Despite all the environmental movement that speak ill of any gas-powered technology, I can see that lawn mowers are here to stay. That would be true not just in western countries but in third world countries as well, whose tastes go up in time. Environmentalists cringe at the thought of that. But that simply cannot be stopped. The use of renewable energy is the only option to protect Planet Earth. Hope we get much headway on that direction by the time half of the world start ordering lawn mowers
There will be many improvements that will (over time) clean up the present problems...
Just like with insecticides there are few if any countries today that allow the use of DDT...
There are many people alive today that have never heard of it, and at one time it was very common and everyone thought it could never be abandoned... Progress it's good for everyone, even those reluctant to see the advantage in change... :smile:KennyV
I share the same sentiments though I think solar-powered lawn mowers might be the solution to environmental pollution. Perhaps if advancements come through then lawnmowers will be more environment-friendly.
#4
adan
Yeah, solar power is a renewable resource. So is wind power, hydro-electric power, geothermal power and ocean wave power. Nuclear power is not renewable, but I still think it's an option for the far future.
I take my inspiration from the way we have managed to compress into a tiny thumbnail 8-16GB of memory. That's*unimaginable just 20 years ago, when a 250MB hard disk is thicker and heavier than today's iPad.
Soon we will have electric cars that travel 100 miles powered by a small piece of battery that people can buy from any shop.
It seems reasonable that a solar powered mower would work, especially because most of us tend to mow when the sun is shining. If we could somehow use an electric or pull starter, then have the sun charge it up while we mow...
When I lived in a subdivision, my neighbor had an electric lawn mower and it seemed to do okay unless her grass got really tall. Then she had to borrow our gas-powered mower. They'd have to produce a better electric mower in order to replace the old ones, I think.
#7
adan
I can relate with the current limitation of battery-powered lawn mowers. It's tough converting battery power to high-torque mechanical energy. Perhaps there is a third element in the picture that we've been missing at this point, but which our researchers would find out soon.
I'm sure they are indeed here to stay, but I'm equally sure that technology will improve as will the power that moves it. One day they might all be battery operated or use a more efficient fuel, just like cars.
They have been selling electric lawn mowers for 30 plus years. My grandma had one and it worked well for the small yard she had. I think that is about as eco-friendly as you can get unless people want to go back to the old push cutter from the 1920's:laughing:
CARLISLE, Pa. A central Pennsylvania school has a woolly plan to keep its grass neatly trimmed.
The Carlisle Area School District says it can save up to $15,000 a year by turning over some landscaping chores to sheep.
The Patriot-News of Harrisburg reports the district is using the sheep to keep the grass near its solar panels neatly trimmed. The sheep nibble grass in the morning and take refuge in the shade of the panels in the afternoon.
With the food already on hand, the district need only supply the sheep with water.
A middle school assistant principal is providing the sheep. Eric Sands says he's still trying to figure out exactly how many sheep he needs to use to keep the area clear.
I did read where somebody developed a battery powered zero turn mower, but it was really pricey. Of course, with the price of gas steadily skyrocketing, it may just pay for itself in short order.
However, the real solution would be developing grass that grows to 3 inches tall and stays that way. I'm sure it can be done, or maybe has been already, but it's being suppressed by the mower industry. Hoe's that for a conspiracy theory!
#12
reynoldston
I wonder what do they do with the grass after it passes through the back end of the sheep??
