Landscaping business resolves to use propane mowers

When Grant Peckham, a co-owner of the Grounds Guys of Boca Raton landscaping company, decided to move business from Connecticut to Boca Raton, Fla., in November, he also made a resolution to start using propane-fueled mowers. Peckham says one of the company’s biggest initiatives is to lower its carbon footprint.

“We’re in the green industry, so we wanted to lead by example,” he says.

The Grounds Guys of Boca Raton purchased a 52-inch Exmark Lazer Z propane mower about two months ago to use on both residential and commercial clients. Peckham says it is one of three mowers in his fleet.

“We learned that propane dramatically cuts emissions of toxins, and if each propane mower reduces our carbon footprint by 80 percent to 95 percent, then it’s important to try them out,” Peckham says.

The Grounds Guys of Boca Raton received a $2,000 rebate from the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) for purchasing the propane mower in exchange for data on the propane mower’s performance. Peckham says PERC wants to know how gasoline mowers run compared to propane mowers.

Peckham says it’s still too early to tell whether the Grounds Guys’ Boca Raton location is experiencing fuel savings with its propane mower, having only used it the past two months for a handful of clients.

“What we’ve heard, though, is that the propane will be more cost-efficient if gas prices get expensive again,” he says. “We also know there’s cleaner emissions on propane mowers.”

While other landscape contractors in the Boca Raton area remain skeptical about using propane mowers, Peckham believes propane “could be the way of the future” for the landscaping industry.

“A lot of landscape contractors say propane hasn’t been proven yet,” he explains. “But we feel it’s the way to go. If we have to be part of the test group for propane in landscaping, we’re willing to do that. We hope to see gas mowers removed from the industry the next five to 10 years.”

The Grounds Guys’ Boca Raton location has three employees and 15 clients.