Sustainability Spotlight: LPS Grounds Electric Equipment Pilot
November’s Sustainability Spotlight is shining on the LPS Grounds Department! Two Grounds teams participated in a pilot of electric landscaping equipment over the summer, allowing LPS Operations to collect valuable data and feedback on how well they work.
The Grounds Department takes care of a wide variety of outdoor maintenance at sites districtwide, including landscaping and lawn care. To carry out those responsibilities, the department maintains a well-stocked inventory of power tools and larger equipment.
In keeping with district efforts to electrify buildings and reduce LPS white fleet emissions, Grounds equipment emerged as the next opportunity to pursue a more sustainable alternative.
In May 2024, LPS Sustainability worked with Grounds Superintendent Clark Liesveld to research the electric equipment options available and put together a plan for the pilot.
Together, the two departments decided to start out with only handheld tools, and to stick with a single brand for all purchases to maximize convenience for the participating teams.
A general maintenance crew tested out two string trimmers and a handheld blower, and a tree-trimming crew worked with a chainsaw and a pole pruner. Both teams also received four rechargeable batteries and a battery charging station.
Over the course of the summer, LPS Sustainability collected feedback from each team to see how the equipment performed.
Overall, Grounds team members said that the electric tools were both reliable and effective. Respondents also mentioned that the piloted equipment was lighter-weight, quieter and easier to start up than what they had used previously.
These evaluations line up with some well-documented benefits of electric power tools. Compared to small engines that run on a mixture of gasoline and oil, battery-powered equipment reduces air and noise pollution, is safer to maneuver and requires less maintenance.
“The main benefit is not breathing in chainsaw exhaust. It's also convenient to not have to pull start a saw for every cut when I’m up in the lift truck bucket.”
While the electric tools had the power and precision needed to get the job done, they did not stay running as long as their gas-powered counterparts. Crew members would occasionally be caught on the far side of a site and need to return to their truck to swap in a fresh battery, or pick up where they left off with the gas-powered equipment they had also brought along.
This challenge led to additional research and consultation with the crews to identify and purchase a backpack specifically designed to carry extra batteries.
With these backups at the ready, the pilot’s primary pain point has since been resolved.
“Battery life wasn’t as big of an issue once my route was [prepped for trimming]. I do like the products more than gas at this point.”
It will take more time and planning to add further electric equipment into the Grounds Department’s inventory, but this pilot has provided invaluable feedback towards making that happen.
We are grateful to and impressed by the wide range of people within LPS Operations who took this idea and turned it into reality!
Updated November 6, 2024
