Mayor's Minute: January 2021
Early last year we began an initiative to test “going green” in our city with the purchase of battery-powered equipment for our Parks and Recreation Department. Some of the best ideas come from our residents, and this one came from local attorney, Clay Ragsdale. We are all annoyed from time to time by the loud noise of leaf blowers, weed whackers, hedge trimmers and other gas-powered equipment.
With help from Clay and input from Shanda Williams, superintendent for Parks and Recreation, and Ronnie Vaughn, head of the Public Works Department, we identified a consulting group associated with American Green Zone Alliance and Quiet Communities Inc. to spearhead a test program.
They invited numerous commercial vendors to bring their equipment for testing by “on-the-ground” crews. We finally settled on a suite of battery-powered equipment and asked Parks and Recreation to do the testing at Overton Park.
I was particularly interested in this project out of concern for our grounds crews. With gas-powered equipment, they are exposed daily to hours of high-decibel noise and, more importantly, they have exposure to gas fumes. If we could transition to battery-powered equipment, we could eliminate both of those problems and the health risks associated with gas-powered equipment. Then there was the obvious benefit to our community as a whole — much less noise and zero emissions to environmental air pollution.
THE RESULTS ARE IN
Using the 2.5-acre Overton Park for our beta test showed these positive results:
- Significantly reduces toxins: Substantial elimination of 2.5 tons of toxic and carcinogenic exhaust each year. More powerful gas-powered blowers are still required during the heaviest part of the leaf season and during wet-leaf conditions.
- Operator health benefits: Noise pollution for the operator is cut by half or greater for mowers and leaf blowers; there’s a 400% reduction for string trimmers and hedge trimmers.
- Residents health benefits: Going green means that we, as a city, are making a positive contribution to the planet’s health. We also significantly reduce our own exposure to toxic fumes and particles emitted from gas equipment. At 50 feet, sound emissions from battery-powered equipment are not harmful and barely noticeable.
- Cost savings: Although the electric equipment costs more upfront than gas equipment, we will be saving money by eliminating the need for fuel and by reducing maintenance needs. Over time, those savings are expected to outweigh the differences in the upfront costs.