Propane Lawn Mowers
In August, a Chicago Area Clean Cities workshop focused on propane lawn mowers as the future of environmentally responsible lawn care.
According to an article in the Chicago Tribune, an environmental policy analyst for the Chicago Department of Transportation reported that the current low emission standards for lawn mowers mean that they can do more damage to the environment.
“From a climate change perspective, propane is a better bet,” the analyst said.
The presentation also discussed the economic and political benefits of switching to propane. For example, propane helps reduce the United States’ dependency on foreign oil, since propane is a bioproduct of domestically produced natural gas.
Propane mowers also cost less, requiring less maintenance since the oil is much cleaner than gasoline. One lawn mower fleet supervisor said that propane mowers helped them to save roughly $1 per gallon in fuel.
This is why companies are now offering propane conversations for gas-powered small engines like those found in lawn mowers.
A representative from one of these companies added that propane produces 96 percent less carcinogens than gas, perhaps the most compelling reason to switch of all.
Propane-Powered Buses
This year, Pocono Mountain School District in Pennsylvania purchased 25 propane-powered buses. The buses were praised for being environmentally friendly and cheaper to fuel and maintain.
Additionally, propane-powered busses make much less noise than traditional diesel busses, helping bus riders to focus and relax without yelling over a noisy gasoline engine.
According to the district’s vehicle maintenance supervisor, the switch to propane-powered busses is “great for the drivers, students, and our mechanics. And it’s going to be great for the community itself.”
At the same time, Sioux City School District in Iowa purchased 77 passenger propane busses to phase out their traditional diesel units, a move that they said will deliver significant financial savings.
And joining this shift to propane busses was also Martins Ferry School District in Ohio, which upgraded to propane busses to help the district to comply with the Clean Air Act and to save money.
If you’re interested in making the switch to propane yourself and seeing similar savings, find a propane refill station in Bucks County.