4 (Very Masculine) Environmentally Friendly Products for Your Home

June 13, 2010, By Phil Dotree 8 comments

The green movement has had an unfair association with granola-eating hippies for far too long. There's nothing wimpy about caring for the environment, but many of the products geared toward eco-conscious consumers seem determined to strip guys of their self-respect.

You don't have to forfeit your masculinity to buy more conscientious products. Here's a look at four awesome planet-saving products that men everywhere can be proud to use.

1. Push reel lawn mowers. Men tend to be proud of their lawns and their lawn mowers. There's nothing quite as awesome as a top-of-the-line mower, and there's nothing manlier than a good old-fashioned push mower.

Modern push mowers work a lot better than your dad's old model, as they come equipped with sharper, rust-resistant blades and designs that minimize effort to get the best possible cut through thousands of uses. You'll still get more of a workout than you'd get from a powered mower and you won't have to run downtown every few weeks for a single gallon of gas. Most importantly, you will be taking a big chunk out of your carbon footprint. According to the EPA, gas-powered lawn mowers make up almost 5 percent of the United States' ozone-depleting emissions.

There's a more practical reason for switching to a push mower: It's better for your lawn because grass tends to grow better when you're not shooting gasoline fumes into it every few days. You'll get a manicured look, a decent workout and bragging rights over your neighbors. Plus, decent push mowers are fairly inexpensive -- some are under $150. And to maintain them, you've just got to spray a bit of WD-40 on the blades after every few uses.

2. iPhone solar charger. If you have an iPhone, you know that the celebrated gizmo needs almost constant recharging. Sure, you could plug it into the wall, or you could hook it into the sun itself with a solar charger.

It's hard to say that you'll save money with a solar charger, as the cost of about $80 probably outstrips the power savings. Nevertheless, a solar charger lets you charge your phone in environments where no other power source is around, for instance on a hiking or camping trip or during your morning commute. It's very green and a very cool example of well-applied technology. Solar chargers are also available for most other major cell phones, including Android smartphones.