According to the EPA, emissions from landscape equipment (mowers, blowers, trimmers, etc.) are often much greater than those from a car, per hour of operation. Small gasoline-powered two-cycle engines are the most polluting.

Canada's Clean Air Foundation has many unique programs to help reduce carbon emissions. One of the best is their Mow Down Pollution program, conducted in cooperation with Home Depot Canada. The program allows citizens to turn in gas-guzzling mowers for instant rebates on push mowers, electric mowers or energy efficient mowers.

San Diego County, California also conducts a "Mowing Down Pollution" program in which fines from violations of air quality laws are used to purchase electric lawn mowers, which are then sold at a significant discount to citizens who turn in old gasoline-powered mowers.

Here are some other ideas for keeping pollution from landscaping equipment to a minimum:

• Mandate your town's purchase of electric landscaping equipment whenever possible, including mowers, blowers and sweepers. Electric landscaping tools create no pollution, are easy to start, and often have features such as "grasscycling" to chop clippings into compostable bits.

• Keep all motorized equipment in top working condition, replacing oil and air filters regularly, getting periodic tune-ups and keeping blades sharp.

• Avoid spilling gasoline and motor oil. Even small gas spills volatilize into the air and create pollution, while oil spills run off into surface waters, polluting these fragile eco-systems.