Training session on Mean Green mower, courtesy of the American Green Zone Alliance
by Jamie Banks, PhD, MSc, President, Quiet Communities Inc.
With our collaborator, the American Green Zone Alliance (AGZA), Quiet Communities works to help transition municipalities, institutions, businesses and neighborhoods to cleaner, quieter, more sustainable landscape maintenance practices for the benefit of health and environment. Transitioning an industry is a daunting task. Business models reliant on gas equipment, the higher upfront cost of electric equipment, infrastructure requirements, and the need for education and training in new technology are some of the challenges to creating a new norm in land care.
That is why we are so pleased to tell you that AGZA and the National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP) have announced that they will be working together on an approach to responsibly transition the landscape industry from gas equipment to zero-emission equipment.
“The industry is committed to making a transition to zero-emission equipment in a time frame that is feasible,” said Britt Wood, NALP CEO. “Unfortunately, this is not just a light switch to turn on and off as landscape businesses will have to invest in new and more expensive equipment and build the infrastructure required to power the batteries needed for commercial operations.”
NALP and AGZA will work together with federal, state, and local policymakers to provide landscape industry companies with the resources and training needed to transition to battery-powered equipment. We think this collaborative approach with the landscape industry is the fastest path to help us reduce emissions from outdoor power equipment,” said Dan Mabe, President of AGZA.
In addition to education, training, and infrastructure support, AGZA and NALP believe that the transition to zero-emission battery electric equipment will require that:
- Dealers are able to maintain equipment in a timely manner;
- Equipment is available without supply-chain issues; and
- Sufficient funding is provided through tax credits and rebate programs.
“There isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach as different geographic regions of the country have different landscape equipment needs,” said Wood. “This transition will take time, and we look forward to working with AGZA, the landscape industry, and policymakers on solutions that lead to widespread commercial usage of zero-emission equipment.”
