Establishes the 1st AGZA Certified Green Zone in the state of Maryland
Howard County, Maryland has embarked on a “leading-by-example” initiative to transition its landscape maintenance operations through the AGZA Certified Green Zone® program, a multilevel certification designed to make an enduring change to low impact practices. This transition represents a significant step towards reducing the negative impacts of gas-powered maintenance including ozone-forming exhaust, fine particulates, carbon dioxide, and noise and underscores the county's commitment to sustainability and enhancing the quality of life for its residents.
Leadership
County Executive Calvin B. Ball and the incredible Howard County team at the Office of Community Sustainability and Recreation and Parks have a rich history and impeccable track record of sustainability projects and initiatives that have proven to be cost-effective and environmentally positive for the Howard County community.
The initiative started with establishing a Level 1 AGZA Green Zone at Savage Park, the first in the state of Maryland. A Level 1 Green Zone is an area in which routine maintenance is performed without the use of gas handheld tools, such as leaf blowers, string trimmers, hedge trimmers, and saws, many of which are powered by inefficient 2-stroke engines. Creating this initial Green Zone will serve as a model for other county properties, as well as for the community.
Workforce Training
The project involved extensive workforce training on operating, charging, storing, and preventative maintenance of battery-electric lawn and garden equipment. This training will ensure county employees are well-equipped to handle the new technology and maintain the highest efficiency and safety standards. The training also helps establish new standard operating procedures (SOPs) specific to battery-electric operations in commercial settings. These efforts will continue as electric operations expand.
Online, classroom, and field tutorial education is part of the AGZA Green Zone Certification process
Impact Report
A county-wide Environmental Impact Report (ELF®) will be produced to quantify the current levels of air pollution, noise pollution, and carbon dioxide emissions generated by the County's gas-powered lawn and garden equipment fleet. This independently generated report will provide valuable insights into the benefits of transitioning to battery-electric equipment and help inform the rollout of the AGZA Green Zone program to other county properties.
Economic Analysis
The County’s investment in battery electric equipment must be economically feasible. Battery electric equipment is more expensive upfront than gas equipment. Over time, however, this higher upfront cost can be offset by avoided fuel costs and reduced maintenance requirements. An independent detailed economic analysis will be conducted to estimate the time to ROI (Return on Investment), future savings, and the cost-effectiveness of the County’s investment.
Quiet Communities
AGZA, in partnership with the nonprofit Quiet Communities, implements the AGZA Green Zone Certification program nationwide for the public sector. All projects includes education, training, certification, metrics reporting, and verification to ensure a lasting reduction in emissions, noise, and the goal of delivering financial savings as early as possible.
A key to the program’s success lies in recognizing the workforce that uses the equipment as essential stakeholders in the process.
Conclusion
Howard County's AGZA Green Zone initiative embodies a “lead by example” approach for their community by transitioning to more sustainable landscape maintenance operations. The program’s structure and meaningful involvement of workers and management at each step are essential to making an enduring change to low-impact maintenance practices. By responsibly implementing battery-electric lawn and garden equipment, the county will improve work conditions for its staff and create a healthier, quieter future for all its residents.
Stay tuned for more updates as Howard County progresses toward a more sustainable future.
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COMPANY
American Green Zone Alliance (AGZA) is the global leader in zero-emission, sustainable grounds maintenance strategies. AGZA educates and accredits commercial grounds maintenance crews as AGZA Service Providers, and certifies properties maintained with quiet zero-emission cordless electric equipment and hand tools as AGZA Green Zones®.
CONTACT
Dan Mabe
AGZA Founder and President
Principal CEO at Gardenland Power Equipment & Co-Founder and CEO of Towa Industries Inc.
Roger Phelps joined STIHL Inc. in 2001 and is currently the Corporate Communications Manager. In that position he is responsible for creating and telling the STIHL story through integrated event marketing, strategic partnerships, sponsorships, and digital and social media with the goal of increasing the visibility of and affinity for the STIHL brand and over 10,000 STIHL dealers. He attended the U.S. Naval Academy and served 10 years in the U.S. Navy attaining the rank of Lieutenant Commander. He has serves on the National Association of Landscape Professionals Foundation Board of Directors, the National Association of State Park Directors Leadership School Board of Regents, and the Professional Grounds Management Society Board of Directors.
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