How green are you? [View All]

[ChairmanAgnostic]

With Al Gore in the running for even more awards, (except that one that we would love, but he refuses to seek) at some point, we need to make individual choices about our lifestyles.

At my home/office we've taken several steps. If we need AC, we keep the temps high, 78 on average. If the winter sets in, the sweaters come out.
One year ago, we experimented with one CF light, today there are but two fixtures that still have incandenscent bulbs. (LEDs just aren't readily available here). Even our power company, Commonworst Edison (Illinois) has moved to Cf technology. Their light bulb exchange program estimated limited demand because of CF costs. They were shocked to move their entire stockpile over several weeks. The hardware stores nearby now have equal space for CF and other bulbs, and the trend is rapidly moving to CF only.
Driving? Hardly ever anymore. I changed the inlaw studio attached to my home to a law office, with conference room and another office. The commute is great. Personally, I only drive to court (and even then use public trans) or legal meetings.
So far, so good. But today, I patted my self on my shoulders. bilaterally.

People here in my conservative nape of the forest love their lawns. They take republican pride in having a putting green-styled front yard. 1 out of 2 even have commercial services, either for cutting, sodding, fertilizing or weed control. Me? I used to mow, leave it long, and never water it. Somehow, mine seemed as green as theirs. But that damned mower was too reliant on gas and oil, it was noisy as hell, and heavy, even with assist drive. Then the damned thing would not start ( A great excuse to avoid a week or too, especially with no rain) So, do I get an air filter, change the plug, clean out the old gas, replace the fuel line, and after all that, still take it in for servicing (at 150 a pop)? Do I, as a neighbor suggested, get a new and improved gas guzzler. Hmmmm.

So, I checked out the intertubes for cleaner, quieter alternatives. The lawn ain't small, considering that the odd shaped lawn containes 6 pairs of dog feet, at 100 lbs each. Electric? how is that efficient?
Real progress means reel mowers. Push mowers. Senior Manual Labor. In my yute, I remember them as slow, heavy cumbersome, hard to use contraptions that looked scary. S0 I did some research. Scotts still makes a good one for longer grass, although the drop forged blade needs sharpening each season. but, some of their manufacturing has moved across the Pacific Pond to China. strike one. Great States has others, but it also has drop forged blades that need yearly sharpening.
Brill Luxus? Never heard of them. But everything I read said, it was better, head and shoulders, than the others, at a similar price, light, extremely durable, with a flame hardened blade that needs no sharpening for 10 years.

I ordered one. They said, it might take 5 biziniz days to arrive. It took one.
I put it together. A simple chore.
I went out to Mr. Front Lawn which was now long enough to wave back to me. Hmmm.

Honestly, I never enjoyed lawning my cut (no, wait reverse that) more. Quiet, a great walk, peaceful, and a really nice cut, despite the length. And without the bag, the clippings go to feed the lawn all year. No fumes, no noise, no stress, no problema.

So, how far have you gone in greening your life? Which of the below describes you best?