THE 6 WORST IMPACTS
For over a decade the founders of The American Green Zone Alliance have been studying the negative impacts of gas-powered lawn equipment, on the ground, with actual lawn care crews. In fact, we used to be those workers! We dealt with those toxic machines ourselves, and we saw what commonly happens behind the scenes with full-time hard-working crews every day:
- unregulated, out of date, or detuned machinery spewing excessive emissions
- operational noise levels exceeding worker safety standards without ear protection
- perpetual fueling, mixing, spills and evaporation of gas and oil
- landfill disposal of replacement parts, containers with residue, and rags for gas engines
- surreptitious disposal of toxic fluids directly into the ground
- workers breathing carbon emissions, particulate matter, ground level ozone, and VOCs, and handling known toxic chemicals without adequate protection
The danger to workers, the ground and water, the local air quality, and global climate change are real and serious, but they have been drastically underreported and have drawn little attention.
AGZA WAS CREATED
TO TELL THE STORY
AND RAISE THE BAR
We combined extensive research from official scientific data sources like the EPA and various AQMDs (Air Quality Management Districts) with our own hands-on experience and anecdotal evidence in the field. We have identified the 6 worst impacts that gas equipment has on our lawn crews, our community, and our planet, and we're committed to removing them from grounds maintenance operations throughout the U.S.
- Mowers consume 1.2 billion gallons of gasoline annually for lawn mowers
- Commercial mowing accounts for 35% of this total.
- Large property owners and mowing companies cut lawns, sports fields, golf courses, parks, roadsides, and other grassy areas for 7 hours per day and consume 900 gal to 2,000 gal of fuel annually depending on climate and length of growing season.
About 400 million quarts of motor oil are sold, used, and discarded in California each year. An “empty” plastic quart container of motor oil typically contains 1 - 2 ounces of residual oil, so 3 million gallons of residual oil in contaminated and unrecyclable containers are usually dumped in landfills.