BALTIMORE, Md., Aug. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- On Saturday, August 14, Maryland residents are invited to turn in their old gas-powered lawn mowers and purchase deeply-discounted, select electric lawn mowers at The Great Maryland Lawn Mower Exchange event. Most people identify air pollution problems with industry and power plants, and the emissions from cars and trucks. However, lawn mowers and other outdoor gas-powered equipment account for much of the region's air pollution and impact public health as well. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, a conventional, gas-powered lawn mower can spew more pollution into our air in a year than a car driven more than 20,000 miles. Electric lawnmowers are more convenient and environmentally-friendly than gas-powered mowers.

Participants will receive up to 66% off a new Neuton CE 5 or CE 6 battery-powered mower for trading in their old gas-powered mower. The trade-in event will take place at Camden Yards parking lot C in Baltimore from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, August 14. At the event, Maryland residents can drop off their old mower and pick up their electric mower at one convenient location. Participants are required to pre-register for the trade-in event at: www.cleanairpartners.net.  Only 1,000 mowers are available so residents are encouraged to register now.  

"Everyday actions, such as operating gas powered lawn equipment, can have as much of an impact on regional air quality as driving. For example, mowing your lawn for one hour with a gas-powered lawnmower can cause as much pollution as driving one-way from Baltimore to Boston." said Randy Mosier, chief of the Air Quality program for the Maryland Department of the Environment. "The Great Maryland Lawn Mower Exchange program encourages environmental stewardship and makes it easy for residents to make the transition to electric mowers and help protect both the environment and public health."

The Great Maryland Lawn Mower Exchange is sponsored by the Maryland Department of the Environment, Clean Air Partners, and Neuton Mowers.

Clean Air Partners encourages residents to visit www.cleanairpartners.net to check out the Air Quality Action Guide which provides action steps to help residents protect their health and reduce their impacts on regional air quality. Some of these actions include using electric lawn and garden equipment, refueling vehicles after dark, taking public transportation and teleworking. Clean Air Partners also provides AirAlerts, a customizable, free service that notifies you via e-mail either every day or when air quality is forecast to be unhealthy in your area. It's easy to enroll and you can cancel the service at any time.

About Clean Air Partners

Clean Air Partners is a nonprofit, public-private partnership chartered by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments and the Baltimore Metropolitan Council. The partnership seeks to improve public health and quality of life in the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area by educating the public to take voluntary actions to reduce ground-level ozone, particle pollution, and greenhouse gases.  

About the Maryland Department of the Environment

The mission of the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) is to protect and restore the quality of Maryland's air, water, and land resources, while fostering smart growth, economic development, healthy and safe communities, and quality environmental education for the benefit of the environment, public health, and future generations. MDE's vision is to ensure a clean environment and excellent quality of life for Marylanders. MDE works to ensure that the air is safe to breathe, among other goals. Learn more at www.mde.state.md.us.

About Neuton

Neuton, located in Vergennes, Vermont, designs and markets the nation's number one selling line of battery-powered lawn mowers. Since 2003, Neuton mowers have helped prevent over 59 million pounds of greenhouse gas pollution from entering the atmosphere. For more information on the complete line of Neuton products, please visit www.neutonpower.com.

SOURCE Clean Air Partners