One of the great things about Neuton is the community of owners and activists who use the machines. Everyone has their own tale to tell. And many are involved in some pretty cool local activities.

Earlier this year we started "Neutons for Non-Profits" to support the community and their efforts. Most of our donations are in the form of lawn mowers and most go to groups working to clean air. And those groups, in turn, use the mowers to raise awareness and funds for the cause.

The Long Lake Conservation Foundation (LLCC) of Palisade, Minnesota applied for and won a donated Neuton earlier this year. The LLCC mission is to promote wise use of natural resources and foster proper conservation citizenship by making students aware of the interdependence of humans and the environment.

The donated mower helped the Foundation raise $9500 at their annual golf tournament. The Aitkin Independent Age wrote about the tournament, the mower, and more importantly, the good that LLCC does year-round in the pages of their newspaper. Linda Weimer was the lucky winner of the mower raffle -- and our congratulations go out to her.



You can read more about the LLCC's work in their PDF newsleter here.

We'll accept applications for more donated Neuton Mowers next year. If you know a non-profit organization that would like one, encourage them to apply!

The site is just what it claims to be. And they have the Neuton CE 6.2!

This one is straight out of the "Don't Try This At Home" files. In other words, don't mow blind-folded, don't hold a lawm mower over your head, and a Neuton is a lawn mower not a hay bailer.

That said, you have to watch this (don't miss the jig):



What do you think of that!?

Swing over to She Who Stamps to read about The Lawn Ranger and the Story of the Scuba Mower. Here's a snippet:

...as I came around the side of the house I saw him standing on the deck. I stopped the mower and turned to walk over to him and saw him pointing toward the pond. The lovely pond where our mower was heading....

Do you have a Neuton story of your own to share? Submit it here.

Despite my ill feelings for mowing, I had to do my dad a favor this weekend and mow the lawn for the last time this season. So as I'm mowing with the loud, gas guzzling mower, I'm thinking there must be a greener, Gufflier way. And of course there is. Several mowers in the marketplace are battery powered rather than using gasoline. This means less emissions like carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons. This also means no risk of polluting by use of sloppy gas cans.

That's what they're thinking over at guffly.com. Click here to read what they have to say about Neuton.



Oh, and what is "Guffly"?

*Guffly is a term used to describe products, services, or a way of life that causes a less negative and a more positive impact on the environment, the community, and future generations. Guffly is about simple and creative alternatives. Something is guffly if it achieves its purpose without hurting or harming people or the environment in the process of it being made, used, or disposed of. All of our features are either organic, all-natural, recycled, or fair-trade. Guffly is good.

...but iabresnick's senior project posted on YouTube. Take a look:



Share your Neuton stories, videos and photos here!

It's hard to make a Neuton look EVEN BETTER than it does when it comes out of the box. But that doesn't stop people from trying! The daisies above aren't standard issue from Neuton -- you need to add them yourself. But if you've dressed up your Neuton, why not share your creation with the rest of the Neuton community? Inspire others here.

UPDATE: The daisies are spreading! There's more here.

Today's New York Times runs a great piece on how ballpark groundskeepers create those beautiful patterns in the grass. Here's the trick:

Rollers on a mower push the grass slightly forward. Blades bent away from the viewer capture more light and appear relatively pale; when the tips are bent toward the viewer, the grass looks darker. (So grass really can be greener on the other side.) The principle is nothing new to anyone who has run a vacuum back and forth on plush carpet or rubbed a hand over a velvet swatch.

The color palette is not wide, but three distinct shades of green can be created — light, dark and, by mowing across those stripes, something in between.

But you don't need to work for the Red Sox to create art in the grass. If you have a Neuton CE 6.2 you can use the lawn striper to create your own designs at home!