Metro Residents Invited to Mow Down Pollution and Plug into Earth Friendly Living May 10th

The Regional Air Quality Council’s (RAQC) OzoneAware program and Charge Ahead Colorado – a joint program of the RAQC and the Colorado Energy Office — invite metro residents to help mow down pollution and plug into earth friendly living at the Electrify Your Summer event on May 10^th. Electrify Your Summer will combine the RAQC’s annual Mow Down Pollution lawn mower exchange with a family-friendly community event highlighting the benefits of electric vehicles.

Specifically, the Electrify Your Summer event will feature:

• The RAQC’s annual Mow Down Pollution lawn mower exchange
• Discounted Black and Decker electric garden tools
• Electric vehicle test drives provided by Tynan’s Nissan
• Electric bike test rides provided by OPTIBIKE
• Electronics recycling provided by Techno Rescue
• Music provided by KIMN Mix 100
• Free food and drink
• Information about air quality, electric cars and eco-friendly home improvements
• And more!

The event will be held on May 10^th at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, 6000 Victory Way, Commerce City, CO, 80022, in Parking Lot H – just east of the intersection of Quebec and 60th. The Electrify Your Summer event is free and open to the public from 8 AM-4 PM. (Mow Down Pollution participants must pre-register and will be assigned a time for pick-up.)

Mow Down Pollution is a lawn mower exchange event hosted by the RAQC and partner Suncor Energy to encourage the public to switch from polluting, gas-guzzling lawn equipment to more eco-friendly alternatives. Area residents may bring their gas mowers to recycle in exchange for deep discounts on Black and Decker electric mowers, and discounts are offered to interested parties without a mower to recycle as well.

Advance registration is required to participate in the lawn mower exchange program, and supplies are limited. Interested parties may pre-register at www.ozoneaware.org to reserve a mower and indicate whether they will bring one to recycle. Registrants will be assigned a time slot within which they may pick up and pay for their new mower and drop off their gas-powered mower for recycling.

The following deals on Black and Decker cordless, electric lawn mowers are available to those who pre-register:

• Model #CM1836 18”, 36V mower (retails for $350)
  • $100 with gas mower trade-in
  • $150 without trade-in
• Model #CM1936 19”, 36V mower (retails for $400)
  • $180 with gas mower trade-in
  • $230 without trade-in

“We are excited to be combining the thirteenth year of our lawnmower exchange program with a community event highlighting the benefits of electric vehicles,” said Ken Lloyd, executive director of the RAQC. “Gas-powered cars and lawn equipment are among the most significant contributors to the metro area’s ground-level ozone pollution problem, and switching to electric lawn equipment and electric vehicles is one way for people to make a truly positive impact on our air quality.

Ground level ozone is a harmful air pollutant that is formed when emissions from everyday items combine with other pollutants and “cook” in the heat and sunlight. Sources of such emissions include local industry; gasoline-powered vehicles and lawn equipment; and household paints, stains and solvents. People who are active outdoors may experience breathing difficulties and eye irritation when exposed to ozone, and prolonged exposure may result in reduced resistance to lung infections and colds. Ozone can also trigger attacks and symptoms in individuals with pre-existing conditions, such as asthma or other respiratory infections like chronic bronchitis and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).

To learn more, please visit www.ozoneaware.org.