Don Vandervort, Head Homeboy, has written more than 30 DIY home improvement books, been a segment host on HGTV, served as MSN.com's home improvement expert and written countless magazine articles.
Because of water, pesticide, and maintenance-equipment needs, keeping a lush, green lawn strains our environment. Of course, the best course of action for the planet is to replace a lawn with something that is more environmentally positive. But if you're not ready to give up your lawn, you can take some steps to minimize the negative effects:
Leave the lawn long. A lawn that is longer (from 3 to 4 inches tall) grows slower, thereby requiring less mowing; chokes out weeds; requires less water; keeps bug infestations down; and provides a habitat for all sorts of healthy critters. Unless you actually live on a putting green, long lawns are the way to go.
Don't top off when filling your lawnmower. About 17 million gallons of fuel, mostly gasoline, are spilled each year while refueling lawn equipment. Since we all have made the mistake of spilling some gas on the grass (and killing the lawn faster than any herbicide), most us now fill our mowers in the driveway where spilled fuel gets washed down to the curb and into the storm drain. Accidents happen, but the best way to keep from spilling gasoline during refueling is to not top off your gas can.
Go electric. If you are in the market for a new mower, consider going electric. Quieter, cleaner, and fuelless, electric mowers are ideal for lawns smaller than a half acre. While there are some drawbacks, like having to stay within cord distance of an outlet or possibly breaking your mowing experience up into two shifts to recharge your cordless mower, an electric mower can do most jobs just as well as gas-powered ones.
