Technology Tuesday: Electric Leaf Blowers
I hope you are enjoying a great week. This week, I would like to call attention to something that you, very likely, don’t think about much: your facility landscaping care equipment.
Sure, it’s unassuming and is only used for a few hours on a weekly basis, in most cases. However, this equipment is probably all gas-powered. What’s the big deal, you ask? Most gas-powered leaf blowers are powered by a two-stroke engine. This type of engine does not have an independent lubricating mechanism and must mix oil with gas in the combustion process in order to function properly. Translation: the amount of harmful emissions that come from them is significant.
So significant, a recent study shows that a hand-held, gas-powered leaf blower emits 300 times the hydrocarbons emitted by a pickup truck. In fact, using a leaf blower for 1 hour under normal conditions is equivalent to driving a car for 100 miles. The issue is compounded further depending on how prevalent this equipment is used in your area.
In the central valley, we struggle with the effects of poor air quality daily and the use of these gas-powered leaf blowers, lawnmowers and other landscaping equipment is ubiquitous. The solution? Convert this equipment to electric-powered equipment. The electric versions of this equipment are comparable to their gas-powered counterparts in performance and cost. Also, the switch from carrying an extra can or two of gasoline to refuel on the go can seamlessly be changed to carrying a few extra battery packs to be changed out on the go.
The choice here is simple, help improve our air quality one step at a time.
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Sources:
https://sustainability.wustl.edu/rethinking-lawn-equipment/
https://www.washingtonpost.com
https://www.sierraclub.org/loma-prieta/blog/2017/08/lifestyle-eco-actions-gas-powered-leaf-blowers