Propane-Powered Yard Tools

It's a windy day in Texas, and on windy days our disdain for leaf blowers grows even greater. Our walk from the bus through the city was polluted by the roar of those machines, but more annoyingly, we kept breathing in the noxious fumes. So imagine our delight to find out that in the fall, a new product will be available: a propane-powered leaf blower from Lehr. And that's not all...

Already on the market are Lehr's Propane Powered Eco Trimmers. Propane is more cost-effective than gas, but at zero emissions, is the much greener choice for fueling lawn equipment. Not to mention, the propane canisters used to power these yard tools are 100% recyclable.

Find out more on Lehr's site.

Grass image: Flickr member ArtemFinland licensed under Creative Commons. Also picture: Lehr Propane Powered Eco Trimmer.

Originally posted by Amber Byfield/Re-Nest

Comments (2)

The chemist (or environmentalist) can correct me if I am wrong, but a quick look at Wikipedia (after a skeptical read of the article--'don't all fossil fuels release carbon dioxide', I speculated) reveals that propane is NOT emission free. The chemical equation reads as follows:

C3H8 (propane) 5 O2 → 3 CO2 4 H2O heat

CO2 is the "emission" culprit (at least that's what Al Gore has been telling me). And while it is true that LPG (Liquified Petroleum Gas, of which propane is a primary constituent) is in many ways preferable to good ol' gasoline (fewer particulates and other harmful gaseous contaminants) it still requires loads of energy to drill for and refine.

Just a warning. I don't want anyone getting the idea that propane is some kind of Magic Eco-Friendly Fuel.

posted by e.scott on June 16th 2009 at 5:37pm
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What's even more environmentally friendly is a push reel lawn mower. My parents have a small front yard and my dad uses a gas fueled push mower to trim the lawn. A push reel mower would have 0 emissions and not wake me up early on a weekend morning when I visit.

posted by ecofriendlyconsumer on June 17th 2009 at 9:16am
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