Six years ago, Ron Edgar bought a battery-powered lawn mower. As chief of technical services for Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency, Edgar has long known that air quality deteriorates due to carbon pollution from sources big and small. And he knew that lawn mowers – those innocent-seeming symbols of suburban life – are among the worst offenders.

The exhaust belched by older models of gas-powered lawn mowers contributes a great deal to ground-level ozone, also known as smog. These lawn mowers can emit as much pollution as driving a newer car 100 miles.

“They have no catalytic converters on them,” Edgar says. “Just by their design, they are like the cars in the 1970s – dirty.”

Edgar’s battery-operated lawn mower, recharged after each use, took some getting used to. The battery sometimes runs out of juice before Edgar runs out of lawn, but the inconvenience is worth it.

“I feel like I’m doing something for clean air,” he said. “And it’s a lot quieter. I could mow at 4 a.m. and the neighbors probably wouldn’t hear it.”

The Inland Northwest’s traditional “lawn culture” – lots of green grass covering most of a household’s entire lot – is undergoing a change, and this change will become even more obvious in coming years. Water conservation, for instance, will likely become mandatory.

Lawns don’t just require lots of water. They demand hands-on care, too. Unfortunately, gas-powered tools used to keep a lawn in shape – mowers, edgers and weed whackers – contribute to the stagnant air that gets trapped in the Inland Northwest, especially in the summer. The polluted air can make it harder to breathe for younger and older people, and for everyone whose lungs are compromised.

A person’s home and lawn are sometimes seen as the last domain of independence, and few people appreciate government telling them what they can and can’t do within this private domain. But many of our lawn-culture practices no longer work for the common good.

The best way to achieve a healthier lawn culture is on a voluntary basis, one lawn mower, one weed whacker at a time. Don’t be afraid to be the first on your block to care for your lawn in future-saving ways.