Why don’t we begin this brand new decade with a practical resolution? Yes, I know we’re twenty-two days into things, but I like to form my resolutions a bit before I actually launch.
What if we made a commitment to do one thing to move in the direction of sustainable living? Frankly, I can’t get my feathers ruffled over the climate change argument, ‘er discussion, because I don’t have a dog in that fight, or a chicken for that matter.
Here’s how I look at it: whether you believe in climate change or not, you can still see that we don’t take very good care of our home. As my mother always said, “Don’t foul your nest.”
It’s good advice. In the winter, with the leaves off of the trees and the underbrush, I can see the trash deposited there by those who race by in their cars and pickup trucks. Why is it that people think rural areas are their personal dumping grounds? It’s not just small stuff either. I can count on all ten fingers and toes how many couches, boxes of empty Bud cans, whiskey bottles and even toilets, HH and I have removed from the county ditches adjacent to our home.
Is this just an Oklahoma thing, or do other states have a problem with dumping?
Don’t make me pull out the video of the crying Native American.
Okay, I did.
I think we can all agree that picking up the trash and then recycling it, if possible, is a good thing.
What if we also used a non-polluting, really good, reel mower to take the top off of our lawns? That would be a step in the right direction. Don’t you agree?
Even better, what if that mower were free?
Let’s start off this brand spankin’ new decade with a contest!
The very nice people at Fiskars are letting me give one reader their new Fiskars® Momentum™ Reel Mower. Carol from May Dreams Gardens reviewed the mower in two separate posts: Part I where she put the mower together, and Part II, where she actually mowed.
What’s that? Did I hear a collective cheer across the blogosphere?
Now, for the icky part we rebels would rather not discuss, the rules:
- In a comment, tell me one thing you’re going to do this year to help improve your world in some sustainable fashion. Be imaginative. My non-gardening, but very astute, BFF, Aimee, and I will narrow the contestants down to what we think are the three best answers, and then, dear readers, I’m going to let you vote on who is top dog in a poll.
- Make sure you give me your name and a valid email address in the comment form. If you win, it’s the only way I can reach you.
- Double Bonus Points (brilliantly lifted from my friend, Kathy at Cold Climate Gardening): “Tweet this giveaway on Twitter and in a separate comment include the link to your tweet. (Click on the date stamp of the tweet to get a url you can paste in your comment.” That way I can find your tweet.)
- The giveaway ends at midnight on Sunday, January 31, 2010, at Midnight.
- In order to give me time to read all the entries, the Top Three will be announced on Wednesday, February 3, 2010. A poll will be put together with the answers, and I’ll let you all decide who wins.
- I will then contact Fiskars with the winner’s information. Fiskars will ship the mower directly to the winner. This contest is open to persons in the United States and Canada. I’m sorry, my European friends. I’m told the shipping costs are too high, and the logistics too complicated.
As written above, to win this lovely prize, I need a comment telling me one thing you will do this year to make your world more sustainable. I’ve already given you a few ideas, now you help me.
What can we do to make Earth better and “greener?” You decide.
So this is Feb. 19, 2010 and I am looking for the 3 final of the lawn mover contest to be posted Feb. 3rd.
Hi Ronald, the post where we awarded the winner is here: https://reddirtsite.wpengine.com/?p=14579, and and the runners-up post is here: https://reddirtsite.wpengine.com/?p=14650. HTH~~Dee
Here in Maine, I began early by recycling bottles due to our mandatory bottle returnables law. Even when I lived in RI for 7 years, and it was not a state that had bottle deposits, I found myself scouring the sides of the road for them-turning in the ones that had deposits and donating the others to the recycling center just to keep the landfills clean.
I also have started using reusable grocery bags, paper and plastic were always convenient, but not good for our environment. I am using more natural items as far as housecleaning and personal care goes-and noticing a big difference as we slowly reduce our usage of toxic chemicals in the home. I find that natural products based on citrus and plant oils work just as good as other brands, which left me with a migraine after inhaling those chemical odors. We started a home garden two years ago as well, our first year was wonderful, but the second year due to the rainy spring and summer, our tomatoes suffered from blight, and we needed to take precautions to deal with that properly. My neighbor and I also like to compost our fall and summer yard waste, and we’ve even talked of adding some red wigglers to the mixture, it would be an awesome science experiment for the kids and the worms would have plenty of goodies to eat too 🙂
I am looking into composting. I also recycle everything I can.
I’m going to start canning my garden veggies this year 🙂
tweeted
http://twitter.com/Ardy22/status/8486395737
my email is ardy22 at earthlink dot net and twitter is @ardy22
We do all of the typical recycling things in our household. One thing that we are going to do this spring is to build a compost bin. We will recycle most all of our yard clippings, grass cuttings, table scraps and anything else that is organic.
The compost will then be used around the flower beds and in the vegetable garden. Thus saving us from having to buy chemical fertilizers.
I would love to win this to mow my yard with! Thanks for having a great contest!
1) I will use all the dead wood within walking distance in my fireplace insert that my neighbors want to get rid of. (there are lots of trees in my neighborhood and started this in 2009) and I will saw it up by hand without using gasoline or electricity.
2) I will approach my neighbor with the big open lot to create a community garden instead of having a bunch of grass to mow. We will give the produce away especially to the elderly on our street that cannot have a garden.
3) I will make mulberry syrup with all the trees around my property instead of letting the fruit go to waste.
4) Will lead a guerilla garden planted in the backyard of a foreclosed home that has been vacant for 3 years on my street.
5) I will reuse and recycle my neighbors curbside heavy trash items.
6) I will ride my electric bike and regular bike even more in 2010.
7) I will work from home more in 2010
8) I will continue carpooling once a week in 2010.
9) I will continue to work with Waterman’s Farm using more Kaizen (continuous improvement) ideas to make them more money and be more successful.
10) I will buy half a side of beef from my father-in-law in 2010 to support my local farmer and family farm agriculture.
I just baught a property with a large lawn and need a mower…
or a goat
“…one thing you will do this year to make your world more sustainable.”
If I win this mower I’d give it to my oldest daughter (she’s still at home and not quite a teenager). She could use it to earn green money by doing green work in the neighborhood. She could use it to mow our lawn and a lot of lawns in the neighborhood, which would eliminate more CO2 from small engines and put money in her pocket. We have a lot of neighbors who are retired folks, which means that lemonade stands don’t do so well, but a lawn-mowing service might. She’s a hard worker who is very environmentally conscious (she wrote letters to toy companies asking them to reduce the amount of waste in their packaging.)
I’d love to say I was starting a car sharing cooperative, because I just read about one that helps to take advantage of the 90% of the time that all of our cars sit idle during the day. I don’t think we can pull it off, but I’d be part of one if our community gets it going.
We already do a lot of other things people mentioned, so they wouldn’t be new this year: gardening, composting, mulching with newspapers, rain barrels, clotheslines, recycling, using Goodwill/garage sales/eBay/FreeCycle, sharing children’s clothes with friends and relatives, bike commuting to work, living in an older home downtown to lessen commutes and allow walking to places like school and the library, cloth bags at the grocery store, CF bulbs for lamps, Energy Star appliances, solar power for things like yard lights, no lawn watering or chemical treatment, and supporting local agriculture/farmer’s market/local beef producers.
This is a great contest idea–much better than a random drawing. I’m excited to see who to vote for this week.
Oh yeah — Carol sent me.
Here’s my double bonus tweet link — http://twitter.com/crhansen4/status/8467759711
Thanks for making this contest happen Dee.
If I don’t get chosen I’d advocate for #69 above instead — I remember buying a first house and having to find things like lawn mowers and can relate to the situation described.
I’m going to start a compost heap and use the compost on my garden. Also, I plan to ride my bicycle to work, and if I win this contest, of course I’ll use the lawn mower instead of my old, gas-guzzling, pollution machine.
I have started buying bottled water, I also have been using reusable tote bags instead of the plastic bags, I just started recycling, We plant a huge garden during the summer and grow organic vegetables and some fruits such as watermelon, We keep all of our lights, heat pump, and other electrical things off during the day! We also do not mow our yard we let someone have it for hay instead of using gas mowers!
My front yard needs some growth other than grass. I aim to plant more shrubs and vegetation and put raised garden beds into the landscape. This is my year to use the rain barrels to catch spring rains and continue vericomposting, along with regular composting.
“…one thing you’re going to do this year to help improve your world in some sustainable fashion.”
If we win this mower, I’d give it to my oldest daughter so she could use it and earn some green this summer, keep the planet green by not using a gas mower, and stop bugging my wife and me for money when she wants something like the latest technology gadget. She’s always trying to find ways to earn money and is willing to work for it. (Kind of like the character in the kids’ book Lawn Boy by Gary Paulsen — it’s a good, quick read for kids about economics and lawn mowing).
We live in a neighborhood with a lot of retired folks–lemonade stands don’t do well in our neighborhood, but mowing people’s lawns might prove to be a lucrative business in the summer that would keep down neighborhood noise, CO2 emissions, and allow us to let their grass grow a little longer so it didn’t have to be cut so often! We do use a gas mower, so our only consolation right now is that it has a 4-cycle engine so it runs a little cleaner–we’d swap for a reel mower in a second, though, if we could afford one.
I’d like to say we’ll start a car cooperative, but I don’t think we could pull it off — I read about one that people can be part of and it makes a lot of sense. It said that any car sits idle for about 90% of the time (not if you travel in it for work, but for most of us with cars in parking lots at work) I’d vote for anyone who could get one going in our area. Does thinking about starting a car cooperative count?
If we don’t make the final cut (little mowing joke, there), I’m all for these two from above:
Andy up in entry #69 — I remember what it was like to be young, starting out life after college, and to have to get things like a mower.
Mosaic Mom in #65 — getting the mower, using it, spreading knowledge about it, and then donating it is a noble use pattern, IMHO.
We do a lot of the things on this list that others do too, so none would be new this year, like:
vegetable garden and berry bushes planted w/seeds from SeedSavers.org
compost food/leaves/clippings
no lawn watering
rain barrels
no fertilizing/pesticides on lawn (other than growing the grass thicker to keep the weeds from coming through again or using black plastic on our creeping charlie)
bike commuting to work seasonally (won’t risk riding on ice)
cloth bags at grocery store
solar panels for things like pumping fountain water and outside lights
clothesline in summer
shop Goodwill and donate things there too
shop rummage sales and Ebay
Buy seasonal produce at farmer’s market or food coop membership
Buy local beef (we live in the midwest, so there are many farmers around our city)
recycle
trade kids clothing with a lot of friends and relatives to get more wear out of them
live in town — older home, but walking or riding distance to schools, library, stores, etc.
This is a great contest–much better than a random prize drawing where you never know who wins. Even if my idea isn’t selected, I’ll happily vote for one of the three options we get to choose from this week.
BTW — Carol sent me
Here’s my Tweet link for double bonus points — http://twitter.com/crhansen4/status/8467759711
Thanks for doing this Dee.
tweet: http://twitter.com/momunion/status/8467893183
One thing my family has done is to reduce the amount of electricity we use. We knew our electric bill was high, but what we finally realized was that our wasteful behaviour was impacting the environment. To begin we checked our meter and for one week we used electricity as usual. The next week we were every conscientious about electric usage, turning off lights, not leaving a tv or radio on in an empty room. The third week we replaced our standard light bulbs with energy saving bulbs, bought small lamps to use instead of our overhead lights, took advantage of natural light and continued to use electricity as sparingly as possible. Our electric bill was cut in half! Not only did we save a lot of money we feel we have bettered the environment. I suggest that all families try this. Small steps make great leaps.
I have always tried to be as environmentally responsible as possible, and I keep after others to follow suit.
This year I resolve to plant as many native trees and plants as I can. This work, which is a labor of love for an avid gardener like me, will benefit people, wildlife and the Earth. I will not only plant them in my own yard, but I will plant them in the yards of neighbors, friends and family, and also in any parks or public areas that will allow it.
It would be fun to have one of these mowers again. Remember using one after we first got married until D dropped it down the basement stairs and it bent. I wonder if it could cope with a septic field. Great prize for some lucky person.
I have already contacted seed companies for recommendations on what I can successfully grow for my family to eat on my small and shady yard. I am also trying very hard to make my grandson much more aware of packaging, and what are often considered lost arts, like quilting to reuse what we already have.
Just tweeted you again about final day to enter. Hope this link works!
http://twitter.com/gettinggrounded/status/8456741896
And a PS to my previous comment: I promise I will actually USE the mower rather than hire that crazy guy that currently mows my small lawn!
What an awesome prize – that would be very helpful. Please pick me.
One thing I’m doing this year and in year’s past to make our world more sustainable is to remove snow that accumulates on our patio, sidewalk and driveway during the winter months the old fashioned way – with a shovel vs. a snowblower! 😉
I plan to compost our organic refuse for use in my garden.
Well we don’t have a car by choice, so I’m not driving. I hang all our laundry instead of using a clothes dryer. We unplugged our refrigerator and just use it to store dry grains and beans. We currently have a small vegetable garden, but plan to make it bigger. And our lawn happens to be overgrown because I refuse to use a gas powered mower. I just haven’t gotten around to buying a human powered lawnmower and this one looks great. I would be showing the neighbors how to mow the lawn in an earth friendly way if I won this mower. Thanks so much for the chance.
I am going to shop at the Farmer’s Market as much as i can. This will not only keep healthier food in the house but it will also support our local economy. The food will be fresher and have more nutrients and in return my family will be healthier too.
Me and my husband are going to have a huge garden. We are planning it out now and by spring we will know what plants to start from seed. I will can as much as I can and we’re going to see how much it will sustain us through the winter and add up our savings. Eventually we’re going to build a green house so we can try to have a garden year round. That’s what our goal is.
I tweeted it! (Hope I am posting the link correctly)
http://twitter.com/Shelley_2/status/8425324717
I already don’t buy bottled water, don’t use plastic baggies, don’t water my lawn (just my flower beds and veggie garden) and another number of easy and cheap things to help the environment. But I know I need to do more. I was already planning to buy a reel mower for my small yard, but it would be even better to get one for free! I have a cheap lawn mower that is hard for me to start sometimes and I hate seeing the cloud of fumes that arise when I start it. The noise alone is enough to make me want a reel mower. I researched reel mowers last summer but because I pay double daycare in the summer I felt it was something that needed to wait.
But the one most important change I plan to make is to educate my 7 year old son more about environmental issues. He understands recycle and reuse, but reduce is still difficult for him. (He wants me to buy glass bottles just so we can recycle them ha ha). Further educating my son on environmental issues is the most important thing I can do to improve this world.
I plan to turn the felled trees in my yard into wood pulp which I will then use to manufacture my own homemade toilet paper.
HA! I WISH I was that crafty! In all seriousness, my husband and I have adopted the motto: “Less Space, Less Stuff, More Life.” Like many other posters, we already do so much that is eco-friendly and sustainable. However, I think keeping in the forefront of one’s mind the idea that extraneous “stuff” carries no value easily takes away the temptation to buy into the consumerist society in which we live.
We’re expecting our first child in April and not only fully intend on raising this child to eat vegan and live sustainably, we will also pass along to relatives our parenting philosophy. This means asking family and friends NOT to bombard our child with gifts of “stuff.” We aim to have a child who is a contributing citizen of the WORLD versus a consuming, population-busting statistic.
Educating future generations about the repercussions of one’s actions is the best gift of sustainability I can think to give 🙂
so many things I have on my list!! …I am upgrading my kitchen compost bin size from the lame counter top variety (that I broke last fall) to the 20 gallon sized that can sit by my trash can and not need to be dumped every day. I am going to experiment with putting it all through the food processor too…just to see what that does for my compost heap.
I am going to finally get the gravity part of my self designed gravity fed rainwater irrigation system to work.
Instead of repairing the asphalt shingles on my leaky shed roof, I am going to make it a green roof.
Last year I decided that all my home improvement projects would be done with all recycled materials….this year, after a reality check on that, I am going to continue to do my best…
On the business side, I am going to continue to save and return all pots to the growers for re-use. I have committed to turning 10 beds that flank a parking garage at a commercial property into classroom growing places for the inner city YMCA childcare center in the building. Usually the beds are filled with annuals….this year we are teaching kids to grow food.
And….I hope hope hope, that in the same place we will be able to get a farmers market established — not just good for the environment, and local farmers….but hopefully it will give a shot in the arm to revive the ailing downtown neighborhood. This is a great giveaway…I feel challenged to make my list even longer!! 😉
One of my brothers cleans up crime scenes. Ergo, he has vast knowledge on how to super clean just about anything. Joe and I collectively decided to do something about the tires, which are dumped along a lake near his home. Joe got us some earth-frendly cleaning solution. We scrubbed the tires inside and out. Both of us put out the word that we would put up a tire swing for anyone who wanted one in their yard. I am happy to say that for a while we had more interest in the swings than we had tires!
That is hard to think of just one way. But my one way is by using cloth diapers and cloth wipes on my children exclusively.
Dee,
I’m a college student at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC studying Alternative Energy. This past summer, I started a small company with a buddy of mine that builds electric recumbent trikes. They are meant to be car replacements for the majority of trips and can also be pedaled just like a normal bike for some great exercise. They are capable of traveling up to 50 miles per charge, and use only 10 cents of electricity for a full charge. Here’s the website I built: http://www.FFRtrikes.com
This coming summer, Elon University and I are teaming up to make a trip across the country with a solar powered side-by-side tandem trike. The money we raise from the trip will be used to install solar arrays at three schools in Sri Lanka that have big problems with blackouts and brownouts that knock out their few computers. We plan to make the trip across the country without plugging in at all, in less than a month, all while getting some great pedaling in as well, proving the feasibility of multi-passenger pedal-electric vehicles. For more info on our adventure, check out our website (still in its infancy) for the project: http://www.wix.com/trivelo/the-trivelo-project
I’d love to win this wonderful little reel mower because I live in an apartment with 3 roomates and our gasoline mower just blew a piston ring, so we will have all fork up the cash to buy one in the spring. I’m all for reel mowers, but my roomates are naturally doubters, so this would be a great opportunity to change their minds.
Unfortunately I don’t have twitter, but I hope you still consider my submission!
All the best,
Tommy
just shop with my eyes open… I have become far more aware of packaging
I will snack for a greener world! Yes, I’m waiting for Sun Chips to come out with their compostable chip bag. I’m also going to contact M&M Mars to see if they can make their candy wrappers compostable. Just think how much less trash there would be if all wrappers were biodegradable or compostable. Here’s my tweet link: http://twitter.com/suburbangarden/status/8157826265
tweet
http://twitter.com/checkkers/status/8387620319
I recycle and re-use and re-purpose things.
skyskyaa11(at)gmail.com
Here’s my tweet link. http://twitter.com/mycornerofkaty/status/8387491692
Our mower was stolen from our garage a couple of months ago so this is number one on my wish list right now!
This year I’m going to make even more of an effort to do what Nan Ondra calls “mulching in place”. My community does not have a yard waste recycling program, much to my dismay. I compost what I can but I don’t have the room to compost it all. It pains me to toss the trimmings from plants, shrubs and trees into trash cans to be hauled off to the landfill.
This past week, as I worked to cut back dead or damaged plants after our recent freezes, I made piles of the debris near where I was cutting. Afterwards, I moved my garden chair from one pile to another and cut up the debris with my Felcos or broke it up into bits by hand, letting it fall where I needed mulch.
I’d been doing this for a while on a smaller scale but I’m hoping to make it more of a regular practice in my gardens. It’s certainly more time consuming but the faster and easier methods are usually not as sustainable.
Food prices going ever higher have inspired me to grow my own vegetables.
I have a passion for Chili’s and find they freeze very well.
To help, I’ve been reading many helpful hints and find that coffee grinds and egg shells are very good fertilizer. Every morning at breakfast, my wife and I dump our ground and shells in a containter we have in the kitchen. Later, I duitifully dump them in my garden.
Dee, I’ve returned to let you know that I just created a short post at my place and placed a link to your post. Thanks, again! http://yardisgreen.blogspot.com/2010/01/earth-day-is-every-day.html
Hi Dee, We have recycled for Years and Years (and in that we’ve been rural for the past 8 years, we haul everything to the Waste Management location). I’ve composted all compostable kitchen, etc. scraps for 25 years. We made our own solar collector for our previous home. (We now live in a very shady environment that wouldn’t lend itself to this practice very well.) We hardly ever water the lawn (unless I’m starting grass seed). I’m excited to announce that we’ll be installing at least two water collection barrels this coming Spring! 🙂 Thank you for inspiring people to think about this important subject. (have a great weekend!)
I am organizing a “clothing exchange” with a bunch of friends. We will bring what we no longer want/wear and exchange it for things we will. Will also add jewelry and accessories too. If it works, we’ll have a 2nd one for kids items. It will be a great way to socialize AND reduce our footprint.
if you don’t have a green thumb for your own garden, buy organic!
tweeted!
http://twitter.com/EFFBlog/status/8324229659
We already do many EF things (garden, eat organic/local, cloth diaper, no chemical cleaners, etc.) I even run a blog dedicated to helping others find the green that works for them.
BUT!!! We *just* canceled our trash service!!!
I am so excited. We ordered two compost bins Sunday and they should be here today actually.
Between recycling, reusing and generally trying not to create waste, it just made good sense to be done with it 🙂 We couldn’t be happier 🙂
I’m already doing what i can. From recycling, to composting, to finding creative ways to grow my own veggies around the yard, to my reduction in pimpin’ hoes(the tool, of course). 😉 The next logical step would be to rid myself of that god awful old gas mower, that’s currently on it’s last wheels, when you award that new Fiskars® Momentum™ Reel Mower to me. Yes, i’m THAT confident! 😉
Yeah, I have no chance, I know. Unless my supreme sense of humor is winning you over. No? Ok….bye now.
Hi again Dee, you’ve inspired me to do just what I said earlier. I’ve written a post and I’m offering a Give Away for garden bloggers if they publish a post about Sustainable Living and Earth Day. Here’s the Link:
http://thanksfor2day.blogspot.com/2010/01/earth-daysustainable-living-giveaway.html
I plan to write about my contributions (compost bin, vegetable garden and rain barrel) as they develop this spring/summer. I am going to make them happen!
Thanks Jan. You always inspire me too.~~Dee
I am running 2 composters in my Toronto garden and 1 in my French plot. My old reel mower, though professionally sharpened each spring, is, sadly, nearing the END. I mulch with the leaves my neighbours discard and try to follow organic practices , so, gardening-wise, what else could I possibly do? Well, after much careful thought, I have decided to make it my goal to drink only organic (or, better, biodynamic) wines while gardenig……..(it goes without saying that the bottles will be recycled!)A lofty aspiration, but, hey, a (wo)man’s reach etc etc.
We live in a rural area and have a small sinkhole in our backyard. It makes me nervous whenever someone gets near it, so I am going to plant native plants around it and let that area return to nature:) After spending years trying to keep the woods out of our yard, we have decided it’s easier to just invite it in.
One thing: Starting our garden! We could not be more thrilled to get moving – January weather and all. I’m so excited to plan and start raised beds/square foot gardening to maximize the output for our family(and friends who want to share!). As I’m planning, I’m trying really hard to plan well for fruits and veggies that will not only be fantastic fresh, but also for food that we will be able to eat long-term. I wanted to be able to make tomato sauces, salsas, canned fruits and veggies, root veggies that will last longer fresh like carrots, rutabagas, parsnips, beets, potatoes, onions and garlic. We’re taking on a plan bigger than we can really grasp right now(probably a good thing, though!) and I can’t wait to be able to feed my family so much more that we’ve grown with our own hands. I also cannot wait for my 2.5 year old and baby to join us on the adventure. Though the 10 month old doesn’t “get” it, he’ll love the time together outside and our 2.5 year old is so so so excited to plant and grow our garden. I love that we’re doing this as a family so that she can learn where her food comes from, enjoy and be excited about fresh fruits and veggies and watch her parents do something that we’ve been needing to do for longer than we can remember – take care of ourselves. By doing this, we’re also embarking on a journey to get closer to our food and lose a significant amount of necessary weight to live longer, healthier lives with our family.
http://twitter.com/alexander_roman/status/8267911772
I’m making sure the restaurant i work for is composting all their food scraps, as well as buying from local farms and also recycle. I’m going to make a larger vegetable garden to try and feed my family, so that we don’t have to drive to the store. I’m also composting, vermicomposting, and am going to try saving rain water, in order to water my vegetables. i’ve also begun to persuade my neighbors to begin to garden, and plan on giving away several seedlings to neighbors on my block as an incentive to garden this year.
I am just graduating with my masters degree in mechanical engineering and will be starting a new job working on hybrid buses and trucks. I am also a first time home buyer (close on it this spring!) and my fiance and myself will be broke and in need of a mower this coming summer. I have installed a programmable thermostat in my rental house, used plastic on the windows to hold in heat, insulated drafty areas, used compact fluorescent bulbs, low flow shower heads to conserve water and electricity and bike to and from class when it’s not snowing or raining. I am also finishing my master’s thesis on improving the efficiency of hydrogen (PEM) fuel cells for zero emission transportation or home power generation. I have done internships designing parts for wind turbines and have focused on sustainability and power generation throughout my degree. This mower would be a great help when I am unable to purchase one for myself.
What a wonderful prize. It brought me over here from Gardening Gone Wild and it’s been fun reading all the comments. I’m on 3 acres in the country in NE Alabama. I don’t know if these actions fit the requirements, but I’ve been cleaning up the grounds – a dump site in a field that was totally overgrown with honeysuckle and privet is becoming a garden. The back third of the property is woods that go down a ravine, which also is full of honeysuckle, privet, wisteria and poison ivy, along with areas where plastic, metal and glass have been dumped. I’m slowly removing these invaders and trying to bring the woods to a more natural state.
Just got a new home, with a small lawn! Could really use this!
I’d like to start composting–though that probably depends on where we move, since we will be relocating sometime in the summer. But wherever we go, we’ll have some kind of a garden which is good too.
Camera in hand, I would take the Fiskars mower to 12 public locations such as schools, libraries, and parks. I would dress in green, demonstrate sustainable lawn care and blog the events at Mosaic Mom Blog! If I pick the mower up at Plymouth, FL and save the cost (and carbon footprint) of shipping, will Fiskars give me a yard sign to use at the events? At the end of a year, the traveling mower would be donated to a group for fundraising.
I am organizing for my farmers market to get a wireless EBT (food stamp) machine for our vendors, through the USDA. We are rural county (Grand Isle, VT) without a full service grocery store. Now people won’t have to drive 45 minutes or more to buy good food. Hopefully this will alleviate a lot of unnecessary driving, and keeps some more money at home. FYI, I have a lawn and really want a manual mower – I would love the quiet and the exercise.
I live in Colorado and I’ve decided to line dry my clothes year round. That’s right, no more dryer! This means I use the clothesline (which I have) in the summer. In the winter, it’ll be drying racks and hanging clothes on hangers in sunny windows! Not sure how much energy it saves, but I’m sure it’ll be a chunk!
bebemiqui82(at)yahoo(dot)com
Tweeted! http://twitter.com/elkhorninn/status/8197918599
@elkhorninn
My husband and I have an historic Inn (which is also our home) in southern West Virginia (the Elkhorn Inn & Theatre), and we do a lot of recycling, re-purposing, & re-using, partly out of economic neccessity, and also because there is no recycling program in McDowell County, WV. (Although we do have a “Landfill Mascot”: Stowie- who’s motto is “Stow it, don’t throw it”. LOL) So our paper trash winds up in the fireplace, & downed trees get cut up for firewood. (We’re still working on the bottle & can issue…) And yes, we have a “dumping” problem here too. Like you, we pull a LOT of junk and debris out of our creek and off our property- people literally throw garbage out the windows of their cars as they drive by… Amusingly, when the price of rubber went up, the giant pile of dumped tires on the lot next to our property simply Vanished; now if only the price for busted appliances would go up…
In addition to defending my title as the Undisputed eBay & Thrift Shop Queen of Landgraff, WV, this year I am Determined to finally get us a “real” composter, as the “big pile” concept just isn’t working for me! LOL
Dan is working on a plan to run hot water through the 1922 radiators in our buidling that would be a WONDERFUL way to provide heat that would be a LOT greener & cheaper that the elec we now must use… The only thing stopping us from implementing it, frankly, is money 🙁
We’ll also have our veggie garden again (gotta start seeds…), and I HOPE that this year’s crop will be better than last! I can’t say our garden saves us any money- i don’t even want to THINK about theamount we’ve pumped into it!- but the veggies are SO much more delicious than what one finds at WalMart, and planting a garden takes me back to my FFA-Aggie HS and Israeli Kibbutz roots! I will definitely be planting more veggies and herbs in the flower garden, as I’ve always liked the idea of an “edible garden”, and, frankly, one can never have enough basil!
We’ll also continue to encourage people (via Facebook, Twitter, emails to journalists, etc) to join us in saving and “re-purposing” the wonderful old buildings in our county that are badly in need of TLC & can be had SO cheap! The historic bldg. that’s now our home & inn was built in 1922 as a coal company clubhouse, but was a flooded, abandoned shell when we bought it in 2002 & slated for demolition… The key words here are “sweat equity”- you have to be willing- and ABLE- to physically DO something to make anything happen…
(BTW, I blog on “We Live In The Country!”: http://www.southernwestvirginia.blogspot.com)
Well Dee, I want my name in the hat! Most of the things we do around the Bunderosa is not really save the planet conscious but just trying to be a little more self sufficient. We grow a huge garden and I put up a lot of the food (canning, freezing, and drying). Of course, we love those fresh fruits and veggies when in season. As you know we have the RI Reds to provide us with fresh eggs (and we share those with family and friends). In the winter we heat our home with a wood-burning stove. My hubby tries to cut wood from fallen or dead trees.
Not real exciting but we try not to be wasteful. We have a good life and it would be even better with a Fiskars® Momentum™ reel mower. :o)
Have a great day!
Kelly
Hubby & I plan to go back to having our garden=)
We have had a beautiful veggie/herb garden in the past and always used compost, manure, bone meal etc.. for soil improvement & natural fertilizer. This helps by growing our own fresh veggies(cuts down on trips to the store or market), we’re not contaminating ground water or soil(organics) and by using compost we cut down the amount of waste sent to the landfill!
This year other than the recycling, car pooling, gardening with no chemicals (just hand done) I want to start buying everything with the recycled label. I have been buying the seventh generation cleaning materials which is supposed to be natural. I want to buy as much as I can even if it costs me a little more. To be honest, my family has tried to think of every way to help out the world a little but the lawn mower never even crossed our minds. We even thought of going solar in a couple years if we can save up to do it. We just didn’t think of that or our weed eater. I guess you can learn new ways to help out the planet everyday..
This past May, I married and moved into a small little house not too far out of town.. My husband and I got some chickens and plan to use their “droppings” when we start a garden this spring. I would also like to compost… but it doesn’t make much sense when we can give the chickens most of our food scraps anyway–but we may start one with the items that the chickens don’t eat (I’ll have to do some research!). I also was given a brand new bicycle and I plan on using it instead of my car to make trips into town (when the weather gets nicer, of course)! I have always wanted a reel mower! Even growing up! Thanks for the opportunity to enter your giveaway! 🙂
This is my first time visiting and what an interesting post and contest. We recycle everything we can including clothes. Reusable cloth bags have been used for years, much to the chagrin of the bag boys in the supermarket. I’d really like to become a locavore, purchasing only locally grown foods, but the area where I live does not have the best farmer’s market during the growing season and forget about anything in the winter months, so instead I’ll try growing and preserving more myself. I don’t tweet, so this is it for me.
Teresa
now that we have our own house with a yard, we are planning to grow most of our summer vegetables. we started composting this fall and we’ll continue that. if i don’t win this wonderful prize, we will buy a reel mower (i was just looking at them online last night!). and i am really making an effort to bring my own bags when shopping…. why is it so hard to remember them?!!!
I am working this year on eliminating more lawn. I already use a reel mower but it’s getting old and this one looks sweet! The less lawn I have to mow, the better!
Would love to win.
We have planted our garden for the past year and have cut down buying some vergetables at the store.
We have made our own rain barrells to collect rain water so that we may water our garden in lieu of using city water.
Irma 🙂
And the Tweet:
http://twitter.com/scarlettm/status/8165647789
I have a large vegetable garden and three perennial gardens. All need water – in the summer, a lot of water. While our water comes from a well, over the past few years our part of town has been inundated with newly built, large homes. This is clearly affecting the water table – neighbors have begun running out of water at various times. I realize we’re lucky – there are many places on Earth in serious trouble with regard to water. But it is important that everyone conserve.
This year, my husband gave me a rain barrel for Christmas. I plan to create a system which will allow me to water all my gardens with water collected from the rain barrel (I may even purchase a second one!). To save water, we already limit time in the shower (and installed low-flow showerheads) and use a front loading washer, which requires less water.
We have never watered our lawn, but that doesn’t stop it from growing! This mower would be a wonderful way to reduce our carbon footprint, get more exercise and save on fuel. Thank you for this great giveaway.
Oh, and the garden? Not only do we have fresh vegetables from May through October and beyond, but we participate in Plant a Row for the Hungry (PAR) and deliver as much produce as possible to a local food pantry.
Dee,
Love this mower. Saw it in action w/May Dreams Gardens behind it at the GWA conference. It is one sweeeeeeeet little unit. Perfect for the small lawn and takes nothing but human power to make it go. I already have a nice little mower, so I am not participating in the conference, but want you to know what a great idea I think this is!
I applaud you for this post! I already do many of the green activities mentioned in the previous comments. Something new this year: My goal is to take tomorrow’s meat out of the freezer the night before, and let it thaw in the refrigerator, instead of using the microwave. This is hard for me as I don’t usually plan ahead. Your efforts are appreciated!!
I’ve always wanted one of these. I’ve eliminated as much mowing as I can but I still have small areas of grass. I’ve been recycling for years and I recently stopped using paper plates and paper towels. It takes a minute longer to wash real plates but that is paper saved and maybe I’m saving a tree.
This year I’ve decided to walk to work when I can. I only live one mile from the university where I work and it is about a 20 minute walk one way. I’m doing this for two reasons – to be healthier and to help lower my blood pressure and to save gas and reduce pollution.
Tweeted! http://twitter.com/yogapj
This year, in addition to recycling, using my own bags at ALL stores, (not just the grocery) and having a rain barrel, I will plant my vegetable garden with local organic seeds. I am also planning to create more flower beds in my yard, with native flowers, to help with run off in my yard. I never water my lawn, only use my rain barrel for watering the garden and flowers as needed. I work with low income individuals for a non profit organization and we have instituted recycling at our office. This year, I pledge to hold a class monthly for our clients to focus on sustainability as well.
Thanks for this great opportunity! Carol sent me. 🙂
After reading everyone’s ideas & comments, I have decided that I am going to offer a regular segment on my blog, “ThanksFor2Day”, where I will feature someone (perhaps many of your commenters!) sharing their contribution to our wonderful world through their sustainable living practices. My blog title provides a perfect opportunity to spread the word about ways to show our thankfulness for the environment and share ways we give back to Mother Earth. My contribution to this lifestyle will promise to include more consistent recycling, starting a compost bin, starting a vegetable garden (I have the perfect places for both!) and adding a rain barrel at the bottom of a gutter that is right next to the area I am going to put the vegetable garden! I am thrilled to be motivated, by you & all of these bloggers, into actually putting some of these ideas into practice! I’ve learned so much since joining the garden-blogging world,and am making a commitment to give back by adding new practices to my lifestyle, and by utilizing my blog to spread the word about this important practice! Now that it’s written publicly, there will be no turning back, and I am committed! Additionally, that mower would be a delight in my backyard, which is surrounded by a stonewall, making it very difficult to lug a heavy, gas-mower back there. I’d store it under my deck, pull it out, and have my backyard mowed in a healthy manner…and if I don’t win, I am putting it on my wishlist;-)
Oh, by the way Carol sent me!!!!!
This will be the year of learning,” going green growth”, and passing on what I learn.
I will continue the practices that I have already embraced/implemented and expand from there. I would like to think that every day,I can do at least one more thing to educate myself in making my home and lifestyle a place that I deserve to live in.
Our family of 5 walks this world with a light footprint, but we also recognize the need for improvement. One of the ways to do so is to use this very mower! But also, this year we plan to double the size of our vegetable garden. But is more about size, we also plan to better utilize the space with intensive planning to increase yield. No doubt, we will produce more than our family (and neighbors) will need. Fortunately, our local Plant a Row for the Hungry has a drop off location enroute to a daily commute.
H.
This mower would be great for me. I have been asked and agreed to help several homeschool families start their own companion planting vegetable gardens…
http://morefamilyandflowers-darla.blogspot.com rusdarathotmaildotcom
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Carol sent me by..
My first thought was that I would finally get rid of the invasive bush honeysuckle from the edge of my woods so that the wildflowers will return. My second thought was to finally get a bee hive instead of just talking about it.
I unplug unused electronics, line dry my cloths, use aluminum water bottles and refill them, carpool with 2 friends to work, I use canvas bags when I go shopping, I reuse boxes and bubble wrap when I receive packages. etc
We already compost, we recycle and we have an organic garden. We don’t have a push mower yet. We are going to plant a row in our garden this summer for our local food bank and another extra row for a local women’s shelter. They need fresh produce and aren’t able to have their own garden.
We have been trying and WILL this year catch the water from the shower as we are waiting for it to get hot in a bucket and put it in a bigger 5 gallon container to use for watering plants, filling the dog’s bowls and mopping the floor. Waiting for the water to get hot in our shower equals 1 gallon. That is 7 gallons a week per person. There are 2 of us in the household plus 2 dogs. They don’t shower often. They do drink a lot of water.
Three hundred and sixty four gallons of water a year per person just going down the drain waiting to turn hot is a awful waste. If we moved even our front and back lawn with a push mower (not much grass in the back either) we would not pollute and save gas. Sounds like a good idea to me!!!
I plan to use this to mow our ditch. It’s very steep. Plus I prefer to not use anything powered. I’m more comfortable using my own. Free exercise.
I have taken over much of my backyard with a vegetable garden and clotheslines. I only need to mow a grass pathway around the perimeter for the doggie. Our small front yard is grass but since we don’t water, we don’t need to cut but every 2 or 3 weeks. No blower or powered trimmer, I like a natural look 🙂
I compost all our kitchen scraps, cardboard, paper, yard clippings. I have 3 rain barrels. I do a lot of cooking from scratch now but any jars that do come in I keep and reuse for many things. I put window quilts up in the winter to help keep the house warmer. I recycle most of our milk jugs, but I also keep many to use in the garden as mini greenhouses and ollas.
I work at home as a website designer and my husband is disabled and at home, so our car frequently sits for days without going anywhere!
My one goal this year, is if I don’t win the mower, to purchase one.
Please! I really really want one!
First, I’m going to use this mower on my neighbor’s yard. Seriously. He mows twice a week, then blows all the clippings around to double his pollution (air and sound). Second, I’ve been thinking about buying some of those cheap, 5 foot, $20 trees at Home Depot and giving them to my neighbors who have NOT ONE TREE on their newly-developed suburban plots. Third, I’m not going to water my garden at all this year. Third and a half, I’ll only water with the rain barrel.
We moved to Missouri from Arizona last year, and I’m SO looking forward to having a vegetable and herb garden. Being able to provide some of our own food will be great! I also started composting recently. My Mom and I are opening a coffee shop/restaurant soon, and even though it’s a bit more expensive, all the paper products (cups, to-go boxes, etc) are eco-friendly – either compostable, made of recycled materials, or made of corn or sugar instead of petroleum. I can also walk to work….won’t have to drive NEARLY as much as I used to in AZ. I have a pretty big yard to mow and would absolutely LOVE to be able to use a non-gas or -electric powered mower!!!! Thanks for giving us all the opportunity to win!
My eleven year old and I are in affirmative action. We have drawn out the plans to our backyard oasis garden. So we can start the major part of our project in the spring. We have sectioned the backyard into four areas using bricks we have found at torn down buildings. These bricks will also provide not only a grid but a walkway. Section one will be our wild bird area with birdbaths, bird feeders, ( we are going to make these with recycled products we find) We will be planting Trees and small bushes in this area. Section 2 The butterfly & humming bird area. We will be using recycled water bottles for the feeders. and planting hummingbird and butterfly friendly plants. Section 3 will be our flower garden, We are going to use freecycle to locate seeds and rose bushes that no one wants anymore. Section 4 will be our Veggie Garden, We think it will be productive enough to even give some to neighbors. The best part of this is that it is something that it will give us quality time. And in the future it will be there for her to do with her children.
waitressdani (AT)
hotmail (DOT) com
!. Collect rain water to water my flowers.
2. Not water lawn.
3. Walk to any errand that is within 5 miles of my house. Good for me and the budget (less gas money)
4. Mulch and compost whatever and whenever I can.
5. Buy less, use less…We used to have 3 huge garbage bags of trash every week..we are now down to 1 bag every other week. We recycle and reuse and buy less.
I can tell you we are using cloth diapers through our second Kid. We are going to continue this traditions until we are one having kids. I am going to grow a garden and fill the freezer. I will not be supporting the frozen vegetables companies anymore. I will not be buying anything not made in the US and I will walk to work as I live close. I will continue volunteer to clean up the local parks and I will ride a bus when need be.
We live in a rural, “foothills” area and the back edge of our property falls off like a cliff. But there’s enough dirt there for weeds to grow, and grow well. We’ve been here for almost three years and we’ve been paying someone to come in twice a year and hack down those weeds (with a gas weed wacker)…because we have to.
This year, we’re beginning the conversion to native grasses, wildflowers, herbs and maybe even some berries and veggies on our “cliff.” We’re going to apply design concepts and get it designated a “backyard habitat” so we won’t be required to mow it down.
It’s a huge area so we won’t be able (financially) to convert the whole “cliff” in one year, but it’s our next big project.
I have STOPPED buying paper plates and am switching to cloth napkins. What do we get from paper plates? We don’t have to wash 1 more item? And for that price we clog up our landfills with more and more disposable, I have tons of dishes (I have a dish collecting problem!) so why shouldn’t we use all those pretty little plates? So, the 7-year old goes to school with a lunch box full of tupperware instead of plastic baggies and I wash more dishes. No big deal, but it would be if we all gave up paper and bags! That’s my first GREEN contribution. Pushing a mower, would be a BIG contribution, though. And I’d get exercise out of it, too. A 2-fer! Thanks for hosting such a fun and worthwhile contest. And how nice that the Fiskars people are giving it to you – pretty cool idea. Good luck!
tweeted http://twitter.com/cdziuba/status/8110109049
Perhaps my answer is simplistic, but I feel that it is the basis for a wonderful foundation of future stewards of the Earth…my kids. To improve the world, I live in a “Green” way….in every way. I recycle, reuse, shop at thrift stores, and most importantly, by example, I’ve taught my kids to live the same way. It all starts in the home, and if we can get all moms and dads on board with a profoundly Earth-friendly philosophy of life, then future generations can continue to clean up the messes of the past, and make our world safer and greener.
I will use my reusable bags more, ride the bus and walk more, recycle more, and be an example of wise environmental stewardship to those around me. I hope to start an eco-friendly lawn care and gardening craze. So in spirit of this contest, here is a haiku:
earth-friendly mowing
many seasons of green grass
and a clean, blue sky
https://twitter.com/cntsg/status/8104364774
I already the usual things: recycle cans,bottles, newspapers and plastic. I use a window fan instead of an air conditioner and try to consolidate my car trips to save gas. The one big project I’d like to do this coming year is clear my closet of all those clothes that I no longer wear for one reason or another and alter, upcycle or reconstruct them to make them wearable again; instead of running out to buy yet another jacket, top or pants or skirt.
You need this to get the .optimum cut on your lawn, However not good if lots of weeds
Help my husband (who uses a gas mower) mow our yard this summer with this reel mower. Helps our planet and my body! (It also reminds me of my dad because this is all he ever had to use.)
Unlike that loon caitlyn flanagan who dissed on school gardens, I totally believe planting a school garden helps to connect kids to the farmers who grow our food, and teaches them more about sustainability. Thru a program called Writers in the Schools, I’m scheduled to give a series of talks to school kids in a few schools around the province from grades primary-12 later this spring and again in the fall. One school has already planned to start a garden this spring, & donate the produce to local food bank, based on my presentations and encouragement to them in the fall. It’s all about paying it forward and teaching the next generation. Their excitement is a huge delight to me.
We are starting our first garden this summer and plan on using my bike more instead of driving.
What will I do to promote more sustainable living? What I’ve been doing already: Teaching my students about it.
Hopefully that’s the proof you need. Thanks!
http://twitter.com/KukSoolMuncie/statuses/8091376868
I own a martial art school in Muncie, Indiana. To make my world Greener and more Sustainable, I am offering my students and their families a discount (or a bonus of some sort) for every thing that they do to make their world Greener and more Sustainable. We are firm believers that defending the Earth is the ultimate act of self-defense.
I am going to sweep the patio and sidewalk with a broom instead of allowing my husband to use the loud, energy sucking, leaf blower, or water wasting hose.
Oh, wouldn’t I love one of these! First of all, I can tell you what I’d do with the mower. We have too many acres of grass to mow with just a reel mower, but I plan to dig up more and more of a circular grassy area for gardens. I need something to mow around these flowerbeds, or my husband won’t be able to get around them with the big riding mower without chopping down flowers.
I don’t have any really creative ideas, but I am becoming more diligent about using my reusable grocery bags every time I shop–no more plastic! Now that I’ve discovered the wonders of newspapers for a base for mulch to keep the weeds out, I’m recycling all my newspapers. And I’m making a point to buy environmentally friendly cleaners as I replace my cleaning supplies.
I hear you about the dumping!
We have been recycling more and we purchased two dual-flush toilets for our bathrooms to save water and a rain barrel for watering the garden.
PLANT (20) TREE SEEDLINGS ON MY PROPERTY AND PASS OUT (100) TREE SEDLINGS IN MY NEIGHBOURHOOD.
ok seriously this is an awesome mower and just moved into a new place that will need mowing by us and was telling the kids I want something like this or they can go out and get thier vitamin d and trim with their scissors.
We do all the normal things like tote bags, recycling packages and donating clothes, books to organizations that can use. What else do we do- conserve gas in the car- make one huge trip and plan….we also unplug things in the house when not in use- yep even the computers and microwave- and we have the if its brown flush it down and if its yellow let it mellow theory around here. We also have solar lights outside the house for nighttime lighting of porch and backyard. We collect rainwater to water the plants and only have the heat on when its really cold. They are learning they need to be responsible too- yeh the rechargeable batteries are cool but there is so much more they can do and I encourage everyone till repuropse here till there is no purpose at all or it is donated
I plan to continue my recent involvement in local city planning – we have a protected water zone that the city continues to encroach upon and allow developers to pave over it, and I am consistently inserting my humble opinion about developing in a Green way. And I promise not to remove my toilet from the bathroom and toss it into a ditch!
Thanks, Dee…
Robin
I am going to ride my bicycle more this year. I don’t live far from anything in our small town. What a marvelous machine you and Fiskars are giving away.
I know exactly what you mean about people dumping things. I live at the edge of town and people throw out all sorts of things. Nothing as large as a sofa or toilet but all the accoutrements that goes with each. I even called the police about hypodermic needles. I didn’t want to touch them. UGH…
I don’t need to be entered into the contest – I have one of these. My neighbors call it the ACOUSTIC lawnmower and make fun of me when I mow! Which, of course, drives me crazy… One thing I plan to do is outfit my bike to carry groceries. It’s only 3 miles to town and I plan to peddle it all summer long. 🙂
This year, I am going to teach at least 20 people how to garden with less water, no chemicals, and pollinator friendly plants.
I’m actually planning to BUY a Momentum mower as my contribution to the environment.
In fact, when I got an email from somebody at Fiskars- a blah blah nice to see you at GWA email, I wrote back and said “WHEN CAN WE BUY THESE AND WHERE?” I’ve been so excited to get one:
Mowing without noise and gasoline + exercise = cleaner environment and healthier Katie!
It also goes along with my plan to exercise using things/environment around me, rather than driving to a gym or pool this winter. I bike, do the elliptical machine (it is not electric), walk and do crunches at home instead of driving to the YWCA.
Now, when the water warms up enough to surf, I will have to drive to the beach. Luckily, it isn’t far.
Easy peasy! Got it tweeted, or twittered, or whatever!
http://twitter.com/AlamoNorth/status/8087627108
I am no longer using plastic (or paper) bags from stores! Goodbye to all those zillion bags I take home from WalMart yearly. I have my reuseable bags with me in the car, ready to fill up!
I’m going to try to post on twitter, but not sure if I can. I hope it’s simple, I’ll let ya know if it works!
We’re going to buy five pounds of red worms and build a bin to start vermicomposting! We already have a big compost pile, but the worms are so much faster and the castings have worked wonders on my plants in the past. I’m hoping we’ll be able to pick up some of our family members’ scraps to compost, too.
meganandmason AT gmail.com
Well, personally I think the best way to begin is to educate yourself on sustainability. I’ve signed up to take a Sustainable Energy class at my university, and I have to do a project for the class. I plan to write a paper on applying a solar energy system to my home and see how that would affect my CO2 footprint for a year.
I could really use this prize
no more buying bottled water
mverno@roadrunner.com
One way.. this is hard. Can’t drive much less, as I have to get to work,…
Mostly, I suppose I’ll have to take things as they come and be mindful.