Landscaping in Vancouver parks should be emission-free, says commissioner

Vancouver park commissioners will discuss phasing out gas- and oil-powered landscaping equipment in the city's parks at a meeting this Monday.

Green Party commissioner DaveDemers has put forward the motion to study replacing gas-powered leaf blowers, lawn mowers and hedge trimmers with electric alternatives.

"It's an amazing amount, a frightening amount of pollutants, not just CO2 but a bunch, a variety of pollutants that it produces," saidDemers of the equipment.

In 2017, the California Air Resources Board reported that operating a commercial lawn mower for one hour emits as much pollution as driving a Toyota Camry 480 kilometres. For a commercial leaf blower, the pollution produced was equivalent to driving 1,800 kilometres.

Demers, who runs a landscaping company, says the carcinogenic exhaust and greenhouse gases from the machinery createa health hazard for Park Board workers and the population in general.

He also says the engines create excessive noise in residential areas.

Demers wants park staff to develop a plan for phasing out gas-powered equipment by purchasing battery-powered replacements as the old machines wear out.

"Every year, batteries, equipment itself that's battery-powered, improves dramatically," says Demers who's been transitioning his business out of emissions for three years.

"I would never go back to gas-powered. It's so much easier and much more fun as well to use battery powered equipment."

Demerswants park staff to study the costs of implementing the phase-out as well as the potential reduction of carbon emissions and increased productivity.

He saidthe park board couldrecuperate the cost of the new emission-free equipment throughgas savings.

He's also speaking with Green Party colleagues on the Vancouver School Board about making a similar transition for equipment used on school grounds.