Just One Thing: Green Your Leaves

If you are looking to clear those leaves off your lawn this fall but don’t want to rake them yourself, here are a few alternatives to the noisy gas-powered blowers. 

A gas-powered blower emits as much pollution in an hour as a car would if it drove 100 miles, according to the Citizen’s League for Environmental Action Now. Instead try an electric-powered blower. It is 50 to 70 percent quieter than a gas-powered version and emits no air pollution.

Additionally many of the new blowers have a mulch setting that reduces the collected leaves and grass to a tenth of their former size, taking up less space when you throw them away.

Three environment-friendly leaf blowers are the Lehr Propane Leaf Blower, the Black and Decker Cordless Broom and the Black and Decker High Performance Blower/Vacuum/Mulcher.

After you are done collecting your leaves, look on Earth911.com to find local recycling centers so the leaves can be disposed of in a responsible way. And remember that paper collection bags are better for the environment than the plastic ones.

For more leaf collection tips, CLICK HERE.

If you decide you need to burn some calories, try raking your leaves instead.  It’s estimated that a 150-pound person could burn 144 calories while raking leaves for 30 minutes.

Raking is eco-friendly and healthy for the entire family. You also can reuse your leaves to stuff scarecrows or pumpkin bags for the front lawn, or to use as insulation for tender plants.

For more green ideas, CLICK HERE.