Return of the Scythe
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 09. 3.07
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
Thirsty for more? Check out these related articles:
- Renew Magazine: Solar Lawn Mowers and Community Wind Farms
- Vauxhall Sky Garden by Amin Taha Architects
- Gastronomic Garden by Taebeom Kim
- Urban Design After the Age of Oil: Notes from Day 1
oh my gosh, my dad uses the weed whacker XD... He could use the exercise of a scythe though. I might get a scythe when I grow up and cut my lawn.. (if I have a lawn ) In these times it's a good thing to have a big knife handy in the garage..
you know, in case of robbers.
I use a reel mower and got rid of the gas string trimmer in favor of a plug in electric. I've yet to find any sort of manual tool that will effectively replace the weedeater. Any suggestions?
I've got a scythe as well - its particularly useful for small jobs, where its quicker to grab the scythe than it would be to use a weed whacker. (Even would be if I had a weed whacker, and didn't have to borrow one from next door!) Its also particularly good where you want precision, for example to avoid ring-barking a tree. Its a lot more pleasant too.
Weed whackers have their uses, but in my opinion having a scythe as well is a great choice.
- Mitra
For my small (1/100th acre) lawn, I used a reel lawn mower and a battery-powered weedwacker. But if I had a larger area to mow a scythe would be a definite option.
I Live just outside Halifax, NS.
Does anybody know where I can purchase a scythe in this area?
Thanks
push-mower! $68.00 new. Easy, efficient, long lasting, quiet, therapeutic...though without the BillyBob-Thornton-sling-blade cache, unfortunately...
As far as weedwacker- Fiskars makes a manual edge trimmer mounted right angle to a long handle, so you don't need to bend down so far to cut the edges of the lawn or get the grass under the rose bushes...
Hi Nic,
You may be able to mail order one, in two pieces, blade and handle, from Lehman's:
http://www.lehmans.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=2264&itemType=PRODUCT&iProductID=2264
http://www.lehmans.com/jump.jsp?itemID=190&itemType=PRODUCT&path=1%2C2%2C677%2C678%2C831
Cheers,
Steve