It’s no contest! Battery electric outdoor tools are quieter, safer and more convenient. They cost less to operate, don’t endanger our health, are better for the environment, and are powerful enough to handle even the largest yards and gardens. Your neighbors will appreciate them, too!
Three big reasons to switch to electric in your yard this spring:
#1—Electric tools are powerful and easier to use:
- Instant start—no pulling cords, priming engines etc.
- Excellent cutting, blowing and trimming power
- Long run times and easy battery swap outs
- Multiple tools can use the same batteries
- No refilling fuel tanks, engine oil and gas cans
- No replacing spark plugs, air filters and fuel filters
#2—Electric tools have lower operating costs:
- 10 times less expensive per hour of operation
- No expensive engine tune-ups
- No gas going slowly bad in a can somewhere, transitioning into a hazardous waste disposal trip if you don’t use it in time
#3—Electric tools are safer for operators, the public and the environment:
- Quieter—gas tools create dangerous noise that can cause permanent hearing loss. Battery powered tools are less than half as loud and operate at safe noise levels. Did we mention those happy neighbors?
- No harmful engine exhaust—gas tools produce pollutants linked to cancer, asthma, heart and lung disease
- No smog forming air pollution—small gas engines are a leading source of air pollution in urban areas
- No solid toxic waste or fuel spills—tons of spent fuel filters, air filters, spark plugs and oil cans from gas tool use are sent to landfills every year
- Dramatically lower carbon pollution—less than 1/10th the carbon emissions of gas powered tools
- Safer for pollinators, insects and wildlife
Take action in your yard!
Switch to electric lawn tools. Battery-powered tools produce zero emissions, are rechargeable, more efficient, reliable and much quieter. Check out Electrify Now’s resource page with helpful tips.
Ask your yard care contractor to switch to electric tools (find helpful tips here!) If that doesn’t work, hire one of these contractors who exclusively use manual and/or electric tools!
Leave the leaves. While it’s common practice to tidy up your yard by removing all the fallen leaves, one of the most valuable things you can do to support pollinators and other wildlife (while also nurturing your soil) is to provide them with the winter cover they need. As the Xerces Society puts it, “You gave them flowers and a place to nest. You tended your garden and avoided pesticides. Don’t carry all of that hard work out to the curb. Simply put, when we treat leaves like trash—we’re tossing out the beautiful moths and butterflies that we’ll surely miss and work so very hard to attract.”
Support the work of Quiet Clean PDX, a volunteer-run effort to phase out gas-powered leaf blowers. Learn more about this awesome organization.