The Environmental Protection Agency recommends battery-powered mowers, and when you compare the facts, it’s easy to see why:
Fact: A gas mower spews 87 lbs. of the greenhouse gas CO2, and 54 lbs. of other pollutants into your air every year. Because they use two-stroke engines which burn gasoline less completely than four-stroke engines, gas mowers produce a relatively large amount of pollution.
Fact: Over 17 million gallons of gas are spilled each year refueling lawn and garden equipment – more petroleum than was spilled by the Exxon Valdez.
Fact: Gas-powered mowers send over 1,800 times the hydrocarbons into the atmosphere when compared to the environmentally-sound choice of battery-powered mowers.
Well over 5 million of these machines are still sold in the U.S. every year, but these machines have barely evolved in over half a century, and in today’s world that’s really behind the times. According to the EPA, gas mowers are reponsible for nearly 5% of our nation’s total air pollution. Over 800 million gallons of gasoline are used mowing our nation’s lawns every year. And if you operate one for more than 15 minutes, experts advise you to wear hearing protection.
Here's what some of the experts have to say:
"The Neuton Mower has 4 advantages. First of all, the peace and quiet of the neighborhood. Second, the operator doesn't have to wear hearing protection. Third, you don't have gasoline in your trunk and don't have to store it in your garage. And fourth, you don't have to walk in the exhaust stream of an internal combustion engine as you mow your lawn. You're pushing a clean, quiet lawn mower."
—Noise Pollution Clearinghouse
"Studies have shown gas mowers to be major polluters of the environment, up to 30 times worse than automobiles. The alternative is an electric rotary mower, which is far more earth friendly."
— SafeLawns.org
Source: NeutonPower.com