What's In Your Shed: The Surprising Truth About Gas Mowers - They're Worse Than Your Car

It's spring! Which means every weekend, and sometimes on weekdays, we hear the sounds of lawn mowers, weed trimmers, leaf blowers and other yard tools. On top of hearing them... we also smell them.

Oh, I'm not talking about the smell of fresh mown grass which is actually quite pleasant, unless you have allergies, in which case, it might make you a bit twitchy.

No, I'm talking about the smell of gasoline exhaust. Even though we live in a semi-urban area with moderate sized properties (8000 sq ft), an appalling number of people still have gasoline powered lawn mowers. Not only are they stinky, they are also really noisy... and as I listen to the neighbour trying to get theirs working after its winter hiatus... I wonder... why? And what cost?

We sit in the middle of three houses that run the gamut of lawn mowing equipment. From battery to electric to gasoline-powered.

Battery Lawnmower

Downslope from us is Lindy who uses a battery operated lawn mower. State of the art and super quiet. She just plugs it in to a wall outlet to charge. There are no cords, no fuss, no muss. There's also not a lot of oomph. Lindy laments that she can only do about 30 minutes at a time before the battery loses power and she needs to plug it in again. That's usually enough time for her to finish the front lawn, but not the back lawn. That's the thing with battery-powered tools, they often lack oomph and their battery drains leaving you with an anemic lawnmower that can barely do anything.

Corded Electric Lawnmower

We, on the other hand, have an electric lawn mower, a Black & Decker, I think. We got it second-hand for $40 and it's been great. It has a height adjustment lever... one lever raises and lowers all 4 wheels. Nice! It has decent power although if the grass is long and shaggy, I have to raise the mower or risk it choking. You have to coddle electric mowers a bit... they don't have as much oomph as a gas-powered mower. And if you're not paying attention and try to plough through a long, dense patch of grass and don't listen to the mower and adjust accordingly... you will trip the breaker. We had that happen with the guy who does our house cleaning. He does yard work as well but had obviously never used an electric mower and... tried to push through and... tripped the breaker. The other thing you have to watch out for is the power cord... don't mow over that or your lawn mowing adventure will come to an abrupt end.

Gas Lawnmower

Then we have our upslope neighbours who have an old gasoline-powered lawnmower. It is old. It is super noisy. It stinks the whole neighbourhood up with the fumes. And every few times, they have to tinker with it to get it going. I had a friend who had a gas mower... her shed stank of gasoline and the wooden floor was stained with gasoline and oils spills. Yuck.

Obviously, the gas powered mower is not great for the environment... but I had no idea how bad...

Impact of Gas-Powered Lawn Equipment

The problem lies in the type of engine within these devices - two stroke and four stroke engines. Two stroke engines do not have a separate lubrication system so gasoline and oil are mixed. This means that 30% of the fuel does not combust completely, releasing toxic fumes into the air. Four-stroke engines are slightly better but not great.

For example, let's consider a two stroke scooter, which you might think is eco-friendly because it hardly uses an gas. A 2014 study of VOC (harmful gases) found that emissions were 124 times HIGHER with an idling scooter than with a car or truck.

Oh, and a four stroke gasoline powered lawnmower emits the same amount of emissions as a vehicle travelling 800 kilometres. 

A consumer grade gasoline powered leaf blower emits more hydrocarbons than a truck or sedan.

An EPA study in the USA found that gasoline powered lawnmowers produce 5% of total air pollution in the USA.

From APCD of Kentucky (Air Pollution Control District)
based on EPA data

And let's not talk about fuel spills when refilling a gas-powered lawn mower. This can release toxic compounds into the air and seep into the soil and ground water.

Oh, and then there is noise pollution. Most gas lawnmowers, particularly older models run at 95-100 decibels (db). Irreparable hearing damage can start at just 85 db with repeated or prolonged exposure. Electric mowers? They run at 75 db. You can listen to that all day and be fine. Gas powered mower or weed trimmer?

Solutions

 If you want to reduce your carbon footprint... and don't have the budget for an electric vehicle... don't worry... you can get huge bang for your buck by switching from a gas-powered lawnmower to an electric one! If you can't go big... don't go home... go small!

You could also, of course, get a reel lawnmower... one of those push mowers. A neighbour 2 houses up from us had one of those and... used it once and then it sat in the front yard and quietly rusted. I'm going to guess it was not a success. If you have a tiny patch of lawn then a push-reel mower might be the thing for you.

Take a look in your shed... can your gas-powered anything be replaced with an electric version? The electric version might cost more initially but over time... with gasoline costs going up and up... you'll make your money back. Or buy a second-hand electric mower and save even more! Or a weed trimmer... or a leaf blower... or a snow blower... or a chainsaw.

On top of that many municipalities are moving to ban gas-powered lawn equipment... so if you still have a fume-belching, gas-guzzling lawn dinosaur... it's days might be numbered...

Oh... and that cute little Italian Vespa scooter that is going to solve your commuting woes? Remember... two-stroke and four-stroke engines... put out more emissions than a car... The Italian city of Genoa, birthplace of the Vespa moved to ban the little things back in 2019... and other European cities have followed suite... mostly banning older models. But the writing is one the wall.

This is one of those times where you don't want "vintage", no matter how cool and retro it looks. Function (poor emissions quality) trumps Form (cute look).

Eco-Friendly Beauty: Discovering Makeup and Skincare Recycling Solutions

I was leaving Walmart the other day, having bought my jars of pickles (very specific pickles only available at Walmart) and a watch battery. I actually hate shopping at Walmart. I hate the self-checkout area which feels a bit like a bull-ring. I hate the talking tills. The whole thing just... irks me. I just want out of there! As fast as possible.

But as I scampered past the optical department... and almost reached the customer service desk... I stopped dead in my tracks. What the heck was this box?

TerraCycle Cosmetic & SkinCare Recycling Box at Walmart

Make-up recycling???!!! What the heck!? They have recycling for Cosmetics and Skincare products. Whooooaaaaaa... 

Now let me first say that I don't use cosmetics or make-up. But I do use skin-care products like lotions... and lip balm... and deodorant... And it has always irked me that these containers are either very hard to recycle (washing out a lotion bottle?) or impossible (deodorant - too many different plastic types).

There was a QR code on the side of the box... I scanned it and it took me here... It's a TerraCycle project! I know them! They have a system to handle "hard-to-recycle" things... like toothbrushes and toothpaste tubes...

Walmart has partnered with TerraCycle and a few cosmetics companies (L'Oreal being a big one) to take back cosmetic and skincare containers. From ANY brand! Cool! OK... I might need to re-evaluate my opinion of Walmart... a little bit.

So here's a list of things that they take... I'm going to need another bin to collect this stuff at home...

What You can Recycle

• lip balm, lip gloss, lip liner and lipstick tubes
• soap dispensers and tubes
• lotion bottles, tubes, dispensers and plastic jars
• non-pressurized shaving foam tubes
• body wash containers
• mascara tubes
• eyeliner pencils and cases
• eyeshadow packaging
• concealer tubes
• foundation packaging and bottles
• powder cases

What You Can't Recycle

• perfume (presumably because it has alcohol - flammable)
• nail polish bottles (same thing... highly flammable)
• nail polish remover bottles (same... extremely flammable)
• pressurized canisters (including aerosol cans) (explosive)
• sharps (including razors) (dangerous)

Excellent news! Kudos to Walmart and... wait a minute... I was doing some background reading and... London Drugs is also doing this. And has been for YEARS!

Well... not quite... yes, London Drugs has been recycling cosmetics for several years but NOT skincare products (like lotion bottles). So the Walmart box is more inclusive...

And to be honest... I've never seen a make-up recycling box at London Drugs. Mind you... I don't really go into the make-up section but I have definitely walked by it at various times. And never, ever has a recycling box (and they are big!) impinged on my radar.

Walmart has a good location for theirs... as you exit the store, where people are most likely to see it. Alright... I am going to have to make up a list (make up... make-up... hahahah!) of recyclable skin care/cosmetic products and pay more attention before I throw a lip balm in the garbage... or a lotion bottle.

Although... I still want to know about deodorant... it is not on the accepted list... but neither is it on the reject list. To recycle it... or not... I think I will add it to the bin and take it along next time

And... I just did a search for deodorant and recycling and came across the Beauty Vixen's blog post... apparently there are a swack of other stores that also do beauty recycling including Hudson's Bay, L'Occitane en Provence, Winners and Holt Renfrew. There appear to be size limitations though on some of them (less than 60 ml, under 2 inches by 2 inches, etc). Although... some even accept shampoo bottles!

Well then... now we know. Any and all beauty and skin care products (minus the flammable stuff) can be recycled via either TerraCycle or Pact (another outfit like TerraCycle). Just look for the boxes... or ask at the front desk...

So... don't toss your lip balm, your lotion bottle or your foundation container. Recycle instead.

Still need to work on the dentist to sponsor a TerracCycle dental products box... will try emailing them again...

More Resources

TerraCycle's page on cosmetic recycling

Running on Empty: Writing Blogs with Zero Buffer

I had a 4 month buffer on this blog back in November. That's 16 weeks of posts... all scheduled and laid out... And I blew it. I'm now backed against the blog posting wall with no buffer... no posts in my backpocket and... I hate that!

The idea of having a nice fat buffer is... I can relax a bit. I don't have to write a blog every week. If I want to write 3 one week, and none for a few weeks, that works. There is a buffer... and the buffer can absorb the vagaries of my writing inspirations... or lack thereof. And a 4 month buffer is a very healthy buffer... but over the last few months, my attention has been elsewhere. And now the buffer is gone... weep for the little buffer... sigh...

No buffer means I feel the stress of getting a post written and published. No buffer means I have no wiggled room. No buffer means I question whether I even want to continue doing this.

Now... my partner will tell you that all of this stress, anguish and gnashing of teeth is self-imposed. There is no Blog God holding a gun to my head saying... "You must publish a blog every week or... else..." Seriously, there isn't... This blog doesn't even have a tonne of readers who will *gasp* abandon me if I skip a week or two.

But... and you knew there was a "but"... this blog isn't really for others... it's for me (mostly). A place where I can write an express ideas and wrestle with things and get my thoughts out of my head. If someone else benefits from it... bonus!

There is a sweet spot of writing for me... when I have a bunch of posts in the bag... I can write or not write on a particular day and I'm OK. I can focus my writing on other blogs (I have several) and other projects.

It's not that I lack for topics, I have reams and reams of ideas and many, many draft posts that need some polishing and tweaking and research. But the month of April (it is April 2 as I write this) is full. I have tax preparation as Priority #1 for the first two weeks. Oh, and Airbnb cleaning... And then 10 days of working the pulpmill shutdown as Hole Watch (now that is a whole other post!). And then a conference to attend at the end of the month. And there goes April... poof.

So I sit here and write what's front and centre and real. I could skip a post... I could. I've done that in the past. But from experience I know what happens when I skip one post... one turns into two... turns into three... then 10... then 50. Before you know it, a whole year has gone by and I wonder why I am bursting with ideas and no outlet for them.

There is something soothing, comforting, satisfying.. .cathartic? About writing these posts. So I do try to keep at least one post coming out every week. They might not be long. They might not be deep. But they are real and reflect my current state of grumbling anxious panic... "Who the heck let a 4 MONTH buffer slip away...?"

Because let me tell you... it is way easier to post one blog a week as part of a blog post maintenance program, thereby keeping a rolling 4 month buffer... than to try and come up with 4 blog posts in 1 week! The difference between sweeping and snow shoveling... maintenance is always easier than catch-up...

Grumble...

Day 1 - Diary of a Grieving Ailurophile (Cat Lover)

April 11

We had to put our cat down yesterday. We knew Minnie was going. She had been diagnosed with Stage 3 (verging on Stage 4) kidney failure in early September 2023. We pulled out all the stops, and gave her subcutaneous injections of saline every 3, 2 and, eventually, every single day.

In early February she got a UTI and slid downhill. We fought it with 3 rounds of antibiotics and many vet visits. One vet figured she was also hyperthyroid and prescribed anti-thyroid meds. When Minnie vomited those up after 3 days, we called it quits on that. She was 13 years old. The UTI took a lot of out of her. The anti-nausea meds didn't agree with her. The appetite stimulant's worked for a while and then didn't.

And by mid-March we knew the end was coming. She stopped eating her urinary cat food. She stopped eating her kidney cat food. We tried treats. She ate them for a while and then stopped. We tried canned salt-free tuna. She ate that for a week (her absolute favourite food) and then stopped. We tried Fancy Feast. She ate that for a week and then stopped. She'd nibble on a treat fragment every once in a while. She slept alot. But she was still cuddly. And yet... she was a pale shadow of her former self.

On Friday, April 5, we saw the vet again. She agreed. It was time. My partner wasn't quite there yet so the vet said we could have the weekend to say goodbye. And so we did. Minnie perked up a bit. She ate tuna. She wandered the backyard. She ate grass. She slept in the sun. She burrowed in the blankets. She slept. And got cuddles. Lots of cuddles.

Even though we knew it was time. The surrealness of it all was hard to grasp. Three more sleeps. Two more sleeps. One more sleep. No more sleep. 10 hours. 8 hours. 6 hours. 1 hour. Time to leave. We cried. Minnie burrowed in her blanket and purred and washed her front paws. Were we making the right decision? She weighed less than 5 lbs. From a healthy weight of 13 lbs. She was a ghost. Scrawny and emaciated. But she purred. She cuddled. She staggered sometimes when she walked. She was still happy. She hadn't fallen off the cliff yet.

We've had cats who have fallen off the cliff, who fade slowly and then, suddenly, one day, you wake up and it's clear... Today is the day. But at that point, the cat is in dire straits. Spooky, our previous cat, either had asthma or a tumour in her throat. We phoned the vet on the morning she fell off a cliff and got a 2 pm appt. I had to watch as Spooky coughed and wheezed while her gums and tongue turned blue. Until she could breathe again... but then if we touched her, she would purr... which would trigger another coughing spasm.

No. Never again. Let them go before they get to that point. Don't wait until they are knocking at death's door. But it's a hard thing to judge. Are they at Death's Door? Or wandering down Death's Alley, still a few weeks, days, from Death's Door?

In the end. We know... we think... we convince ourselves... that we timed it right with Minnie. We made the right decision. She went quickly when the vet injected the pink liquid. We washed her fur with our tears and held her and cuddled and let her know that she was loved.

And it is so insanely hard. To return to an empty house, devoid of a feline spirit. It's empty. Oh sure, we are there. But the little feline spirit is not. No pitter patter of little feet. No chirp or coo as she entered a room. No tail-in-the-air as she sauntered into the living room. Although, to be honest, we haven't had a lot of coos, chirps or perky tails for the last couple of months. She has been waning for many weeks. Months. 

So we burst into tears at odd moments. My eyes are scratchy with all the crying. I'm not sure if it's dehydration or too much salt in my eyes. So many things remind us of her. She was a presence in every room. No paddling at the patio door, asking (nay... demanding) to be let out. No cuddles on the couch. Nighttime is the worst. No warm little body tucked in behind the knees. No furry body taking up 80% of the pillow.

No. Miss Minnie Princess Pretty Paws is gone. And we miss her dreadfully.

They say that grief comes in waves. Right now, the waves are coming hard and fast. They are raw. They are visceral. We sob, we cry. We laugh. We reminisce. We sob again.

In writing this post, I am hoping that I can see the waves ease. Become farther apart. Less intense. I hope. Small steps. One day at a time.

Closet Chronicles: The Strategy for Wearing More of What You Own

Crowded jeans/pants section of my closet

I wouldn't call myself a fashionista by any stretch of the imagination. My wardrobe generally consists of  jeans, t-shirts, flannel shirts and a few sweaters. Nothing fancy. Nothing overwhelming. And yet... my 5 foot stretch of closet rod is literally groaning with the weight of all my clothes. What the heck?

More perplexing is the fact that I end up wearing the same 2 or 3 t-shirts and pants, week after week. Why keep all these clothes if I just wear a few at a time? Why not... you know... rotate through them? And I have the best laid plans to do exactly that and... it all falls by the wayside. Why? Because sometimes my jeans don't fit well... they are too big... or too small. And so I am limited to the few that actually... fit. Sigh.

Tackling the Closet

So, the other week, I stood in front of my closet and decided to get organized. I tried on every single pair of jeans and pants and figured out which ones fit, and which ones don't. I also took aside my fleece-lined winter jeans and put them with the "do not fit" pile. Then I rummaged through all of the hangers and pulled out matching ones. These are for my jeans/pants that DO fit. The do NOT fit pile got different coloured hangers and got stuff in the back right-hand side of the closet. Now, I can identify them easily.

Backwards Rotation

Reversed hangers and normal hangers - 
Pull from the left... rehang on the right.

I then organized my jeans/pants and discovered that I actually had very few blue jeans that actually fit. So I mixed them in with the beige and black jeans... and the other pants and then hung everything up neatly. But with a twist. I put the hangers on the rod backwards. This is a trick I learned in the minimalism community. Every time I pull a pair of jeans/pants out of the closet, I will put them back with the hanger the right way. This way, after a year, or so, I will know which ones I actually wear!

Another trick... I am pulling jeans/pants from the left side and hanging them back on the right side, creating a bit of a conveyer belt system. Pull from the left... hang back on the right. Theoretically... I will easily cycle through my jeans/pants! Theoretically...

I did the same thing with my t-shirts (which hang in the closet) and flannel shirts. Since these are more on the left-hand side of the closet... I will pull from the right and hang back on the left (deeper into the closet).

How Much is Too Much?

I have to admit being a bit flummoxed by the number of items I had:

• Jeans/Pants that do NOT fit - 6
• Jeans/Pants that DO fit - 20
• T-shirts - 15
• Flannel Shirts - 10
• Hoodies/sweaters - 10
• Other shirts - 5

It's definitely not a ridiculous or excessive amount of clothes. Or... is it? Considering that our house was built in 1980 and that a 5 foot closet run was considered sufficient for two adults... me having a 5 foot closet rod all to myself would suggest that... in fact... this is a bit excessive. Although... if I watch any HGTV home reno shows and see all of the walk-in closets that seem to be de rigueur for new builds and renos these days... well... my tiny 5 foot span of closet rod is positively paltry in comparison! Compared with those dream closets, I have a piddly amount of clothes.

Glorious walk-in closet
(Image by Mike Gattorna from Pixabay)

But... if I got back to the 1950s and look at closets from back then... they are even smaller... a mere 3 feet or so of closet rod length for a married couple. Which makes me think that we are experiencing wardrobe-flation. Over the years... the number of clothes that are considered "normal" just goes up... and up and up.

And this despite the fact that the Pareto Principle is very much in force... we wear 20% of our clothes 80% of the time (2 or 3 t-shirts and a few pairs of jeans). It's true.

Fun Fact: The Average Woman owns 103 items of clothing but only wears 10% of them. (That does not... of course... include accessories, outer- or under garments).

And trying to cycle through 100% of my wardrobe is proving to be a bit of a "thing". It's not easy. Some days I don't want to wear slacks (too fancy for grocery shopping) and I just want a pair of jeans but... the Hanger-of-the-Day says that slacks it is. Ugh. I am at the mercy of my closet system. Sigh.

Oh... and then there are the "play" t-shirts (relegated to that category because of stains or holes). These are good for hiking and gardening but not for "going out". Then there are the shorts as well... I think I might be that "average" woman with 103 items of clothing!

But... for now... I am going to give my rotating, hanging backwards closet system a try. Ideally... if there are any hangers that are still on the rod backwards in a year... those items can go. We'll see about that!

Be the Hero: Sign Up as an Organ Donor Today!

I was at the Driver's License office the other week, getting my license renewed. As I waited in the lobby for the doors to open, I noticed a QR code on the wall... it was for organ donation.

I'm a big fan of organ donation. I have a t-shirt from the Kidney Foundation that I bought at some point. On the front it says...

"Don't take your organs to Heaven"

On the back it says...

"Heaven knows we need them here."

Two Minutes to Register

It used to be that you could register as an organ donor just by having the sticker on your Driver's License, but that is no longer good enough. Now, it needs to be tied to your provincial health card number.

The sign by the QR code said it would take 2 minutes. So I did it... And it did indeed take only 2 minutes. It's a very small step... but one that could have HUGE benefits for numerous people...

Driver's License Stickers are Passé

Did you know 95% of BC residents support organ donation? Yep... that means, the odds are... if you  are reading this, you support organ donation. Yay!!! The kicker is... only 30% of BC residents have registered as organ donors. Oh... you remember putting a sticker on your driver's license... years ago? That is passé... today, you need to be in the organ donor registry.

Too Old? Too Young?

But wait... you're too old you say? The oldest organ donor in Canada was 92! The oldest tissue donor was 104!! Let the specialists decide. It's never too early... or too late to become an organ donor.

Think you're too young?? Anyone 16 or older can register to become an organ/tissue donor. 

Religious Concerns?

You're not sure if your religion supports organ donation? Well... as it turns out, most religions support and even encourage organ donation. Here's a link to the American Kidney Foundation... find your religion on the list and see what it says... Most religions leave the decision up to you. Many see it as a voluntary act of charity and love while some actually see it is obligatory if you can save a life (Judaism). Yep... if your dead body could save a life... or many lives... why would you NOT do it???

So unless you practice Shinto or are a Gypsy... you're good to go!

Lackadaisical Doctors?

Some potential donors are afraid that doctors won't try to save their life with all the power that is in their possession but... that is not true. Organ donation is only considered after all life saving efforts have been exhausted and it is certain that you will not survive.

Oh... and only 1% of deaths in BC are viable organ donation scenarios... you basically have to be on a ventilator in ICU. Heck, you are six times more likely to NEED an organ donation than to actually BE an organ donor. Your tissue needs to be a match to a recipient and the odds of that are very small. Which is why we need more people to register to be organ donors!

Medical Condition?

You have a medical condition? You are worried it will disqualify you? Well, let the doctors make that decision when the time comes. You and I are (mostly) not medical professionals... we don't know. They do.

Open Casket Funeral?

But can you still have an open casket funeral? Yes, you can. Specialist surgeons will remove and prepare your organs and you'll still be able to have an open casket funeral.

What you Can Donate

It's your choice. And you get to choose which organs you wish to be donated. Everything from this list is possible:

• heart
• liver
• kidneys
• pancreas
• bowel
• eyes
• tissue (heart valves, bones, tendons, skin, veins, arteries)
• lungs
• used for research

Me? I signed up for all of it. 

Tell Your Loved Ones!

You also get to leave an optional message for your loved ones at the time of donation/decision. This makes it easier for your loved ones to know what your wishes were and to relieve them of having to make the hard decision. 

How Many Lives can be Saved?

So... the burning question is... how many lives can one (1) organ donor save??

1. Five
2. Eight
3. Ten
4. One

I'll give you a minute....

 ***elevator music***

According to Canadian Blood Services...

A single organ donor can save up to eight lives!

And eye and tissue donors can improve the lives of up to 75 patients!

Win. Win. Win. Win. Win. Win. Win. Win!

Sign up! It takes Two Minutes

Why wait? There's no reason to wait. It takes 2 (two) minutes... all you need is your BC Personal Health Number. Remember... you're not too old or too sick. Odds are, you are one of the 95% of British Columbians that support it! (If you're not a BC resident... keep reading!)

Just go here... Organ Donor Registry (transplant.bc.ca)... sign-up. Maybe you'll be one of the lucky 1% who get chosen to be an organ donor when your time comes. And if not... at least you tried. You're still a hero!

If you're in Alberta - it's also super easy, all done online - Alberta Organ Donor Registry 

If you live elsewhere... just google your state/province and "organ donation"... you'll find the site quickly.

One final thing... tell your loved ones about your decision. Ultimately, at the time of your death, when the doctors show them your organ donor registration consent... your family or loved ones need to know this is really what you wanted. Families are more likely to agree to the donation if they know what your wishes were.

In Canada, we have an organ donor awareness day/week in April known as Green Shirt Day in honour of Logan Boulet... a member of the Humboldt Broncos ice hockey team. Even in the face of that tragic day in 2018, and the death of their son, Logan's parents respected his wishes as a registered organ donor and his organs saved 6 lives. His coach, who had inspired Logan to be an organ donor, also died and saved another 6 lives.

If Logan could do it. You can do it too.