Where is The Industry Going?

Description

• Exchange traditional 2 cycle petrol powered equipment with battery powered equipment including:
  • Backpack Blowers
  • Hedge Trimmers
  • 21" Push Behind Mowers
  • Large Ride-On Mowers
  • Autonomous Mowers

Benefits

• Reduction in emissions
• Less noise allows for more outdoor enjoyment for occupants

Battery-Powered Landscape Equipment & Autonomous Mowers

Description

• Prescribes preventative plant healthcare on visibly healthy trees that may have underlying damage, rot, or decay
• This instrument detects health and cavities in trees or timber.  A sophisticated drill is used to measure density, decay, hollow areas, cracks and ring structure
• Suppliers provide a digital report with recommendations for next steps

Benefits

• Identifies underlying hazardous conditions that could lead to catastrophic failure
• Tracks wood density and internal decay over time before visible signs of stress
• Reduced reactive tree removals due to tree failure
  

Resistograph Testing For Trees

Description

• Scannable outdoor QR codes
• Provide feedback on landscaping

Benefits

• Real time feedback for a category that traditionally doesn't get feedback
• Exciting way to interact with occupants

Tenant Sourced Landscape Changes

Description

• 3 ambitious goals for sustainability include the following for Grounds, Landscaping & Snow and other categories as well:
  • Zero Water or Water Positive
  • Carbon Neutral or Carbon Negative
  • Zero Waste

Benefits

• Environmentally beneficial initiatives
• Exceeding clients expectations and internal goals

Sustainability Initiatives

Much like other categories, the landscape Maintenance industry is continuing to evolve through technology and ESG initiatives.

These evolutions include the following:

1. Battery-Powered Landscape Equipment & Autonomous Mowers
2. Resistograph Testing For Trees
3. Tenant Sourced Landscape Changes
4. Sustainability Initiatives (Zero-Water, Zero-Waste, Carbon Neutral)

Gas vs. Electric

• ROI
  • Converting from gas to battery-powered equipment requires higher upfront costs. Battery-powered outdoor power equipment costs more than gas tools
  • Over the lifespan of the equipment, suppliers will begin to see the benefits of not having to purchase gas
    
• Gaining popularity
  • As of 2021, over 100 cities in the United States alone have various restrictions or outright bans on using gas-powered leaf blowers
• Carbon Footprint
  • Burning oil and fuel emits several harmful toxic pollutants into the air, including carbon monoxide. Summertime ozone levels have exceeded federal-based health standards every year since the passage of the Clean Air Act
  • While electric models do not eliminate the contribution to greenhouse gasses, it shifts combustion to power plants
  • Power plants are equipped with scrubbers that filter out pollutants, sharply reducing the overall amount of air pollution being released when fossil fuels are burned
• Fun Fact:
  • California is mandating that newly manufactured outdoor power tools sold in the state are zero-emission, starting in 2024. The California Air Resources Board says that a third of smog forming emissions each summer come from gas-powered engines in residential lawn and garden tools

• Conversion of 2 cycle small equipment to electric
• Primarily includes routine maintenance equipment such as:
  • Line trimmer
  • Backpack blower
  • Stick edger
  • Hedge shear
• Considerations include:
  • Power
  • Run time
  • Repair time
  • Supply Chain
  • Battery lifespan

• Tremendous advancement in electric equipment since first introduced in 2014
• Suppliers need to ensure enough batteries are carried to last throughout the day, similar to factoring in enough gas on 2 cycle equipment
• Commercial mowers (zero-turn & stand-on) need all day runtime
  • Swapping batteries isn't an option 
• While recharging batteries during the day is possible suppliers will need to factor in cool-down time for overheated batteries
• Some professional landscapers have even installed sophisticated solar panels on their enclosed trailers to help recharge battery packs for handheld tools
• For the best results suppliers need to bring along enough batteries to get them through the entire day
• Suppliers daily loadout includes recharging all of their batteries, backpacks, and larger mowers

Battery Considerations

Carbon Footprints & ROI Benefit