We were visiting our parents' house in the suburbs when we spotted a neighbor on his riding lawn mower going down the street. He had held a yard sale and he was out putting up signs. We pegged him as lazy, and didn't think about it again until we read this: some riding lawn mowers generate the same amount of pollution in one hour as 34 cars!

We read in the April issue of Organic Gardening magazine that the EPA will have new small-engine emission standards in 2010, which will have lawn mowers reducing their emissions by 35 percent. And for the first time, small gas engines will be required to have catalytic converters, something cars have had since 1975.

It's about time!

Photo: stockxchang/woodsy