Electric Alternatives to Gas-Powered Lawn Equipment
Lawmakers considering new legislation to offer rebates to commercial businesses purchasing zero-emission landscaping equipment
Gas-powered lawn equipment emits carbon dioxide, a leading contributor to climate change. In addition to other toxic emissions, this equipment has a number of serious impacts on the environment and human health.
In New York State alone, the emissions produced from this equipment are equivalent to the emissions from more than 300,000 cars annually, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). What is more alarming is that a recent study from the Environment America Research and Policy Center has ranked New York State third in the country for fine particulate emissions from lawn equipment and fourth in the nation for carbon dioxide emissions.
There is a significant impact on human health, both from emissions and the noise the equipment produces. Gas-powered leaf blowers for example can cause respiratory harm and cardiovascular damage. Gas-powered equipment is also significantly louder than electric equipment, serves as a source of noise pollution, and has a negative impact on quality of life.
Every year, lawn and garden equipment consumes 1.6 billion gallons of gasoline, generates tens of millions of tons of carbon dioxide, and spills at least 17 million gallons of gasoline into the ground and storm drains.
As electric alternatives are readily available, municipalities across the East End have adopted or have considered bans on the use of certain types of gas-powered lawn equipment. However, the cost of switching to electric equipment can be cost-prohibitive for many landscaping companies.
New legislation has been proposed in the New York State Senate (S.1574) and Assembly (A.2657) that would establish a landscaping equipment rebate program for commercial businesses purchasing zero-emission landscaping equipment.
The Senate has already passed the measure! Now, it’s time for the Assembly to do the same.
Zero-emission landscaping equipment helps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve air quality, and reduce noise pollution.
What Can You Do?
Tell NYS Assemblymembers Edward C. Braunstein, Jodi Giglio, and Tommy John Schiavoni to support the measure today!
