Posted by & filed under Environmental Articles.

Gas powered lawn care equipment is on its way out.

“The engine in a gas-powered lawn mower produces eight times the pollution that a car engine does.” Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada Website.

“If all Canadians avoided idling for just five minutes every day, we could prevent more than 2,000,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere. That’s like taking 380,000 cars off the road!” Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada Website.

Do the math on those two facts. Gas powered lawn mowers give off eight times the pollution that a car engine does, and if each Canadian stopped idling for five minutes every day 2,000,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide pollution can be avoided. How long does it take to mow a lawn? That’s some serious pollution.

Disturbing as those facts are, we need not worry. Gas powered 2 stroke engines are on their way out, hopefully sooner than we think. Husqvarna has created a line of lawn care equipment that can replace gas. Batteries in this equipment can be cycled 1800 times. What does this mean? You can drain and recharge this battery one thousand eight hundred times. If you charged these batteries 3 times a week to maintain your yard, for 6 months a season, these batteries would last 25 years.

So why are we not using this equipment and kicking gas equipment to the curb? If Kick Gas Lawn Care can use this equipment to run a business, why do home owners not use it for their homes? We have providing Lawn Care in Mississauga for over 2 years with battery/electric equipment. The answer is simple, cost. This equipment is more expensive than gas powered equipment. The initial cost is more, but in the long run, it’s actually cheaper. Electric equipment seldom needs repairs, and when it does, it’s relatively cheap. You don’t need to pay for gas, oil, or filters! This alone saves hundreds of dollars every year!

What’s the solution? The government has rebate programs for furnaces, toilets and cars. Here’s the best part: If the government gives rebates and incentives for electric cars, and gas powered lawn care equipment gives off more emissions than cars, should they not give rebates or incentives for Canadians to use electric lawn care equipment? It seems logical to me. This is an easy way to eliminate 5-10% of emissions produced in Canada.

Canada needs to make a stand. Husqvarna has an electric line of products in Europe. Why do they not sell these products in Canada and the US? We are not ready for them. Our mentality is not there yet. When it comes to being green, Sweden sets the bar, and it’s high. Husqvarna sells battery riding lawn mowers, robotic mowers and an incredible line of battery powered equipment. Once Canadians show they are willing to say good-bye to gas and welcome electric with open arms, there will be a tidal wave of affordable electric equipment flooding Canadian markets.

What are we waiting for Canada!? Set a mandatory date, offer rebates and incentives to get gas powered lawn care equipment off the streets and into the museums where they belong.

Kick Gas Lawn Care
Grass Cutting Mississauga