When you think of sunny mornings, what sounds come to mind? Maybe you’re thinking of alarm clocks or birdsong. You might remember honking from morning traffic or the roar of the school bus. But sometimes, there’s another sound that punctuates many early mornings: the splutter and high-pitched whine of gas-powered lawn equipment.
For years, gas-powered lawn equipment like lawn mowers, leaf blowers and weed whackers have been responsible for the interruption of many quiet mornings. But noise isn’t the only kind of pollution these machines spread. A 2015 study by the Environmental Protection Agency found that these machines can generate up to 26.7 million tons of air pollutants. Running one leaf blower for an hour, for example, creates the same amount of pollution as a car would after a 1,110-mile drive. We also waste over 18 million gallons of gas through spillage when we refuel gas-powered equipment. The fumes generated by these machines are harmful to their operators and the people around them, too. Is this the price we have to pay for taming our lawns and landscaping?
Fortunately, there’s a better way. Thanks to advances in power storage, battery-powered lawn equipment is now becoming an affordable reality to all. The advantages of battery-powered equipment are numerous. For one, the costs of maintenance are far lower. These machines don’t require users to buy gas or replacement spark plugs. All you need to do is charge the battery, making it an easier machine to deal with. They also don’t need to be cleaned out of old oil, saving consumers time and money. And yes, they are much quieter than their gas-powered counterparts and create no fumes.
Does using a battery mean that these machines aren’t as powerful as their gas-powered counterparts? To the contrary: The battery capacity of these gadgets will give you between 1 to 2 hours of uptime, giving you plenty of time to take care of business. And battery power isn’t restricted to smaller or lighter equipment, either. There are battery-powered riding lawn mowers and leaf blowers, among many other options, that perform just as well as the alternative, if not better.
Using technology, we can create a better world through better products. The Home Depot is putting its money where its mouth is, with a commitment to have 85% of lawn equipment sold to be battery operated by 2028, with a particular focus on push lawn mowers and handheld equipment. Who knows? Maybe you’ll have one of these machines in your hands soon, quietly puttering away as you help create a greener future for all.
