05.27.08
Lawnmower Man
I subscribe to a great newsletter from Ideal Bite, and they send me little green tidbits every day. One of the most interesting that they sent, back at the beginning of the mowing season, is one about renting a goat to mow your lawn. Since I have wicked allergies to cut grass, I thought this sounded like the coolest idea. Only eleven states currently participate in the Goat Rental Directory, and I’m not entirely sure that all the links are accurate. But, if you know someone with a goat (hey! I do!), then borrow the goat for a while - the goat will get to eat, and you’ll have a nice lawn and neighbors that think you’re a little weird.
As far as ecological benefits, goats will eat thistles and even poison ivy, so you won’t have to suit up to mow the lawn or spray those horrible pesticides. And, you may be surprised to learn that running your gas-powered lawnmower for one hour produces as much air pollution as driving a car 100 miles, and the air pollution from the 20 million small engines sold yearly contribute one tenth of the mobile-source hydrocarbon emissions. The EPA states that grass-cutting folks spill more than 17 million gallons of fuel yearly, more than that spilled by the Exxon Valdez in the Gulf of Alaska. There’s even a handy calculator to find out how much pollution your lawnmower produces.
So, if you don’t know anyone with a goat and have no goat rental nearby, consider an electric, or even better, a reel mower. They’re cheaper than a gas-powered mower and much gentler on the environment in many ways.
