More Fun than Watching Grass Grow

"Reduce emissions to 1990 levels," is a phrase you hear a lot among global warming go-getters of various stripes. It's the goal set by the Kyoto Protocol, but it has a life of its own as a handy carbon emissions benchmark. But the truly hardcore seem to be going with something more like 1890 levels:

When my fella and I bought our house last year, we tried to make thoughtful decisions as we accessorized our new lives… So we bought a reel mower—completely manual, no gas, no cord, just a few blades and some sweat.

Anyone who has even used a push mower knows where this is headed:

And I'm here to report: Our mower sucks. It rattles. It doesn't cut all that well. It completely misses the tall, thin weeds that have populated our lawn this spring, so that even after a fresh cut it looks like we haven't touched the thing for weeks.

And people wonder why the environmental movement has a hard time getting people to change their habits. Instead of sweating and swearing in an attempt at perfect green purity, why not support innovation by mowing your lawn this weekend with relatively clean and increasingly efficient electric model, a revamped gas mower, or toss out some big bucks for a Roomba-style solar-powered lawnmower?