Air Quality Awareness Campaigns
Clean Air Partners Targets Backyard Pollution for Cleaner Air
Georgia Wray Norsten — May 6, 2025
Clean Air Partners, a nonprofit in the Baltimore-Washington region, launched an 'Air Quality Awareness Week' campaign urging residents to adopt greener lawn-care habits. The 'Hidden Backyard Pollution Hazards' initiative reveals that common activities like gas-powered lawn mowing, leaf blowing, fertilizing, and grilling can produce surprising amounts of air pollution. For example, running a gas mower for one hour can emit as much pollution as driving a car 300+ miles. To help change this, Clean Air Partners is hosting a gas-to-electric lawn equipment exchange with local hardware stores, letting residents trade in old gas mowers or trimmers for electric models.
The campaign’s message is that small changes at home, such as using electric yard tools or manual push mowers, can significantly cut smog-forming emissions and protect public health.
