Event demonstrates array of clean, electric commercial lawn tools

DENVER — Spring is in the air in Colorado. That means many Coloradans are getting out their rakes and leaf blowers to deal with the foliage left over from the fall, while others are prepping their lawn mowers for many months of yard maintenance. While lawn and garden tools may not be large, gas-powered ones can produce a shocking amount of harmful air and noise pollution. 

On Wednesday, to raise awareness of the myriad cleaner, quieter electric options now available even for commercial lawn care and landscape maintenance, as well as a statewide 30% discount on electric equipment at participating retailers, CoPIRG Foundation hosted an electric equipment demonstration with five different local retailers plus six equipment manufacturers. At Willow Creek Park in Centennial, attendees tested everything from electric chainsaws and leaf blowers to robotic mowers and large electric riding mowers. Electric-powered food trucks provided lunch.

“Given the electric lawn equipment options now available, it doesn’t make sense to put our breathing and hearing at risk when we are doing yard work,” said CoPIRG Foundation Clean Air Advocate Kirsten Schatz. “We can improve our health and quality of life — and our neighbors’ — by replacing our dirty, loud, gas-powered lawn mowers and leaf blowers with electric models.”

Event co-hosts and represented brands included South Suburban Parks & Rec, Kress, Bobcat, EGo, Greenworks Commercial, Milwaukee Tools, Stihl, Mean Green Mowers, Towa, DeWalt, Ace Hardware, AIS Industrial, Colorado Golf & Turf, High Altitude Equipment and the Regional Air Quality Council. Attendees included commercial lawn care and landscaping companies, local government staff and golf course maintenance employees. 

“With all the recent advances in electric and battery-powered technology, many electric lawn equipment options work even better than gas-powered versions, plus they come with long-term cost savings,” said Schatz. “We wanted to let local companies come ‘kick the tires’ on a wide range of electric lawn care tools and see the huge variety of available tools in a hands-on setting.”

With a new policy going into effect in Colorado this summer, both the state and local governments on the Front Range are preparing to shift away from gas-powered push mowers and handheld tools.

Along with the demonstration event, CoPIRG Foundation released an updated list of Colorado retailers who are offering the state’s 30% discount on electric lawn mowers, leaf blowers, trimmers and snow blowers.

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