Push Reel Lawn Mowers

So here's my first attempt at a post on this blog. Hope it's at some quality level close to Hannah's.

Mowing the lawn, in my view, has got to be one of the more pointless uses of energy. It's such a Sisyphean task. Let's face it, no matter how hard we try, we're not going to win - the grass is going to keep growing. But, unfortunately, most fascists homeowners associations have rules about this and most of us living in the vast suburban wasteland are required to mow our lawns.

And to make this even worse - gas powered lawn mowers are horrible for the environment as evidenced by the following EPA facts:

• One hour of mowing is the equivalent of driving 350 miles in terms of volatile organic compounds.
• One gas mower spews 87 lbs. of the greenhouse gas CO2, and 54 lbs. of other pollutants into the air every year.
• Over 17 million gallons of gas are spilled each year refueling lawn and garden equipment – more oil than was spilled by the Exxon Valdez.

The only sustainable method of submitting to the lawn mowing requirement is to use a push reel lawn mower.

My initial research showed that there seem to be basically two options for push reel lawn mowers. The American made Scott's Classic Reel Mower - which you can find just about anywhere (Lowes, Home Depot, etc) for about $130 and the German made Brill Luxus mower which you'll have to order and tends to be more expensive (around $230).

The Scott's mower is bigger, heavier, and the blades will need to be sharpened more often (something about the blades making contact with the "cutter bar"?). Also, there seem to be quite a few more quality complaints about this one. The advantage of the Scotts is (in addition to price/availability) that since it's designed for American lawns, it is wider and the blade height is more adjustable.

The Brill on the other hand has non-contact blades that are supposed to almost never need sharpening. This also makes it quieter than the Scotts. The downside of the Brill is size and blade height. German lawns are smaller and are usually cut shorter than you are supposed to cut American lawns.

The lawn mower we eventually ended up purchasing is from a company called Sunlawn which I believe to be a kind of an American version of the Brill Luxus. It's slightly wider than the Brill (still smaller than Scotts) and has a higher max blade height (still lower than Scotts) which is better suited to American lawns while still having a quiet non-contact blade system. Sort of a middle ground.

So far we've been very pleased with it. Florida is pretty ideal for a push reel mower because it is so flat and most suburban yards here are not very large. During the winter months it is extremely easy to use. In summer the grass grows much faster and it is more of a workout to push through some of the tough patches but it is still very usable overall.

If you're going to purchase a push reel mower there are a few factors that most web sites recommend you take into account...

• Width - The thinner the mower - the longer it's going to take to mow.
  
• Cutting Height - The type of grass you have can probably only be cut to a certain height and push reel mowers vary greatly in adjustability.
• Grass Type - I have read in some places that push reel mowers may struggle with certain types of grass (seems zoyshia & Bermuda are typically mentioned.) I have a variant of St. Augustine and have not had any issues.
• Yard Size - More than a half-acre may be too large and time consuming for a basic push reel mower. There are hybrid-electric push reel mowers that may mitigate this.
• Geography - The flatter the better for a push reel mower - if you live on the side of a mountain, it's going to be much more difficult.
  

As I mentioned above - we ended up going with the Sunlawn LM-40. We've had good luck with it so far and I would recommend it.

Dishes

Remember to take care of the water when you're doing housework, too!

We use "Seventh Generation" liquid dish soap for when we wash dishes by hand. It comes in a fragrance-free version or a handful of soft, natural scents. We're currently using the "Lavender Floral and Mint" scented soap. I love the light, fresh scent of the mint in it.

For the dishwasher (which can be just as water-efficient or even more so than washing by hand if you run only full loads and use basic settings), we also currently use Seventh Generation, namely the "Lemon" scented automatic dishwasher gel.

It's important that you choose your next cleaners and soaps to be completely biodegradable. Many cleaning products on the market contain phosphates, which get into surface water and causes imbalances in aquatic plant life-cycles. For a fairly thorough scientific article about phosphates, read this.

We like Seventh Generation brand because it is affordable and really easy to find. Here in Melbourne, FL, you can find Seventh Generation brand soaps and cleaners at any Publix grocery store, as well as Paradise Health and Nutrition (at the intersection of Minton and Palm Bay Road).

The story behind the name of the Seventh Generation brand is really sweet, too. The name comes from the Great Law of the Iroquois Confederacy, part of which states, "In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations." Most of us can think only as far as grandkids (and that may well be stretching it!), so thinking about the impact of our actions and choices on the next seven generations is a real challenge. However, it is a challenge we should all take upon ourselves on a daily basis.

To learn more about Seventh Generation and score some coupons, check out their website.

We have recently picked up some other phosphate-free cleaners and soaps lately and will let you know how those compare to Seventh Generation.

Image from www.seventhgeneration.com

More on Water

My mom had another couple suggestions about how to use shower water to reduce your water needs:

- You could also use the water to wash your car! For starters, using a bucket full of water and a sponge is a much more water-efficient way to wash vehicles than using a hose. So why not use water you already have sitting around...in a bucket no less!

- You can keep your bucket in the shower to collect extra water as you shower, too. If you plan to use your water on plants (indoors or out), make sure you are using 100% biodegradable soap and shampoo to keep your plants safe and healthy.

...and what is that pink thing?

In France, my host family used an intricate system of pulleys, hangers, and clothes pins to dry clothes in over their only bathtub. I was really impressed with the whole get-up. But my favorite part was a circular, collapsible, clothes pin hanger. Perfect for socks, underwear, and bras.

Imagine my surprise when, in little ol' West Melbourne, Florida, I found a hanger similar hanger. Where? At the flea market! For how much? $1.50. And the best part? It came in pink (or blue or green or yellow...but I like the pink one!)

I would highly recommend everybody has one. Even if you don't air dry all your clothing, it's perfect for the occasional lingerie or even daily bras that can't be put through the dryer.

We apparently hate bathtubs...

Where do we do our air drying of our clothes? In an unused bathtub, of course! Specifically, the rarely used guest bathroom tub.

If you don't have an free tub, foldaway drying racks can go practically anywhere easily. Try placing yours at the foot of your bed, in the middle of your home office, or in your (come on, admit it) mostly unused formal dining room.

Back porches are also excellent drying locations, as are backyards. We choose to dry our clothes inside because of the frequency of thunder storms here in Florida. Our clothes, if hung outside, would never get a chance to dry before getting rained on again!

We don't need no stinkin' dryer!

When we moved into our new house, we had to make some appliance decisions. It didn't come with a washer and/or dryer, so we got to do our own research and make purchases that were good for our lifestyle and the environment.

After reading lots of Consumer Report articles and online reviews, we chose to buy a Frigidaire Gallery series FTFB2940F washer. It was one of the best washers in our price range (under $700) and was highly water and energy efficient. The first few times we ran it, we went to go check on it multiple times to make sure it was still running because it was so quiet.

When we purchased the washer, we decided to have a short trial of life without a dryer. I, for one, felt confident that I didn't want or need a dryer in my life. I have studied abroad in Europe multiple times and, each time, witnessed how my roommates in Italy or my host family in France do not use and never need a dryer. I mean, millions of people the world over live just fine without dryers. Yet, when we told Ben's mom we weren't going to get a dryer, she was highly concerned. To so many suburban Americans, especially baby boomers, the thought of living without a household machine (even one that had become a staple just one generation ago) was nearly unfathomable.

Exacerbating many baby boomers' reservations about living sans dryer is their experience with washing machines. The majority of baby boomers still use top loading machines that produce clothing that is soaking wet at the end of the cycle. Today's front loaders, on the other hand, have excellent spin features at the end of the wash that leave your laundry all but dry. Just hanging your underwear for a couple of hours leaves it dry enough to wear. Thicker items like jeans only require over-night airing. Not a tragedy by a long shot.

Yes, your clothes do feel a little stiffer. But after one load, you won't notice it. At first, Ben was unhappy with the way his shirts were wrinkling after being washed. We experimented and quickly found that putting his wet shirts on hanger to dry, instead of using a drying rack, resulted in no–iron-needed clothing once again. To be honest, it is a little bit of a trick to figure out where you can air-dry a full load of sheets, but one drying rack and the shower rod perform just fine for us.

As you may have guessed, our short dryer-less trial quickly turned into a whole-hearted decision not to own a dryer. And I don't think we ever will.

No garden? No problem!

Not everyone in suburbia has the good fortune of having some land to grow on. Whether you live in a condo, townhouse, or apartment, you too can grow some of your own food and reduce your carbon footprint!

Our master bathroom features a nice corner bathtub that we would never, ever use. We're just not "bath" people. So we decided to put it to some use and turn it into a mini container garden.

Currently we have squash, broccoli, lettuce, and pet grass growing there. The squash especially looks great. We are trying the broccoli and lettuce in the tub because it's out of season to grow in the garden. Note, of course, that we're reusing like crazy too. Although I did buy four new pots, I also reused three from plants I bought months ago at a nursery. We are using an overturned laundry basket to add some height to our indoor "garden" and make watering easier. Also, instead of purchasing official plant water collectors, we brought out my husband's old plastic dishes, "borrowed" from the college cafeteria and never quite returned.

You don't need an outdoor garden to enjoy a harvest, especially in the sunny South. You just need a couple of small bare spots in front of a window somewhere!