Senior gets grant to spread the word for electric lawn devices
GRANT WINNER, Aysie Bower, poses with her information cards.
By Nona Sue Friedman
Aysie Bower, a high school senior at Larchmont Charter School, is very excited to be a recipient of a $1,000 grant to spread the word and make a change surrounding gas-powered lawn equipment to electric. These loud and annoying devices are illegal within 500 feet of a residence in Los Angeles.
With the grant money, she’s designing three different kinds of outreach material—for homeowners, gardeners, and kids. She plans on going to farmers markets and community events to distribute the information.
Property owners will receive a flyer regarding the rules and harmful impacts surrounding gas-powered lawn equipment and gardeners will get a pocket-sized card with a QR code to access financial incentives to transition to electric. Kids will get a card, similar in size to a trading card, with an activity, fun fact, and talking point about clean air.
In an email, she said she wants the focus for the kids to be a bit more positive, while the homeowners will be hit with the hard facts. One card for owners will say, “Running a gas blower for one hour emits as much pollution as driving from L.A. to Denver—1,100 miles.”
Through her research she’s found, “Everyone just assumes gas blowers are an issue for their gardeners to figure out, when in reality it’s a huge cost burden for them to bear alone. We should all play a part since we all breathe the same air.” It’s easy to see why she won!
The goal is to replace gas powered equipment with electric at as many locations as possible, as soon as possible. But it’s a process. She received the grant from the Los Angeles County Youth Climate Commission and is working with the Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council on a gas-powered lawn equipment initiative.
Category: People
