Contrary to Kermits melancholy tune, it's easier to be green than you might think. We can compost our waste, practice organic gardening, and reduce use of pesticides with trap crops. We can save our water with rain barrels and design rain gardens to capture run-off. We can reduce the use of rock salt in the winter to protect our fish and wildlife, and we can group our errands to reduce driving.
There's so many little things we can do aside from erecting a windmill in our back yards.
Battery Powered Tools, my new BFF
When I moved into my house with the massive lawn, I decided to purchase a battery-powered lawn mower. I hadn't mowed my own lawn in decades, frankly, I didn't like the weekly trip to the gas station, the stink, the noise or the hassle of trying to start the beast. I was delighted with my new cordless mower and it's been going strong for four years. The mower is lightweight, easy to maneuver and requires zero maintenance.
Then as winter was drawing near this year, my snow service decided to cut some customers off of their list and I panicked. Living in Wisconsin, I couldn't count on solar power to eliminate my snow, like I often did in Colorado. It seems everyone here owns a snowblower. Admittedly, I am not mechanically inclined, and I was intimidated to go down that road. Surely they must make battery powered snowblowers and I started my research. Indeed! I decided to go with the experts in the biz of snow removal; Toro. Fearful of supply chain issues, I ordered in late fall and waited for 3 months for the snow to arrive to try it out.
Our first snow was like a half melted Slurpee, or pureed squash soup. It was a heavy wet mess and my new Toro PowerClear moved it. Of course it didn't throw it 40 feet, but I didn't have to shovel it. The next snow was 3 inches of fluffy powder, Easy Peasy. Down to the pavement and blown at least 15 feet away. When I got to the end of the drive where the city plows left a chunky berm, my Toro chewed it up and spit it out like it was nothing. Done in 10 minutes flat. Heck, it took longer to get dressed in my snow gear than it did to get the job done.
Who knew I'd look forward to snow removal!
Top 5 reasons to buy battery powered garden tools
Quiet - whether it's a lawn mower, weed whacker, leaf blower or snow blower, these tools reduce noise pollution and are a pleasure to operate.
Zero Emissions - no stinky fumes, no transporting gas cans. Enough said.
Lightweight - There's no engine, thus, the machine is lightweight and easy to maneuver. Weighing in at 46 pounds, it's the new featherweight champion in my book!
Maintenance Free - No mixing oil or replacing pins, or whatever else plagues heavy duty operators. Just charge the battery and push the button. Voila!
Interchangeable Batteries - most brands make their batteries interchangeable, so you can charge and power most of your garden tools with the same battery system. Choose wisely, grasshopper, as Lithium Ion batteries and accessories are expensive these days.