How can I persuade my husband to use a push mower?

Target his weakness. Is he a touch sensitive about his growing tummy? Point out that according to Which? magazine, cutting a lawn with a push mower allows a 60kg person to burn 360 calories an hour. If your husband counts the pennies, emphasise that it costs an average of 20p every 100ml of fuel for a mower with a petrol tank and about 4p for every 20 minutes that you use a 1700W electric mower.

If he believes that an old-fashioned mower is not up to the job, quote the magazine's view that hand mowers are “quiet, lightweight machines...just what you need in a smaller garden”. Environmentally speaking, they rule supreme, since the only fuel required comes from your muscle power. Second best, on the green front, are electric mowers, which have no exhaust emissions and reduce noise pollution.

Of the seven hand mowers put to the test by Which?, the winning model was the Husqvarna Novocut 64 (www.husqvarna.co.uk , £80), scoring highly on how the lawn looked and the speed with which ground was covered. The second best was the Brill Razorcut Premium 33 (www.manualmowers.co.uk ; £95).

DO IT

If you're in the capital before next Sunday (May 18), check out the Fashion Made Fair event at the Truman Brewery, Brick Lane, East London. Here, the latest ethical, sustainable and fair-trade brands will be showcased. As well as clothes, there will be an organic café and bar, film screenings and talks from ethical entrepreneurs, not to mention a massage area (www.fashionmadefair.com ).

CLICK IT

Visit the programme section of the Tree Council website (www.treecouncil.org.uk ) and you'll find info about its Walk in the Woods festival that takes place all this month. Its aim? “To attract people who rarely, if ever, visit woods, even those on their doorstep.” On the list of events, there are walks, talks and other activities taking place all over the UK, including wag-a-tail walks for those wanting to bring their four-legged friend.

SKIP IT

Only 5 per cent of the batteries we buy are rechargeable. The rest, a whopping 660 million, end up in landfill where they leak unpleasant chemicals, such as zinc oxide, into the ground. The majority of rechargeable batteries contain nickel-cadmium, a known carcinogen, so buy yours from Uniross, which makes them from nickel-metal hydride, and also sells chargers (www.uniross.com).

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