The Electric Chainsaw and the Climate Abundant Life
<p>Although we don’t realize it, outdoor power tools like lawnmowers, gas-powered leaf blowers, and chainsaws emit a ton of emissions from the gasoline burned in them. According to the <a href="https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/our-work/programs/zero-emission-landscaping-equipment" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">California Air Resources Board</a>: <em>“Currently, a new gas-powered mower running for 1 hour produces similar emissions to the average car driving for 100 miles.” </em>That’s a lot of emissions for cutting the lawn. Granted, we don’t cut the lawn twice a day like we use our cars for a commute, but nonetheless, the emissions are real.</p>
<p>These considerations were on my mind when my local electric cooperative recently transformed my front yard by removing trees to protect the power line. At first, I was abhorred by the idea, but then he showed me where the power lines were burning the trees and told me that if I leaned on the trees when the wind was blowing, there was a good chance I would get shocked. Not that I had much choice, but it did make me realize this was probably necessary.</p>
<p><a href="https://medium.com/eco-news/the-electric-chainsaw-and-the-climate-abundant-life-b045a69bf1b9"><strong>Website</strong></a></p>