ABSTRACT
Power tools and landscape equipment are typically powered by fuel, and the primary fuel used is gasoline. This chapter looks at current equipment usage and some of the issues involved that may drive changes in the way equipment is designed in the future. In addition to fuel costs, noise and air pollution are other environmental issues concerning the use of landscape equipment and power tools. Conventional and alternative fuels were discussed in Chapter 13; however, engines and equipment must be specifically designed or possibly retrofitted for use of fuels other than the one they were originally designed to use. Both fuel efficiency and job productivity are important factors in equipment design. Manual tools are discussed in this chapter as replacements for power tools where appropriate. The use of manual tools instead of power tools constitutes a sustainable landscaping practice and should be
place of a power tool is when a small amount of debris or leaves could be easily and quickly removed using a broom or rake instead of a power blower.
