Gentle on the Environment. Easy on the Ears!
Has the sound of a noisy leaf blower, chain saw, or lawn mower woken you up in the morning? Have you gotten caught in the gas fumes behind gas powered lawn and other maintenance equipment? Gasoline-powered lawn maintenance and outdoor power equipment such as mowers, leaf blowers, edgers, trimmers, and chain saws are clearly pesty, unhealthy, and cause negative environmental and climate impacts. Fortunately, there are viable new battery-powered options that are improving quickly.
Thanks to advances in battery technology in recent years, Shorb is now making the transition to electric lawn and maintenance products! This new equipment provides a quieter, healthier, and cleaner alternative to gas-powered equipment. There are also now electric rototillers, power washers, and snow blowers. This equipment is cost competitive, the technology is comparable or better than gas powered equipment in terms of performance, and electric equipment offers added features like the ability to program and connect to the machines, and to charge them with renewable energy. Some electric maintenance equipment is even autonomous.
Interestingly, there’s a fairly wide coalition of people, organizations, and officials interested in electric lawn care and related maintenance products. Why? Because electric equipment is quieter, cleaner, safer and easier to use and maintain. Electric equipment also saves money at the town, institutional, and even individual homeowner level. These products return the additional cost of investment, and then provide a return, compared to gas equipment by eliminating the need to purchase fuel and to pay for the increased maintenance and parts associated with small combustion engines.
We’re investing in the future
All this new equipment is a major investment for us, but it’s well worth it in many ways. Top benefits of electric lawn and other maintenance products include:
Environmental/Climate Benefits
- No greenhouse gas emissions on site, and lower energy consumption due to greater efficiency
- No chemical spillage to pollute water or soil
- No chemical cleaners, solvents and degreasers required for combustion engine maintenance
- Reduced solid waste due to filters, spark plugs and other combustion engine parts that require repair and replacement
Immediate Community, Environmental and Health Benefits
- Less noise
- Lower air pollution
- No chemical spillage
Cost Savings
- Lower energy use/costs
- Less maintenance
Safer and easier for the operator to use
- Easier to use and maintain
- Lighter weight
- Less vibration
- Lower noise levels
- More efficient
- Avoid fumes
- Avoid working with gasoline and other toxic solvents
Clearly, lower emissions and greater energy efficiency provide environmental and climate benefits. What may not be as clear in the above list are the more direct pollution and health impacts to communities where these products are used, and especially to the people who operate the equipment.
A switch to electric equipment is clearly a step in a more sustainable direction, and it makes financial sense over time as well. However, it’s worth noting that the topic of more sustainable lawn care and maintenance is a much wider discussion, one in which we also hope to engage and help educate more widely. Options to reduce noise, energy, and chemical use aside from “going electric” also include converting to “people power” by using manual tools such as rakes, brooms, ground sweepers, hand pruners, hedge shears and reel mowers. Best maintenance practices also include mulching, composting, and organize fertilizing weed and pest control.
It’s clear that there are many reasons to stop using gas powered equipment, as choosing electric lawn and garden equipment is a better choice for the crew, the neighborhood, and the planet. It seems that what might currently seem like a more cutting edge, alternate choice will one day be mainstream.
Tired of noisy and pollutive lawn care services around your home? Contact Shorb today, and request an “All Electric” maintenance crew!
