Best Practice Action 23.1
GreenStep City Best Practices: Environmental Management
Local Air Quality No. 23
Prevent generation of local air contaminants so as to improve community health.
Best Practice Action Detail
Best Practice Action 1
Replace small internal combustion engine lawn and garden equipment (e.g. lawnmowers, weed whips, etc.) with lower polluting equipment.
- Read more about the benefits of alternative landscaping equipment.
- A wide variety of electric lawnmowers, snow blowers, and other lawn equipment is available in the US. See manufacture agnostic resources (Shift2Electric) to help you choose the new, cleaner lawn equipment that works best for your needs.
- **Stay tuned for more information about a state master contract around alternative landscaping equipment coming soon!**
- See benefits of four-stroke boat engines and resources from the American Green Zone Alliance, which promotes zero-emission landscape maintenance strategies.
- Use the MPCA Air Pollution Score on the Environmental Justice Areas of Concern Map (MPCA) to locate areas for targeted assistance and incentives.
- See the Ann Arbor, MI ordinance that prohibits the use of lawn equipment with two-cycle combustion engines in the Downtown Development Authority district to reduce noise and air pollution.
- At least 25 California cities have banned or severely limited gas-powered leaf blowers.
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Conduct an educational campaign to inform residents and businesses to switch out gas-powered lawn equipment for battery-powered electric equipment. |
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Document that at least 50% of city-owned lawn equipment (i.e. mowers, weed whips, chainsaws, etc.) used on city land is battery-powered electric equipment (based on hours used); write into a city landscaping contract that only battery-powered equipment be used. |
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Provide financial incentive for residents and/or businesses to swap gas-powered equipment for battery-powered electric equipment; adopt an ordinance that limits the use of small internal combustion engine lawn and garden equipment. |
Who's doing it
Red Wing -
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Implementation details:
In 2010 the city held public meetings and established new requirements for outdoor wood boilers that establishes standards for burning wood with low water content.
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For more information contact:
Paul Drotos (City staff) | paul.drotos@ci.red-wing.mn.us | 651-410-6744
Partners:
Robbinsdale -
Date action report first entered:
Date of last report update:
Year action initially completed: 2010s
Implementation details:
Replacement of gasoline-powered small equipment with lower polluting equipment. Completed. The City has replaced gasoline powered small equipment used for parks maintenance with rechargeable battery powered equipment.
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For more information contact:
John Tingley (City Staff) | jtingley@ci.robbinsdale.mn.us | 763-531-1253
Partners:
Edina -
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Complete: In an effort to educate the public on the dangers of wood smoke and to set an example to the community, at the Nov.15, 2011 Edina City Council meeting, Council agreed to convert the two indoor wood burning fireplaces in the Centrum of the Hughes Pavilion, to gas. This generated much educational publicity in the Edina Sun Current, the Minneapolis Star Tribune and local Blogs. The conversion was complete in time for the winter 2011/12 season. The payback period for converting to gas was documented to be 7 years.
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For more information contact:
Grace Hancock (City Staff) | ghancock@edinamn.gov | (952)826-1621
Partners:
Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa -
Date action report first entered:
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Implementation details:
In 2007, FDL received a grant to retrofit our diesel fleet. These on and off road construction vehicles were retrofitted with pollution control equipment in the form of diesel oxidation catalysts.
FDL is also working to implement a no idling policy reservation wide.
FDL is also working to implement a no idling policy reservation wide.
Outcome measures/metrics/money saved:
FDL operates four outdoor monitors that measure the concentrations of air pollutants on the reservation. This includes O-Zone monitoring, nitrogen oxides, fine particulate monitoring, and mercury deposition.
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For more information contact:
Shannon Judd (City Staff) | shannonjudd@fdlrez.com | 218-878-7123
Partners:
Hastings -
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Implementation details:
We have educational materials/pamphlets for the public. In addition, this information is attached to our open burning permits and on the city website.
There is also educational materials/pamphlets for the public relating to the installation of stoves.
There is also educational materials/pamphlets for the public relating to the installation of stoves.
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For more information contact:
Mike Schutt (City staff) | mschutt@hastingsmn.gov | 651-480-6154
Partners:
La Crescent -
Date action report first entered:
Date of last report update:
Year action initially completed: No record available
Implementation details:
La Crescent received the Alternative Landscaping Equipment grant.
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For more information contact:
Jason Ludwigson (Contractor) | JDLudwigson@gmail.com | 5073139633
Partners:
Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe -
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Implementation details:
The Leech Lake Environmental Department has a burn wise campaign that teaches how burning the right wood, the right way, in the right wood-burning appliance can protect your home, health, and the air around us.
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For more information contact:
Brandy Toft (City staff) | air@lldrm.org | 218-335-7429
Partners:
New Hope -
Date action report first entered:
Date of last report update:
Year action initially completed: 2018
Implementation details:
West Metro Fire-Rescue District has educational materials for recreational burning listed on their website.
The city published a story on recreational burning guidelines in September of 2018 on the city's website. It included information on New Hope's rules and guidelines related to recreational fires.
The city published a story on recreational burning guidelines in September of 2018 on the city's website. It included information on New Hope's rules and guidelines related to recreational fires.
Outcome measures/metrics/money saved:
Descriptive File:
Descriptive links: https://www.newhopemn.gov/news___features/recreational_burning_guidelines
For more information contact:
Jeff Alger (City Staff) | jalger@newhopemn.gov | 763-531-5119
Partners:
Roseville -
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Implementation details:
The city's website encourages residents to "think clean" when burning. Tips include use the right fuel and notes that manufactured fire logs burn cleaner than firewood.
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For more information contact:
Ryan Johnson (City staff) | Ryan.johnson@cityofroseville.com | 651-792-7049
Partners:
Greenstep Advisor
Tyler Ellis, Neighborhood Air Pollution Lead, MN Pollution Control Agency: 651/757-2191, tyler.ellis@state.mn.us