Return of the Scythe

Treehugger has noted that gas mowers put out as much smog as 40 new cars; we encourage the use of reel mowers and unpowered garden tools. Peter Vido goes even further, and as Alex Roslin of the Globe and Mail notes, uses a 1,000-year-old implement that is also handy for peasant uprisings or if you happen to be the Grim Reaper: the scythe. Vido is an organic farmer in New Brunswick, Canada, makes custom scythe handles and manages an international campaign to revive the scythe through his website, ::Scytheconnection

"The modern version of scything is very ergonomic," said David Patriquin, a biologist at Dalhousie University in Halifax who switched to a scythe and a reel mower for environmental reasons. "It's a lovely thing to do. [The scythe] is very pleasurable and a very, very precise tool."

The Globe continues:

Mr. Vido acknowledges that reel mowers are probably more suited to most Canadians than scythes are, but he said both tools are helping people take a greener approach to their lawns.

Ms. Bryan agrees.

"The weed whacker tried to replace the scythe. Now, the scythe is replacing the weed whacker." ::Globe and Mail