When I was growing up, my family’s gas-powered lawn mower never seemed like an especially good idea to me. Gasoline invariably sloshed everywhere when I was filling it, and it belched acrid smoke while deafening anyone reckless enough to be outside in our yard on a Saturday morning.

It turns out they have another big downside: a huge carbon footprint. The Clean Air Foundation reports that “a standard gas mower can emit the same amount of common air pollutants in one hour as driving a new car for over 550 kms”.

Which is why they’ve teamed up with Home Depot to give you a rebate of up to $100 on your gas-powered mower or trimmer, payable towards a new less-appalling replacement (like a push or electric mower). Just bring it to any Home Depot by April 27.

Ah, I hear you say, there’s the catch: isn’t it inherently bad to require people to use gas to drive their mowers out to some far-distant big box store? Turns out they’ve anticipated that, with a link to the Foundation’s PickupPal ride-sharing service. (PickupPal is not, as I’d originally thought, a social network for wingmen. Live and learn.)

Find out how to recycle your gas mower or trimmer and trade up to a greener option here. And if you’re feeling really ambitious, maybe think about trading your lawn for something less demanding on the earth.

Photo by Darren Barefoot from the “Mow Down Pollution” launch