Electric Landscaping

Clean, Quiet, Climate-Smart

Howard County is leading the charge to eliminate emissions, noise, and pollution from gas-powered landscaping equipment — starting with our first American Green Zone Alliance (AGZA) Certified Green Zone at Savage Park.

WHy eLECTRIC lANDSCAPING

Gas-powered landscaping equipment, especially two-stroke engines like leaf blowers, may look small, but their impact is big. They emit high levels of air pollutants, greenhouse gases, and noise, often without the emission controls required on other engines. This isn’t just bad for the environment, it affects the health of workers, residents, and our shared air and water.

Here’s what gas-powered tools contribute to:

  • Carcinogenic and toxic air pollutants
  • Greenhouse gas emissions
  • Soil and groundwater contamination from fuel spills
  • Non-recyclable hazardous waste
  • High-decibel noise that harms health and quality of life

By switching to battery-electric equipment, we’re making a tangible difference in air quality, noise levels, and safety, while setting a regional example and working towards goals set forth in our Climate Forward Climate Action Plan.

Graphic on the benefits of switching to battery-electric landscaping equipment

Did you know? A gas-powered leaf blower can emit as much pollution in one hour as a car driving 1,100 miles!

Pilot Project at Savage Park

Maryland’s First AGZA Green Zone Certified Park

Savage Park, Maryland’s first AGZA Green Zone Certified Park

Savage Park is now officially Howard County’s first AGZA Certified Green Zone Park—and the first in the entire state of Maryland. Department of Recreation & Parks (DRP) staff have transitioned their landscape maintenance operations at this park through the AGZA Certified Green Zone® program, meaning that routine maintenance will now be performed using hand-held battery-electric lawn and garden equipment. Twenty-five staff from DRP were trained and certified as Electric Landscaping Professionals. This included hands-on training in equipment use, maintenance, charging protocols, and safety standards.

Savage Park, an AGZA Certified Green Zone Park in Howard County

Why it matters:

  • Eliminates 570 pounds of toxic and carcinogenic emissions annually
  • Cuts 1,125 pounds of CO2 (equal to 23 mature trees’ worth annually)
  • Prevents 15 gallons of fuel from leaking into soil and groundwater
  • Saves $471 per year in operating costs
  • Significantly reduces noise from landscape maintenance
  • Improves working conditions for County staff

What is AGZA?

The American Green Zone Alliance & Quiet Communities

AGZA is a national company helping communities transition from gas-powered to low-impact electric landscaping. AGZA partners with Quiet Communities, a national non-profit, on their certification programs and to develop the Environmental Footprint (ELF) assessments, which provide:

  • Verified, measurable data
  • Staff training and best practices
  • Equipment testing protocols
  • Return on investment guidance

Howard County is proud to partner with AGZA to lead Howard County toward more sustainable landscaping.

Electric landscaping equipment in use at a Howard County park

What’s Next — Scaling Parks-Wide

A Roadmap to a Cleaner, Quieter Howard County

Following the successful pilot at Savage Park, Howard County is now expanding electric landscaping initiatives through all our DRP operations. Our first step is to work with AGZA and Quiet Communities to develop a DRP-wide Environmental Landscape Footprint (ELF) assessment, which will help us better understand the environmental, health, and economic impacts of gas-powered landscaping equipment,  and create a data-driven path forward.

What the ELF will do:

  • Quantify greenhouse gas emissions, toxic air pollutants, and noise levels
  • Measure fuel spillage, consumption, and waste
  • Inventory current equipment and operations
  • Estimate costs and benefits of transitioning to electric
  • Offer guidance on equipment purchasing and staff training
  • Deliver a detailed ROI analysis to guide smart investments

This effort builds directly on lessons learned during the Savage Park pilot. That project helped us identify what works, what doesn’t, and what’s needed to scale this effort responsibly and effectively.

Green zone landscaping at Savage Park

Why it matters: When paired with AGZA Green Zone Certification, the ELF provides independently validated metrics that empower the County to make smart, fiscally responsible decisions, and clearly communicate progress to the public.

Timeline: Data collection begins summer 2025 and will take over a year to complete.

This assessment will quantify the environmental and public health impacts of gas-powered landscape maintenance; including greenhouse gas emissions, toxic and carcinogenic air pollutants, fuel spillage, fuel consumption, solid and hazardous waste, and noise pollution.

The ELF will include an inventory of current equipment and lawn care operations, cost estimates for transitioning to electric alternatives, guidance on equipment purchases, staff training recommendations, and an analysis of the financial and environmental return on investment (ROI). It will serve as a strategic roadmap for phasing out gas-powered equipment and transitioning the County’s landscape maintenance fleet to cleaner, quieter electric technology.