Breathe easier. Muscle-mow the lawn.

Believe it or not, the power mower in your garage is more polluting than the car you just washed to a spanking-clean shine. According to the California Air Resources Board, gallon for gallon, lawn mower engines from 2006 contribute 93 times as much smog-forming emissions as 2006 cars do. Mowing for an hour with a gasoline-powered lawn mower can produce as much air pollution as a 200-mile drive. And consider this: Whether you are sitting on a mower or pushing it, your nose is within a yard of the tailpipe.

What to do? Dust off the reel mower in the corner of your garage and work those upper-arm muscles pushing it around the lawn. If your family doesn’t have a push mower, consider getting one. You can find a reel mower online at planetnatural.com for as little as $85, far cheaper than a gas or electric mower.