Source: California Air Resources Board
California is to ban the sale of Small Off-Road Engines (SORE) from 2024 due to the smog pollution they cause. As you can see from the graphic above, there is a significant pollution output from these machines.
SORE equipment includes quite a lot of horticultural equipment;
- Petrol Lawn Mowers
- Petrol Leaf-Blowers
- Petrol Hedge Trimmers
- Gators (those little trucks you see grounds keepers in parks zipping around on)
California are often at the vanguard of environmental and health/safety legislation, but where they lead, we tend to follow. There are already great strides in producing battery powered versions of many of the above – and these will continue to benefit from refining over the next few years (some are very heavy or have batteries which do not work across different tools at present). I hope that our government will consider similar restrictions to those imposed in California here.
My objections to petrol power tools do not end with their smog causing pollution emissions – they are also sources of noise pollution – irritating people and scaring wildlife. I think we’ve all been bothered by the noise and dust (and let’s face it – the shear pointlessness) of a leaf blower being used near us at some point. This isn’t just a concern across the pond; in Harrow, the Green Party are calling for a ban on petrol leaf blowers in the borough.
In addition to noise and air pollution, there is the issue of carbon emissions – all power tools inevitably produce some level of carbon emission. However not all tools are created equally in this regard. As shown in the figures below, a petrol lawn mower produces around 6 times the amount of carbon as an electric lawn mower.
Electric Lawn Mower – 1 hour x 22 mowings per year = 31.68 pounds of carbon per year
Petrol Lawn Mower – 1 hour x 22 mowings per year = 194 pounds of carbon per year
Source: https://sciencing.com/calculate-carbon-footprint-lawn-mower-24046.html
The good news is that, unless you have a very large garden, power tools are not usually necessary. Most standard-sized, residential London lawns can be easily mown with a hand-push lawn mower or electric plug-in/battery mower. Many hedges actually benefit from pruning with secateurs – to avoid shredded/browning leaves and snapped stems, as well as ensuring you are cutting to a node. Others are best tackled with sharp (they really do need to be sharp) shears.
If you do plan on investing in some powered garden equipment, perhaps consider electric or, the future surely, battery powered.
East Organic Gardening 