... The stereotypical American lawn is a fairly new thing, basically "created" by Scott and the rest of the fertilizer industry in the 60s and 70s. Prior to this, lawns were mixed plants, and not expected to be nearly 100% grass. They were generally more drought tolerant and needed less maintenance (both water, fertilizer, and mowing). Electric mowers (battery) are sufficiently good today that we really should phase out the sale of gas mowers. At least for "normal" sized lawns. Mechanical push mowers are also an option for small enough lawns. And aside from inertia, there's no good reason that most yards need to be predominantly grass lawn. I've found that, at least for my small yard, hardscape, shrubs, and other plants are lower maintenance (twice annual pruning, monthly weeding during the grow season). I only water when I add/replace plants or particularly hot/dry weeks. And I've cut out all fertilizer. I've cut the amount of grass by about half and will likely cut it by another half at the end of this season. All my lawn tools are now battery powered as well.
mschuster91 3y ago
Many Americans (and for that matter, many people in other Western countries) won't have another choice. Green, maintained laws aren't sustainable any more - they use too much water, provide zero habitat for insects and other wildlife, and mowing during times of drought is harmful for the grass as well [1]. Regular BBQs aren't sustainable as well, the amount of water, crops and land used for feeding cattle is just way too high. The problem is that there are political parties that make a political platform out of green lawns and BBQs all while knowing that they're deluding their voters and sending them off to catastrophe. [1] https://www.rhs.org.uk/lawns/drought-care https://www.rhs.org.uk/lawns/drought-care

Not mowing your lawn and stopping cooking on an outdoor grill are non-starters for most people.

by stewx 3y ago

Not mowing your lawn and stopping cooking on an outdoor grill are non-starters for most people.

you can mow a lawn with either an electric mower or an unpowered mower, the former can be found for any surface, the latter are great for surfaces up to about 100m2

brewdad 3y ago
My Costco had an electric riding mower on display this week. I didn’t stop to look over all of the specs since my lawn isn’t anywhere near big enough to need one but it appears having too big of a lawn isn’t an excuse anymore when it comes to electric mowers.
- cwkoss 3y ago
  I love electric mowers (all of my yard tools are now electric actually) I have an electric push mower for our home - we have probably 1500 sqft of grass currently (including the strip in front of our house that might technically be owned by the city) a single charge can mow everything if the grass isn't too long/wet, but there is usually a mow or two after spring rains that has to be done in two parts. I also have a "cabin" (hopefully future farm) property that was horse pasture a decade ago. My splurge toy last year was an electric riding mower - ours is greenworks - and it is really a joy. Can mow 1-2 acres on a single charge (depending on grass height/dampness). It's so fun my wife and I have actually had an argument about who 'gets' to mow next. Perhaps my favorite thing about electric mowers is they literally start with a button. Pull starting sucks, especially when it isn't working.

alistairSH 3y ago

A few points related to lawns... The stereotypical American lawn is a fairly new thing, basically "created" by Scott and the rest of the fertilizer industry in the 60s and 70s. Prior to this, lawns were mixed plants, and not expected to be nearly 100% grass. They were generally more drought tolerant and needed less maintenance (both water, fertilizer, and mowing). Electric mowers (battery) are sufficiently good today that we really should phase out the sale of gas mowers. At least for "normal" sized lawns. Mechanical push mowers are also an option for small enough lawns. And aside from inertia, there's no good reason that most yards need to be predominantly grass lawn. I've found that, at least for my small yard, hardscape, shrubs, and other plants are lower maintenance (twice annual pruning, monthly weeding during the grow season). I only water when I add/replace plants or particularly hot/dry weeks. And I've cut out all fertilizer. I've cut the amount of grass by about half and will likely cut it by another half at the end of this season. All my lawn tools are now battery powered as well.

mschuster91 3y ago

Many Americans (and for that matter, many people in other Western countries) won't have another choice. Green, maintained laws aren't sustainable any more - they use too much water, provide zero habitat for insects and other wildlife, and mowing during times of drought is harmful for the grass as well [1]. Regular BBQs aren't sustainable as well, the amount of water, crops and land used for feeding cattle is just way too high. The problem is that there are political parties that make a political platform out of green lawns and BBQs all while knowing that they're deluding their voters and sending them off to catastrophe. [1] https://www.rhs.org.uk/lawns/drought-care https://www.rhs.org.uk/lawns/drought-care