Residents in Utah have a reason to get excited about spring yard work — because this year it comes with a cash bonus. A new state incentive program — called Charge Your Yard — is offering residents a $200 voucher toward electric lawn care equipment when they switch from gas-powered lawn equipment.
Residents who live in Davis, Salt Lake, Tooele, and Weber Counties are eligible to apply through the Department of Environmental Quality website. To qualify, they simply need to purchase eligible electric tools and recycle their old gas-powered ones through approved facilities. The program goes until funds run out, so early action is key.
The rationale behind the initiative has to do with the disproportionate size-to-emission ratio that small, gas-powered engines such as the ones found in lawn equipment usually have.
"Reducing any [volatile organic compound] emissions helps with reducing ground-level ozone," said Bryce Bird, director of the Division of Air Quality. "In the long run, switching to electric motors in yard equipment can help reduce the Salt Lake smog, especially in the summertime. Other immediate benefits are significantly quieter engines and no smoke emissions."
TCD Picks » Uplevel Your Yard
Save money, cut pollution, and impress your neighbors with the best yard on the block
Initiatives like this also save consumers money in the long run. Electric yard tools are typically cheaper to fuel and maintain than their gas counterparts, and they're far quieter, too — making that Saturday mow less disruptive for everyone on the block.
Charge Your Yard is part of a growing wave of policies that encourage cleaner living through smart upgrades. Other programs, such as California's Clean Off-Road Equipment Vouchers, show that the move toward electric is not just a fad but here to stay.
Watch now: How bad is a gas stove for your home's indoor air quality?
"I'm excited to launch Year 2 of the landscaping equipment program, which is one of the key initiatives of Clean Air SLC," Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall said. "... This spring, we're going even further by providing more equipment types that Salt Lakers can choose from to make the switch to electric."
"I bought an electric mower years ago (no rebate) and it was the best decision," one user commented on an Ogden City Government Facebook post. "Starts and stops instantly, no oil, no gas. I can store the mower indoors in the winter without worrying about the smell."
|
Do you think the government should ban gas-powered lawn tools? Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. |
No way 
Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more and waste less, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Cool Picks
