Despite their small size, gas lawnmowers have incredibly inefficient motors, meaning that they produce a significant amount of air pollution. Gas powered lawn equipment emits high levels of carbon dioxide, volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides. These chemicals are incredibly dangerous to the environment, not to mention dangerous for you, the operator, to breathe in.
The best alternative to gas powered lawnmowers is an electric lawnmower, like the ones found at OSO Electric Equipment. Electric mowers don’t emit dangerous gases, and they also have a significantly lower carbon footprint, creating only as much carbon as the electricity used to power the mower.
Your Gas Mower Creates Six Times More Emissions Than Your Car
No, it’s completely true. According to a recent Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) study, gas lawnmower created five to six times more CO(carbon monoxide) in one hour than a sedan would in the same time [1]. In addition, a gas powered backpack leaf blower created the same emissions in one hour that an 8 hour road trip would produce [2].
Two Strokes and You’re Out
The reason gas lawn equipment is such a huge producer of toxic emission lies with the nature of the two-stroke engines that power them. Two-stroke engines create such a large amount of pollutants because the fuel-air mixture mixes with the engine’s lubricating oils. This mixture creates toxic gases which are released into the atmosphere through the exhaust port[3].
Gas engines are also incredibly inefficient, with over 30% of the fuel in the engine not going through the process of combustion[4]. The air pollutants waft out of the exhaust pipe and directly into the air. Add in the fact that each year in America 17 million gallons of gas are spilled[5], gas powered lawn equipment has an enormous impact on the environment.
Electric Lawnmowers: The Clean Alternative
Whenever you use an electric lawnmower, there are zero emissions. Zero! Also, the carbon produced by electric lawn equipment is the carbon produced in the production of electricity. You can contribute significantly to the fight against climate change just by purchasing an electric mower. By going green with your lawn maintenance, you’ll be taking a deliberate step towards a greener planet.
1.Jamie Banks and Robert McConnell, “National Emissions from Lawn and Garden Equipment”. Accessed September 11th, 2021. Available at https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-09/documents/banks.pdf.
2.”Leaf Blowers,” Leaf Blowers – NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation, www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/109428.html.
3.David Kushner, “Two Strokes and You’re Out,” Discover Magazine, Discover Magazine, 8 Oct. 2019, www.discovermagazine.com/environment/two-strokes-and-youre-out.
4. Brian Palmer, “How Bad for the Environment Are Gas-Powered Leaf Blowers?” The Washington Post, WP Company, 16 Sept. 2013, www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/how-bad-for-the-environment-are-gas-powered-leaf-blowers/2013/09/16/8eed7b9a-18bb-11e3-a628-7e6dde8f889d_story.html.
5.Steele, Dylan. “Cleaner Air : Gas Mower Pollution Facts.” Cleaner Air: Mowing Emissions and Clean Air Alternatives. A Fact Sheet, www.peoplepoweredmachines.com/faq-environment.htm#pollutants.