Let's Clean
Up The Air

It's Just Yard Work... Right?

Studies have shown that one hour of using a gas-powered leaf blower is equivalent to driving over 1,100 miles or for 13 hours straight. The two stroke engines used by handheld lawn equipment are highly inefficient. Even 4 stroke engines are still significant polluters too. Running a lawnmower with a 4 stroke engine for an hour still emits as much pollution as a new car driving 300 miles. 2

Climate Change Starts in your Backyard

VOCs (Volatile organic compounds) emitted by gas-powered lawn equipment include a lot of the scary ones like carbon monoxide, benzene, formaldehyde, and fine particulate matter among others–most of which are alarming due to their contribution to ground level ozone, their localized effects on communities, and their contributions to climate change. Over 5% of national emissions comes from lawn and garden equipment annually. 3

Fueling the Problem Year After Year

Each year, an estimated 17 million gallons of gasoline are spilled while refueling lawn and garden equipment, according to the EPA. To put that into perspective, that's more than the amount of oil spilled during the Exxon Valdez disaster—happening not just once, but every year, right in our own communities. This spilled fuel seeps into our soil and waterways, threatening wildlife, ecosystems, and human health. 4