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Archive for category lawn care pollution

E15 Ethanol Gasoline in your Lawn Mower and Weedeater Engine

Jun 29

Posted by Lawn Care Business in commercial lawn mowers, John Deere, lawn care pollution, lawn equipment, lawn mowers, maintenance | No Comments

E15 Ethanol Gasoline is likely to be in many markets by late summer.
Do you feel that your lawn mowers are ready for E15 Gasoline?

I have heard a number of complaints from lawn care business owners all around the country that tell me E10 is damaging to their lawn mower engines. The implied complaint is that E10 draws moisture to the engine parts displacing gasoline and thereby clogging engine components.

I do not consider myself to be a small engine expert but I do know how to keep my equipment running with proper maintenance. As often as it is available, I buy 100% gasoline. However very few gasoline stations in my area carry 100% gasoline.

Are you worried about the new gasoline blend that might be hitting the market place later this year?

I would love to hear your thoughts.

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Landscaping Runoff Barrier & Proper Erosion Control

Apr 16

Posted by Lawn Care Business in environment, landscaping, lawn care pollution | No Comments

Landscape Runoff Barrier

Possible Landscaping Stormwater Runoff Violation

Your lawn care and landscaping company can be fined for improper barrier control of your landscaping jobs.

We received many inches of rain last week and I came across this improperly performed landscaping job. As you can see from the pictures, rain water is cascading down a hillside and mud is being washed into the street and into a stormwater drain.

I am not an expert on stormwater laws, but the company who performed this job is possibly in violation of a number of ordinances which address stormwater runoff, landscaping debris (including mud and gravel) deposited onto a city street, and muddy runoff into a stormwater drain.

A number of easy modifications to this landscaping job would have prevented this problem.





1) Heavy rain was forecast for the same day this 1-day job was to be completed. The company could have rescheduled this work until after the heavy rains.
2) A runoff barrier at the top of the landscaped area would have prevented water from gushing through the recently disturbed soil.
3) Though some straw was scattered above the ground, a heavier straw layer would have reduced the runoff problem.
4) A runoff barrier at the bottom of the landscaping area would have prevented mud from entering the roadway.
5) Bales of straw placed around the storm water drain would have prevented mud from entering the storm water system.



Landscaping runoff enters a stormwater drain.

Landscaping runoff enters a stormwater drain.

Not only did this company’s workers cause a big mess on the roadway, they also left their customer with improper landscaping. There are gullies in the ground where storm water washed through, the plants have bare roots exposed, and grass seed has been washed away.

Improper landscaping erosion control.

Improper landscaping erosion control.

A little bit of planning on this landscaping company’s part would have prevented a big and costly headache of possible storm water runoff violations. Stormwater violations are becoming increasingly scrutinized and fines are often very large.







Do you want to learn how to properly operate a lawn care and landscaping business?

We have developed a lawn care business toolkit including lawn care business manuals, an excellent software toolkit, and lawn care estimating calculators. To learn more about the program, visit our main lawn care business website:

How to start and operate a successful lawn care and landscaping business.
http://www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com

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Make more money offering environmentally correct lawn care techniques.

Mar 19

Posted by Lawn Care Business in customers, environment, lawn care business, lawn care customers, lawn care pollution | No Comments

A healthy lawn and green grass

Proper mowing leads to a healthier lawn.

Mow it low and go.

Arghhh…how many customers do you have that want you to show up to their property every two weeks, mow their grass as low as your blades will allow, and go away for another two weeks until the grass is, once again, two feet high? 

While the money is often good with these types of basic lawn care customers, there is something unfulfilling about performing the lowest form of lawn care services demanded by some customers…mow it low, and go.

It is springtime right now and many of you who are just getting started with your lawn care companies are looking for any customers you can find.  I understand that you probably don’t care if you have 100 “mow it low and go” customers…you just want to be mowing grass and making money.

However, as you are acquiring customers this spring, I want to challenge each of you to attract as many customers as you can who want to care for their lawns in a proper, environmentally responsible fashion.  We’re not talking about customers who want to apply lots of fertilizers and pesticides and expect a perfectly manicured lawn each week.  We are talking about customers who will let you raise your blade to a proper height, practice integrated pest management, install water gardens & natural areas, and build good soil by leaving well-mulched clippings on the lawn.

Attracting a few customers who are keenly interested in having healthy lawns will teach you a tremendous amount about proper lawn care and they will give you tons of ideas and healthy lawn care management practices that you can spread to your other lawn care customers.

The benefits of building beautiful lawns with environmentally correct lawn care techniques are far reaching.  Yes, you will be proud of the lawns and landscaping (and make great money from those customers) but also, great lawns generate amazing referrals.  And if you acquire the right customers and bid your jobs correctly, you should be able to build a list of top-notch customers who are willing to pay you handsomely to maintain their lawns and landscapes.

Do you want to learn how to operate a successful lawn care and landscaping business? Visit our main webpage to learn more about our “Start A Lawn Care Business” guidebook and software business package.  This is a HUGE business toolkit which is perfect for anyone just starting in the business or anyone who is looking to expand a lawn care business.

Make More Money With Your Lawn Care Business
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Is your Lawn Care Business facing noise ordinances?

Jan 20

Posted by Lawn Care Business in hearing protection, lawn business strategies, lawn care pollution, lawn care safety, lawn mowers, leaf blowers | No Comments

Noise pollution is becoming a familiar topic in many towns across the United States.

Okay, let’s face it, our lawn care equipment is noisy.  Our lawn mowers emit low thunderous roars and our backpack blowers scream out high pitched shrills.  We have written many times in the Start A Lawn Care Business blog that lawn care operators must take many precautions to protect their own hearing and the hearing of their employees from the noise emitted from lawn care equipment.

In addition to the common sense precautions we must take to reduce the noise levels in our own heads, community councils are becoming bolder in their efforts to tackle the noise issues to help protect their residents from the noise problems.  We recently read about a community in East Hampton that is attempting to restrict to hours noisy lawn equipment can be operated.

What do you think about restrictions such as this?   Are there happy mediums that can be struck between home owners and landscape professionals?  Can landscape companies make concerted efforts to reduce the number of minutes leaf blowers are used on each lawn?  Can lawn mower operators develop mowing patterns that reduce the time spend on each lawn?

The answer to the last two questions is “YES.”  In fact, our lawn care business training packages shows you how to develop mowing patterns that GREATLY reduce your mowing and blowing time.  Developing these mowing pattern not only allows your lawn care company to leave your customers with great looking lawns it also helps you reduce your time an amount of noise pollution you produce.

For more information on our Lawn Care Business training package, see our main home page:

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Winners of the Clean Air Lawn Care Business Give-Away

Jan 19

Posted by Lawn Care Business in lawn care pollution, start a lawn care business | No Comments

Sometimes, you just need a leg up to help you through a difficult situation.

A Corpus Christi family has won a brand new Clean Air Lawn Care franchise valued at over $36,000. Wes and Marcia Neukam will be starting their Clean Air Lawn Care franchise in Corpus Christi in March. They hope to service their lawn care business’ clients using Clean Air’s methodology of clean, quiet, & renewable energy. Electric and biodiesel lawn care equipment helps reduce emissions of CO and hydrocarbons compared to traditional gasoline lawn mowers according to the Clean Air website.

The prize of a new lawn care franchise comes at a time when the Neukams are dealing with family health issues. Marcia and Wes are expecting. However, Marcia is expecting a complicated birth since the baby has holoprosencephaly which causes neurological problems.

Our thoughts go out to the Neukams as they grow their family and launch their brand new Clean Air Lawn Care franchise.

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