Area residents exchange gas-powered lawn mowers for electrics

By Kathryn Grondin

June 20, 2000 Web posted at: 10:51 AM EDT (1451 GMT)

KANE COUNTY, Illinois (Daily Herald) -- South Elgin resident Richard Webel will be breathing easier as he mows his lawn from now on. And his neighbors will be sleeping easier if Webel opts to tend to his lawn early in the morning.

The changes are due to Webel's Saturday morning purchase of a new electric lawnmower.

"I like electrics," Webel said. "They don't stink. They're quiet."

Webel was one of numerous suburban residents from the Fox Valley, DuPage and Cook counties who traded in gas-powered mowers for electric and battery-operated machines at the Kane County Fairgrounds. The trade-in event was sponsored by the University of Illinois Extension and organized by the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus, which coordinated $60 rebates to participants in the program. By noon, 30 gas mowers were retired to the recycling pile.

"I agree with them. They're noisy and they're smelly," said Loretta Zorn of Glenview, who was buying her family's second electric mower. "They last. We bought one used for our daughter. It's 30 years old and it just conked out."

LaGrange resident Bill Burton said the opportunity was too good to pass up. His gas mower was due for new blades, an oil change and a tune-up, so he decided to invest the money in a battery-operated machine.

"I want to do the environmentally right thing ... be good to the earth," he said.

A gas mower, run for 30 minutes, can produce as much pollution as a car in a 300-mile drive, said Norma Schott of the University of Illinois Extension.

Naperville resident Don Gingold ventured out to the fairground event because none of the retail stores had any electric mowers in stock. In addition to the environmental benefits, Gingold liked the electric mower's other features.

"It is easier to start - that's maybe the best thing about it," he said. "My kids ... they can unplug it, flip a switch and go."

Webel added, "The trick is you start mowing closest to your outlet. That way, the cord is always where you already mowed."

No other trade-in events are planned in the near future in Illinois, but Schott said the extension office likely will try to have another one sometime due to the success of Saturday's program.

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