Lawn Care Equipment Contributing to the Nation's Ozone Polution Level
The small engines that power lawn equipment are a key contributor to the high levels of summer ozone in cities across the country. The gas-powered mowers, trimmers, and blowers used by homeowners and lawn service providers alike spew volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrous oxides (NOx) that react in the presence of sunlight to form ground-level ozone. Eco-friendly lawn care franchises are popping up around the country in an effort to reduce summer ozone levels.
Atmospheric ozone is primarily found in two locations: the stratosphere (10-50km above sea level) and the troposphere (0-11km above sea level). The majority of Earth’s ozone is located in the stratosphere, the second layer of the atmosphere. The ozone in this layer plays an important role in maintaining life on Earth because it absorbs harmful UV rays emitted by the sun. However, ozone located in the troposphere, referred to as ‘ground-level ozone,’ endangers human, plant, and animal life and contributes to global warming.
Ground-level ozone, a major component of smog, is formed when NOx and VOCs such as hydrocarbons or methane react in the presence of sunlight. Internal combustion engines are the primary source of NOx and VOCs. The small engines in lawn mowers, trimmers and blowers used by conventional lawn service providers disproportionately emit these pollutants because the engines are not equipped with the pollution-reducing catalytic converters that come standard on internal combustion vehicles. Because this equipment does not have catalytic converters, a 2006 lawn mower engine emits 93 times more smog-forming pollutants than a 2006 car engine. The lack of catalytic converters in lawn care equipment can be attributed to staunch the opposition to pollution legislation that would significantly reduce the impact lawn and garden equipment and lawn care franchises has on summer air quality. This opposition comes from powerful gas-powered lawn equipment companies.
High ground-level ozone concentrations cause respiratory problems and worsen conditions such as asthma and emphysema. During the summer, cities are increasingly having to issue alerts recommending that citizens do not exercise outdoors due to high ground-level ozone readings. It also leads to reduced agricultural crop and commercial forest yields, reduced growth and survivability of tree seedlings, and increased susceptibility to diseases, pests and other stresses such as harsh weather as well as damages the foliage of trees and other plants, affecting the landscape of cities, national parks and forests, and recreation areas.
Cities across the country are being designated as ‘nonattainment’ by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) because their ozone levels stay too high for too long above the federal ozone standards. Denver, Colorado recently lost its ozone ‘maintenance’ designation and is now listed as ‘nonattainment.’ This means that Denver, and other cities in violation of the EPA’s ozone standards around the country, must develop an action plan to address its nonattainment that will regulate all the sources of ozone forming pollutants, including lawn mowers. This will affect how lawn care franchises and homeowners alike mow their lawn. It will also provide opportunities franchise for those looking to offer their customers a cleaner and greener way to mow their lawn.
What can you do? To do your part to reduce summer ozone levels, try the following:
-Use electric lawn and garden equipment;
-Where available, sign up for wind/renewable energy through your electricity provider;
-Mow your lawn (or ask your lawn service provider/lawn care franchises to) early in the morning or late in the even i.e. the coolest part of the day;
-Hire an eco-friendly lawn service to maintain your property.
About the Author: Kelly Giard is an owner and founder of Clean Air Lawn Care, a lawn service provider utilizing clean energy in place of heavily polluting small gas engines. For more information about Clean Air Lawn Care’s opportunities franchise, please visit www.cleanairlawncare.com.
Atmospheric ozone is primarily found in two locations: the stratosphere (10-50km above sea level) and the troposphere (0-11km above sea level). The majority of Earth’s ozone is located in the stratosphere, the second layer of the atmosphere. The ozone in this layer plays an important role in maintaining life on Earth because it absorbs harmful UV rays emitted by the sun. However, ozone located in the troposphere, referred to as ‘ground-level ozone,’ endangers human, plant, and animal life and contributes to global warming.
Ground-level ozone, a major component of smog, is formed when NOx and VOCs such as hydrocarbons or methane react in the presence of sunlight. Internal combustion engines are the primary source of NOx and VOCs. The small engines in lawn mowers, trimmers and blowers used by conventional lawn service providers disproportionately emit these pollutants because the engines are not equipped with the pollution-reducing catalytic converters that come standard on internal combustion vehicles. Because this equipment does not have catalytic converters, a 2006 lawn mower engine emits 93 times more smog-forming pollutants than a 2006 car engine. The lack of catalytic converters in lawn care equipment can be attributed to staunch the opposition to pollution legislation that would significantly reduce the impact lawn and garden equipment and lawn care franchises has on summer air quality. This opposition comes from powerful gas-powered lawn equipment companies.
High ground-level ozone concentrations cause respiratory problems and worsen conditions such as asthma and emphysema. During the summer, cities are increasingly having to issue alerts recommending that citizens do not exercise outdoors due to high ground-level ozone readings. It also leads to reduced agricultural crop and commercial forest yields, reduced growth and survivability of tree seedlings, and increased susceptibility to diseases, pests and other stresses such as harsh weather as well as damages the foliage of trees and other plants, affecting the landscape of cities, national parks and forests, and recreation areas.
Cities across the country are being designated as ‘nonattainment’ by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) because their ozone levels stay too high for too long above the federal ozone standards. Denver, Colorado recently lost its ozone ‘maintenance’ designation and is now listed as ‘nonattainment.’ This means that Denver, and other cities in violation of the EPA’s ozone standards around the country, must develop an action plan to address its nonattainment that will regulate all the sources of ozone forming pollutants, including lawn mowers. This will affect how lawn care franchises and homeowners alike mow their lawn. It will also provide opportunities franchise for those looking to offer their customers a cleaner and greener way to mow their lawn.
What can you do? To do your part to reduce summer ozone levels, try the following:
-Use electric lawn and garden equipment;
-Where available, sign up for wind/renewable energy through your electricity provider;
-Mow your lawn (or ask your lawn service provider/lawn care franchises to) early in the morning or late in the even i.e. the coolest part of the day;
-Hire an eco-friendly lawn service to maintain your property.
About the Author: Kelly Giard is an owner and founder of Clean Air Lawn Care, a lawn service provider utilizing clean energy in place of heavily polluting small gas engines. For more information about Clean Air Lawn Care’s opportunities franchise, please visit www.cleanairlawncare.com.
Labels: lawn care, lawn service, opportunities franchise
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