SierraScape August - September 2004
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by Cheryl Hammond
photos courtesy of Cheryl Hammond and Don Barnes

Red alert air quality days require that we delay lawn mowing. That's because small lawn mower engines have a big effect on St. Louis ozone pollution, and in fact, cause 5% of the nation's air pollution. One reason mowers pollute so much is that, unlike cars, mowers lack catalytic converters. A conventional lawn mower pollutes as much in one hour of mowing as driving your late model car 340 miles. That's St. Louis to Chicago and more!

When California attempted in 2003 to limit pollution from lawn and garden equipment, Missouri's Senator Kit Bond introduced a rider to a funding bill that not only stopped California from adopting this regulation but that blocked every other state from cleaning up pollution from small non-road equipment. Bond touted this as keeping jobs at small engine manufacturer, Briggs and Stratton, from being moved overseas due to the cost of making more efficient engines. This threat has been used repeatedly by car and engine makers and has prevented the U.S. from having the clean air that was promised by the Clean Air Act of 1970.

In November last year, a compromise was reached with pressure from Senator Diane Feinstein of California and California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger that allowed California to clean up small lawn equipment in that state, but prevented any other state from regulating similar equipment. Regardless of whether that law had passed, Missouri is already suffering under a state law which prevents Missouri from having any air regulation "stricter than federal".

Go electric!

There is something that we can do literally in our own backyards. Try an electric mower. Electric mowers produce zero emissions at the point of use. But don't electric mowers just shift pollution to the power plant? No. It is much easier to clean up one stationary smokestack than millions of small mobile pollution sources. Also, consider the pollution caused by oil refineries and tanker ships. Of course electricity from power plants using renewable sources is even better. Here are some of the other advantages of electric mowers: 1. inexpensive to operate; 2. easy to maintain - no oil changes or tune ups; 3. clean - no spilled oil or gasoline; 4. quiet, half the noise of gas powered; 5. easy to start - no more yanking on the pull cord.

The small lawn option

If you have a small lawn, consider also a reel mower. This is the human powered option. These mowers snip the grass cleanly and precisely, require practically no maintenance, are inexpensive to buy, and produce no noise or air pollution. Today's reel mowers use new technology to make them lighter and easier to maneuver.

Using gas powered mowers

If you do continue using a gasoline mower, here are a few things you can do. 1. Mow in the evening hours so that the emissions you produce won't cook in the sun and turn into ozone; 2. Avoid overfilling the tank and spilling gasoline - even small spills pollute the air; 3. Maintain your equipment; 4. Plant more trees, shrubs, flowerbeds - reduce the size of your lawn.

Note on the author: Cheryl serves on the EMG and Ozark chapter excoms and follows air related issues.