Brian Schwartz, laid off in the course of the pandemic, went viral for mowing aged individuals’ lawns free of charge. He has been driving eco-friendly practices inside the now nationwide non-profit, IWantToMowYourLawn.org, that connects landscaping professionals  and different philanthropic-minded companies and people — with individuals in have to obtain free, protected, socially-distanced, “inexperienced” yard care.

With a eager sensitivity and understanding of environmental impacts, I Need To Mow Your Garden, Inc. — a 501c3 non-profit group offering no-cost, protected and socially-distanced garden mowing and yard care companies for seniors, army veterans, and disabled individuals — at the moment introduced it has formally adopted and built-in “inexperienced” various garden care practices into its core mission. Since its inception in 2020, the group’s background-screened landscaping volunteers have helped scores of people throughout the U.S. with their garden care wants, at no cost.

Founder Brian Schwartz together with his son

Now, the group is encouraging and advocating for its community of helpers to check out electrical — providing eco-friendly gear upgrades which might be accessible immediately by way of the non-profit. Those that use electrical or electrical and gasoline obtain an “Eco-Pleasant” designation hooked up to their volunteer profile. And, the group factors because it’s encouraging using electrical for volunteers, it nonetheless welcomes gasoline customers to take part and be part of I Need To Mow Your Garden to hold out its community-minded actions.

One latest Princeton PSCI report cites that, of the 40 million acres of American land lined by turf grass, there are the heavy carbon prices related to the upkeep of those lawns particularly referring to gasoline powered leaf blowers and garden mowers. The California Air Sources Board cites that an hour of gasoline leaf blowing equates to driving 1,100 miles, whereas an hour of gasoline garden mowing equates to driving 300-miles. Additional, Environmental Safety Company (EPA) studies underscore the unlucky proven fact that “garden care produces 13 billion kilos of poisonous pollution per yr.”  Beginning in 2024, gasoline garden mowers and leaf blowers shall be legally banned in California, with different states anticipated to observe go well with sooner or later.

“With the U.S. Power Data Administration (EIA) estimating about 123.73 billion gallons of gasoline consumed in the US in 2020, a median of about 338 million gallons per day, and with gasoline costs rising, now could be the time to take concerted motion within the garden care area,” mentioned group Founder and Chief Garden Mower Brian Schwartz. “Battery-powered gear not solely saves our present volunteers cash, but in addition makes such volunteerism extra enticing to others who need to assist individuals and the setting.”

IWantToMowYourLawn.org is a donation-driven entity, and its revamped Website makes donations and company sponsorships simple by way of packages and transaction choices that may work seamlessly inside senior citizen and army low cost packages.

“This group is about extra than simply free garden care; it’s a small however significant and simple approach to carry the residents of our communities collectively by serving to our fellow neighbors — and in an eco-conscious method that’s extra protecting of the setting. Whereas the people receiving service are at all times appreciative, a clear lower and nonpolluting neighborhood contributes to everybody’s general well-being — it’s a significant approach to serve a higher good.”

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Brad, a volunteer in Arkansas, has grow to be a devoted volunteer for the I Need To Mow Your Garden mission.

Because the group has expanded, so has its impression on communities across the nation. From Georgia to Minnesota to Colorado, volunteers have been moved to supply garden care companies to neighbors all through their communities. In New Jersey the place Schwartz launched I Need To Mow Your Garden, college students have additionally been concerned. In a single city, 20 center schoolers and their chaperones carried out leaf elimination for 2 senior properties on a Board of Training-approved area journey. Three highschool college students who got here out to supply snow elimination to a consumer of I Need To Mow Your Garden went viral on TikTok with this video and made it into an area newspaper.

In the meantime, Cindy Code, Govt Director for Venture Evergreen and longtime member of the inexperienced business, has joined the Board of Administrators at I Need To Mow Your Garden. Venture Evergreen, one other non-profit within the business, gives volunteer garden care and snow elimination companies to households of deployed army personnel.

In Arkansas, volunteer Brad was gifted with a brand new Electrical Ryobi Leaf Vac by Schwartz. A latest retiree, Brad (pictured at left) has serviced a consumer’s house greater than 20 occasions for the reason that summer season of 2021.

Again in 2021, one of many group’s first volunteers Tom was awarded a “Hero” certificates by U.S. Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill (representing The eleventh District of New Jersey) as a part of her 2021 Heroes Program. Schwartz shared that Tom has “simply performed over 100 yards since beginning August 2020 all through Northern Jersey.” Image at proper (middle), Tom was gifted an ECHO leaf blower by Schwartz this previous fall to help together with his leaf elimination jobs.

Now again to work full-time Schwartz will proceed to work with I Need To Mow Your Garden volunteers to assist these in want. With a household and a full-time job, he acknowledges it’s a difficult stability, however one that’s rewarding. “Over the summer season there was some recreation altering protection that led to scores of recent helpers signing up throughout that USA,” he shares. “And that actually #MOWtivated me to maintain up the #mowmentum.”

(All photographs offered by Brian Schwartz)

Learn Turf’s April 2021 protection of I Need To Mow Your Garden initiatives.