Leaf Sweeper: Ten Times Faster than a Rake. Easier on Your Back.

(Or…It is possible to do leaf cleanup without a leaf blower!)
Regular leaf rakes force you to turn and twist your back, but with just one pass this 26 or 31-inch sweeper scoops leaves into the 6 bushel catcher.

Many of our customers are changing their leaf cleanup method to a push lawn sweeper. Seems like some folks like to rake and some like to sweep. The advantages of raking are you can move more leaves by using the leaf bags. The advantage to sweeping is you don’t have to rake- one of the most back-wrenching activities in the garden. Walking across your lawn just like you mow but with a sweeper is more ergonomic. Planning on where to end up with your full load of leaves in the sweeper is one challenge sweeper users encounter.

The sweeper is also easy on the back, as it picks up leaves ten times faster than a rake!  When the bag is full, just lift it off for easy emptying.

• Collect leaves without bending over
• Reduces strain on the back
• Faster than using a rake
• Sweeps everything from lawn to driveway

Now the good news is whether raking or sweeping your leaves, you are NOT using a noisy gas-powered leaf blower! Which is a good time for me to rant AGAIN::

4 GOOD REASONS TO AVOID GAS POWERED LEAF BLOWERS

1. They pollute the air.
   A single gas-powered leaf blower can emit as much pollution in a year as 80 cars.
2. They’re noisy.
   A normal decibel level, considered acceptable in residential areas, is about 60 decibels (60dB). Every increase in decibels means noise that is 10 times louder. Leaf-blowers usually generate about 70-75 dB. According to the U.S. EPA this level of noise actually degrades quality of life by interfering with communication and sleep, leads to reduced accuracy of work and increased levels of aggravation, which can linger hours after exposure. And how is it that every afternoon fall party we have had lately, is the exact time all the neighborhood blowers get fired up! (read my noise rant here)
3. They worsen allergies and asthma and irritate the lungs.
   Because they operate at such high velocities, leaf blowers stir up the mold, allergens, and dust particles that otherwise have been tamped down with rain and decomposition.
4. They waste gas.
   Gas. Transportation of the gas. Grrrr. Our easy to use lawn and leaf sweepers offer a petroleum-free alternative.

And lastly, don’t forget to compost all those lovely leaves!

Inspired Recycling Bins: Landfill, Recycle, Compost Labels

We have been looking to manufacture beautiful recycling bins and came across this idea which is at the Getty Museum. Instead of being labeled by what goes into the containers, they are labeled with where the contents are going.

The idea that the trash is going to the landfill may make someone think a little harder as they sort trash. Love that kind of thinking…we’re seeing what we can come up with along these lines. If anyone knows of great recycle and trash bins, please let us know. We did have one that customers loved…the Ecopod made by BMW but they have stopped production.

Coffee Grounds : Perk up Your Compost Pile More Effectively Than Manure

GROUNDS ARE HOT!
Coffee grounds seem to be a great alternative to manure for composting all those fall leaf piles. I personally use manure because we have have easy access to a horse that we know is healthy…but for all those without access to a healthy-pooping-animals, coffee grounds is a “hot + longer lasting” alternative:

When coffee grounds made up 25 percent of the volume of their compost piles, temperatures in the piles stayed between 135 degrees and 155 degrees for at least two weeks, enough time to have killed a “significant portion” of the pathogens and seeds. In contrast, the manure in the trials didn’t sustain the heat as long. Science Daily

GROUNDS ARE NOT ACIDIC
Worried about PH of the grounds? Well aren’t you smart…there are lots of articles about this out there. But here’s the truth…

Contrary to popular belief, coffee grounds are not acidic. After brewing, the grounds are close to pH neutral, between 6.5 and 6.8. The acid in the beans is mostly water-soluble, so it leaches into the coffee we drink.

You can also work the grounds directly into the soil now in time for spring planting. It takes about 3 months for them to work their magic into the soil. There is even a really technical analysis including nitrogen/phosphorus/potassium levels entitled the “Starbucks Coffee Compost Test“.

COFFEE SHOPS WANT TO GIVE YOU THEIR GROUNDS FOR FREE
So next time you are at a local coffee shop, ask for some “grounds” with your coffee. No need to be shy, Starbucks even encourages you to come in and collect them and may even have them prepackaged and ready to take-out. Which brings us back to you saving landfill and transportation costs by picking these up:

Starbucks alone produces enough coffee waste to equal 4 747’s per year in weight. That material should all be going back into the earth where it belongs, rather than into landfills.

Starbucks Coffee developed the “Grounds for Your Garden” initiative to reuse coffee grounds, the largest portion of its waste. It’s a year-round program that offers complimentary bags of spent coffee grounds to customers, parks, schools and nurseries for adding to your composter.

Massive Honeybee Die-offs Linked to Pesticides: A Big Reason to Grow and Buy Organic

QUICK FACTS:

• Bees pollinate 80 percent of fruits and vegetables.
• Approximately 50 percent of hives have disappeared. Scientists have termed this phenomenon “Colony Collapse Disorder”
• Viral and parasitic pathogens contributing to the honeybee loss have been identified.
• Other potential CCD triggers are the dozens of environmental chemicals, including pesticides used by agricultural producers to protect crops and by beekeepers to control hive pests such as parasitic mites.
• Bee Hives Harbor 70 Different Pesticides

BUYING
Ok, so if you are worried about the incremental cost of purchasing organic produce for Thanksgiving, think about the actual cost of produce grown using chemicals and pesticides…honeybee colony collapse disorder. Even non-organic seeds coated with pesticides are linked to the problem.

GROWING
Bees wander around in their universe. There are no fences, no borders, no private property rights. They trespass no more than rabbits or deer or birds. That’s a given.  Now take that to your fall and spring lawn care rituals and your personal gardening efforts…just avoid pesticides that could in anyway contribute to any further toxic saturation of the honeybee colonies. You could also plant bee-friendly plants and make your yard a safe-for-bee zone.

Compost is an integral part to moving towards an organic chemical-free healthy lawn and garden. As much as you can make! From newspapers to every scrap of food, to your fall leaves…it is all gold for your garden. We have been composting for 40 years and have all kinds of piles in all states. We also have tested many different types of composters in the 10 years we have been in business and carry just a few different composters that we think are best.

We urge everyone to begin to think of the big picture of the costs of non-organic gardening…from your lawn to your food purchases.

RELATED ARTICLES:
Evidence That Pesticides Are Seriously Messing Up Our Honey Bees
In Search of the Colony Collapse Disorder Culprit(s)
For Beekeepers, Colony Collapse Disorder Makes November the Cruelest Month
Wikipedia Colon Collapse Disorder
8 Companies and Organizations Truly Helping Honey Bees

10 Ideas for New Thanksgiving Family Traditions

Great article from Take Part may inspire your to start a few new family Thanksgiving traditions that really are more about appreciation for our abundance and thanks for our nation and it’s future.

Thanksgiving is second in a slew of holidays at this time of year that have become one extended caloric nightmare.  Marketers have successfully driven consumers to celebrate these holidays in an atmosphere of frenzied food consumption, often from everyday pre-packaged products festooned with special holiday cheer.  However, you can say no to the pre-packaged cheer and have a hearty, sustainable meal.  Below are 10 tips to a healthier, humane, sustainable, “low carb(on)” and labor friendly Thanksgiving from some fantastic organizations.

Read 10 tips here.

Time to Winterize Your Rain Barrel

As the temperatures up north here drop, it’s time to winterize your rain barrel just like all your other outside watering tools. It’s simple

• Drain all water from the rain barrel and the hoses.
• Move your rain barrel into a garage or storage shed if you have one. If you do not have the storage space, turn the barrel upside down to prevent water from entering. Cover the spigot opening to prevent water from collecting there as well.
• Back at your house, remember to reconnect gutter downspout or add temporary flexible gutter downspout to ensure water is diverted away from your house.

Planting a Spring Garden? Do This Right Now…

It seems since the new White House is even thinking about having an organic vegetable garden on it’s lawn, lots of new and hopeful first time gardeners are dreaming of their spring gardens. Maybe it’s the economy. Maybe it’s the 100 mile diet urge. Whatever…we urge you not to wait til spring to begin your endeavor as your soil needs time to settle down and make the nutrients available for your plants.

Digg your compost in now for spring planting

Preparing the soil for a garden is done best in late fall, when adding compost, partially aged compost, and other organic materials to the soil will not take nitrogen from your seedlings. So before the soil freezes, get out there and turn some of your compost (ready or not) right into where you want to plant and let it amend your soil over the winter. If you have compost tea or tea from a wormery, pour that whereever you anticipate tucking your vegtables in the soil and let the repair and recolonization begin!

I admit I have an obsession…

This would be a good time to admit that I may think of my soil more than my actual plants! I can’t pass a manure heap, a bag of leaves, or pile of garden waste without considering bringing it home to my various composting areas. I have a compost tumbler (a sunmar 400), a womery/ worm composter (can-o-worms), and a large loose compost pile in a corner of my yard where all my neighbors toss their leaves and garden clippings. It is surprising to see how that pile (that we in no way prepare or mix) breaks down on it’s own in under a year.  I even bury in my shredded mail, newspapers, and branches and everything turns into unbelievably rich humus.

The point here is: nature is going to do it’s thing. Compost just happens! So help your spring garden areas now and the compost will be absorbed into soil structure and  ready to feed your spring plants.

Got worms? Time to bring them inside…

worm composters in the north...bring them inside.

If you live in one of the mid to northern zones, it’s time to bring your worm composter bins inside. The best time to do this is when the temperatures begin to be in the 40″s at night. If left outside, no worries. While your current live worms may die, the eggs laid will hatch when the temperatures are right. But you do need lots of living worms to keep your wormery working thru the winter.

Remember, worm composters are ordorless if fed properly. And keep a top layer of shredded paper on them to keep odors under the paper. If by chance your compost is getting ahead of your worms, just bury the food scraps a bit…especially the onions which i tend to put outside during the winter.

Dumb eco-questions you were afraid to ask

Ok, so this is a little off-topic but I have always wondered this: Should we turn the light off when we leave a room or leave it on since we are coming back?

This month’s issue of the New Scientist has the answer…and it’s not what you think:

If I switch the light on and off every time I enter and leave a room, does this use more energy than leaving it on all evening?

Switching the light on and off does saves energy, but there is a catch. Every time you flip the switch, the bulb takes a jolt of electricity, which shortens its life. Studies by the Electric Power Research Institute in Palo Alto, California, found that turning low-energy compact fluorescent bulbs on and off at frequent intervals can shorten their lifespan by as much as 75 per cent. The institute’s director of energy utilisation, Tom Reddoch, suggests leaving energy-saving bulbs on if you will be out of the room for less than 15 minutes.

This is just answer #1. Read the whole article here : The definitive guide to everything you wanted to know about being green but were too embarrassed to ask! OK, so are laminated juice cartons recyclable? ….

How to put your lawn mower away for the winter

Often we get asked how to maintain your reel lawnmower. With both the Brill and Sunlawn mowers the maintenance is the same.

First of all get some silicone spray. Silicone spray can be found in the same section of the hardware store as WD-40. Before each use, spray the blades with the silicone spray. This lubricates and protect the blades. After each use, wipe the blades clean with a rag. Doing this easy five minute routine, will help you keep your mower in great shape.

To store for the winter, just spray the blades and wipe clean.

If you have a battery powered mower. Fully charge the batteries before storing for the winter. Depending on the battery, you may find it doesn’t have much juice after the winter. Fully deplete the battery and charge fully before using. To take care of your battery powered reel mower, do the same as the reel mower owners.

People Powered Machines to exhibit at NewEngland Grows 2009 Expo

UPDATE TO POST: the expo is going and we are blogging every day from it. see images of the big hall, a video and day one,  maps of the expo and our booth, and more!

Today we learned that we will be one of 700 exhibitors at the New England Grows 2009  Expo to be held in Boston February 4-6. This event attracted 15,000 visitors last year and is really gaining in momentum.

We plan to have at our booth the Walkover Sprayers,  Rolypig compost maker, Haaga sweepers, Brill Razorcut 38s, SnoWovel, Smart Cart and many more of our products. If you are in Boston , please stop by booth 970 and say hello. See you at the show!

Sunlawn Moves Operations to US

UPDATE TO POST : Sunlawn Mower Reel Mower Brand Taken over by Easun

—–

Sunlawn, Inc., a major supplier of ours, is moving manufacturing of reel lawn mowers to the states. After producing in China for two years, Sunlawn will begin producing three mowers, a trimmer, and grass catcher at their plant in Indiana.

Sunlawn feels that with the move they will continue to offer competitive products at competitive prices and will improve quality control of all products.

Starting in March of 2009, Sunlawn will offer three mowers. The Classic model will replace the popular MM2 and be able to mow from 1″ to 3.75″. The Ideal models will replace the LMM35 and LMM40 and be able to mow from .5″ to 3″.

We welcome them back to the US manufacturing world, and we look forward to offering these products from Sunlawn, Inc.

Until March of 2009, we will continue selling Sunlawn’s LMM40 and Grass Catcher.

Classic 40 Shown

High School Students: Money for your Eco-problem-solving Ideas

planet connect: grants for eco-thinking teens,

Our daughter just entered an application into this eco-grant program…she is doing a school composter project.  We are excited to think there are organizations out there rewarding our youth to think of creative solutions to solve environmental problems. Put together by The Weather Channel and the National Environmental Education Foundation as a part of Classroom Earth, they’re looking for smart, innovative, and workable solutions to pressing environmental issues:

Planet Connect is a new online network for High School students to learn about the environment plus green college and career options.

We’re looking for your creative ideas to fix an environmental problem at your school or in your community.

Planet Connect is offering grant winners $1,000 awards with $500 to support your idea and $500 for an environmental internship in your community.

Apply before January 20, 2009!

And get this; they’ll even pay you a cash stipend for being a local environmental intern to go along with the seed money you’ll receive to help make it happen!

Save 41 pounds of paper and lots of time…opt out of junk mail.

We love the organization New American Dream…they have been around almost as long Peoplepoweredmachines and we were both out there campaigning for greening households long before the eco-business wave made it popular (and before it was profitable ! ). That said, their first campaign is one that still holds strong…opting out of junk mail.

The average adult receives 41 pounds of junk mail each year. Junk mail wastes an incredible amount of natural resources and contributes to global warming.

Since that time a few other opt out services and campaigns have come out. While New American Dream is free, some of the services below do charge :

• 41pounds.org who promises to completely remove you from up to 95% of the junk mail lists by contacting each organization from which you receive mail and/or catalogs for a one-time fee of $41.
• Are there a few catalog culprits that keep showing up in your mailbox uninvited? Get help from Catalog Choice, a free service that contacts merchants for you to get rid of unwanted catalogs.
• Sign up for a Do Not Mail Registry
• And see a nice Elvis Themed Do Not Mail effort out there!

Ok, so now you can save trees, reduce emissions, and send less paper to your composter!

What’s the biggest way a family can reduce gas emissions?

Peoplepoweredmachines.com has been researching and test the best tools for creating your own home garden. While doing the months of research for these tools we keep coming across a fact that is little known :

On average, food travels at least 1,500 miles from farm to plate. The beef in a hamburger alone may use up to 5,000 calories of oil before you eat it. And that cow ate enough grain to feed 6 people for a month before it was slaughtered. There’s fuel used in every step – growing the food, harvesting it, transporting it, keeping it cool.

So what’s the very best way to reduce your fossil fuel emissions? Do you have to buy an expensive hybrid car? Add a million dollars worth of insulation to your house? Nope, believe it or not, most families will save more energy by ceasing to buy supermarket groceries than they will by buying a hybrid car.

So while we aren’t ready to give up bananas for the 100 mile diet, we are ready to consider growing vegetables around our house. After we test out these tools a bit more, we will have a selection of tools for the new home vegtable victory gardens!

More to come….

Victory Gardens Poster

EPA finally gets standards passed for gas powered mowers

Did you know there are more than 50 million pieces of unregulated lawn and garden equipment in use across the country today.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a traditional gas powered lawn mower produces as much air pollution as 43 new cars each being driven 12,000 miles.

We have worked for the regulation of gas powered mowers for over 10 years now and it’s finally happening. The new standards, issued September 4th after years of battling with industry lobbyists, and gas powered mower manufacturers such as Briggs & Stratton. These gasoline-powered engines release up to 25 percent of the gasoline unburned in their exhaust, so cleaner emission standards also help save fuel costs at the pump. The reductions will be the equivalent of removing one out of every five cars and trucks on the road, according to Bill Becker, executive director of the National Association of Clean Air Agencies.

The long-awaited regulation requires a 35 percent reduction in emissions from new lawn and garden equipment beginning in 2011. EPA said approximately 190 million gallons of gasoline will be saved each year when the rules take effect, and more than 300 premature deaths prevented annually. The new standards will be phased in beginning in 2010, depending on engine type, and will annually cut smog-forming volatile organic compounds by 600,000 tons and smog-forming oxides of nitrogen by 150,000 tons when fully implemented.

Read about the Environmental Defense Fund’s work.

So while reel mowers are always best, electric next…at least emissions from gas powered mowers will finally be regulated.

Electric Energy Calculator

While we were trying to calculate our business energy footprint, we came across this cool energy calculator. It calculates the energy use of your electronics even while they are off (remember just having something plugged in uses energy).

http://www.mygreenelectronics.org/

calculate your electronic energy usage

The Wovel Snow Removal Machine

The Wovel Snow Removal Machine

One of the things I like best about my job is finding new machines which do their job and have little impact on the environment. The Wovel is designed to clear snow in an energy efficient manner….but most of all it is so back-saving and ergonomic you really have to try it to understand.

Clears away snow 3x FASTER than a snow shovel and is an economical, eco-friendly alternative to snow plows.

First we read about the Wovel; next we watched videos about it and saw it in use; then we had to wait for our demo machine to arrive. My son and I were excited when it arrived and took it into the house to assemble. It took about 45 minutes to get it together. We had fun playing around with it but really wanted and needed some snow to test it.

We didn’t have to wait long, six inches of wet snow had dropped over the night. I got the Wovel out of the garage and went to work. At first using it seemed ungainly. But after 15 minutes, I began to understand how to use it better. After 20 minutes our driveway was just about clear from snow. Normally, this would have taken my son and I about 90 minutes to clear with wide shovels resulting in a least one sore back. In addition to taking less time, my back had not been affected at all.

The Wovel had passed the first test. In subsequent uses in 4” of snow, chipping 2”of packed ice, and dealing with a blizzard, the Wovel continued to efficiently clear the snow and ice.

Learn more and see videos of the Wovel.

Even Cannabis Growers know Compost is Best…

Seems that even gang-member cannabis growers know that compost produces the best results! The BBC reports that last month a gang house had a large delivery of compost delivered which immediately raised eyebrows::

Someone had 360 bags of compost delivered to a residential property? Bit of a giveaway, isn’t it

The Police discovered a “large-scale cannabis cultivation” of 497 cannabis plants growing in a bedroom with a street value of nearly £250,000. And even the judge hearing their case at the High Court this week remarked that the stupidity of their actions probably led to them being caught out.

Takeaway…compost really is “gardeners gold”!