A conventional lawn mower pollutes as much in an hour as driving a car for 100 miles, mainly because the two-stroke engines found in lawn mowers and other lawn and garden equipment are not required to have a catalytic converter like cars do, which reduce emissions by 90%.

The reasons to switch to an electric lawn mower are many…

• Economical—about $3 per year in electricity.
• Clean—no spilled fuel, reduced air pollution.
• Quiet.
• Easy to start - no yanking endlessly on a cord.
• Lightweight - no heavy gasoline motor.
• Low Maintenance – no tune-ups or trips to the gas station.

If you have a lawn to cut, the best option for the environment is to use an electric mower or skip the gym one day a week and switch to a reel-type push mower. There are even solar powered mowers available.

Buy a Cordless Mulching Mower

The standard taxi in NYC is the Ford Crown Victoria getting only about 14 mpg. The hybrid is the perfect option for use as a taxi, running completely on battery power while idling or at slow speeds. This plan is part of the city’s goal of a 30% reduction in carbon emissions by 2030.

Slowly but surely it looks like governments are taking action. Let’s watch for other cities to follow suit. Learn more at msnbc.com.

Fast Growing
It is an extremely fast growing (up to 2 inches an hour) grass and can be harvested in 3 – 5 years, at heights of up to 50 feet, compared to the usual hardwoods that take between 10 and 50 years before they can be used.

Renewable
After harvesting, bamboo will grow back from the same plant.

Protects the Environment
2 ½ acres of bamboo removes 12 tons of carbon dioxide from the air and produces 35% more oxygen than the same amount of trees.

Strong
Bamboo is one of the strongest building materials, with strength equal to steel.

Creates Jobs
Small villages can easily grow bamboo, creating jobs and income for rural Asian communities.

Versatile
Bamboo is used to produce everything from flooring to kitchenware to clothing.

Keep in mind that there are some drawbacks. Although there are species of bamboo that will grow in the U.S., few North American companies are currently growing bamboo. Shipping from overseas requires fossil fuels and creates CO2 emissions.

Check out bamboocentral.org to find out more about bamboo and how you can balance your lifetime carbon footprint (carbon dioxide output) by sponsoring bamboo reforestation.

Buy Bamboo Flooring From Environmentally Sound Sources.

The concept of zero waste could change this. Seventh Generation’s Non-Toxic Times Newsletter describes zero waste as

a system in which we never throw anything away. In a zero waste world, whenever any product is used or consumed, whatever is left over afterwards becomes the raw material for something new. Zero waste is a regenerative system, one that mimics the closed-loop systems used by nature in which all waste becomes food for other things.

Zero waste would mean the manufacturer would have to take back anything that the consumer could not recycle on their own at the end of the product’s life. Companies like Nike, Unilever and Stonyfield Farms are already giving their product waste a new life as running tracks, toothbrushes and park benches.

For this system to work, we all need to make it a point to buy products made from recycled material. “Close the recycling loop” is one of the many great tips you can read in the Non-Toxic Times to help you in your transition to zero waste.

Go Zero Plant-a-Tree Charitable Contribution & Certificate  

• Watch your speed. Gas mileage decreases greatly after 60 mph.
• Use cruise control when you can and avoid sudden starts and stops. An even speed is the most efficient.
• Avoid idling. Excessive idling wastes a lot of fuel and generates needless greenhouse emissions.
• Don’t drive in rush hour if possible. Telecommute one day a week if your employer allows it.
• Combine trips and carpool when you can.
• Get regular maintenance and replace air filters regularly.
• Inflate your tires properly.
• Take excess weight out of your trunk.

Ideally we would all be driving an alternative fuel car. (Learn more about alternative fuels at fueleconomy.gov.) But if you’re not, you can reduce the carbon footprint of your vehicle. For about $40 a year you can offset your greenhouse gas emissions by funding renewable energy projects. Check out terrapass.com to find out how.

• Get a home audit from your utility company. Find out how you can lower your energy consumption.
• Try reusable canvas bags. Give up on the debate over paper or plastic and start using reusable bags for your shopping.
• Switch to compact fluorescent light bulbs. Replace 4 incandescents and reduce your CO2 emissions by 5,000 pounds.
• Start using 100% recycled paper products in your home. Save some trees, they absorb carbon dioxide.
• Replace your vinyl shower curtain with a natural cloth shower curtain or a glass shower door. PVC or vinyl is petroleum based and emits toxins into your home.
• Install a water-saving shower head. This could save more than 3 gallons of water per minute.
• Give up traditional cleaning products for non-toxic biodegradable alternatives. Conventional products are harmful to both the environment and your health.
• Purchase some glass storage containers and reusable water bottles and get rid of your plastic. Plastic is made from petroleum, need I say more.
• Walk, bike, take the bus, carpool. We all love the convenience of our own cars, but think about other options. Try taking the bus to work (maybe you can save money on parking) or take a walk to the corner store for that gallon of milk.
• Start composting. About one third of the space in landfills is taken up with organic waste from yards and kitchens. You can easily use this material to improve your lawn and garden.
• As always reduce, reuse, recycle. Think about the excess packaging on the products you buy. Try to reuse an item before you throw it out or recycle it. Give it to a friend or donate your unused items to a charity like Goodwill. Recycle everything you possible can, even when you are away from home.

Try one or two of these ideas to honor Earth Day this April 22^nd. But don’t stop there, let’s treat every day like Earth Day and make an earth-friendly lifestyle a habit.

Wal-Mart has recently set a goal of reducing their greenhouse emissions by 30% over the next four years and solid waste by 25% in the next three years and an eventual goal of using only renewable power. Here are some of the ways they plan to accomplish this:

• Currently taking proposals for the installation of solar systems for up to 340 stores in five states.
• Pledging to increase the fuel efficiency of its vehicles by 25%.
• Planning to reduce excess packaging by five percent by 2013. (this would be equal to removing 213,000 truck from the road, and saving approximately 324,000 tons of coal per year.)
• Experimenting with a ‘green’ roof on one of its Chicago stores featuring hardy native plants.

Some other steps Wal-Mart has already taken and plan on taking in the near future to be more environmentally friendly include:

• Currently recycling one billion plastic hangers every year.
• World’s largest buyer of organic cotton.
• Largest seller of organic milk, with plans on stocking more organic food.
• Planning to double their sales of compact fluorescent light bulbs - selling at least one to each of its 100 million customers.
• Requiring electronic suppliers to fill out scorecards grading their own environmental impact that will be available to customers.
• Switching to corn-based plastic packaging for some of their grocery items.
• Considering selling ethanol in its new gas stations.

Some might say Wal-Mart is doing all this just to get their name in the news or to clean up their image, but does it matter? I for one will be keeping an eye on my local Wal-Mart.

For Wal-Mart’s report on their plans to go green, click on walmartfacts.com.

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