Beginning today (Tuesday, April 22, 2008), San Joaquin Valley residents are invited to participate by requesting a voucher to turn in their old gasoline-powered mower and replace it with a non-polluting Neuton mower for only $150. Clean Green Yard Machines 2008 will expire on May 31 or until 1,100 mowers have been replaced.
The Air District conducts the annual incentive program to raise public awareness of the pollution caused by gas mowers and to actively reduce such emissions. One gas mower can pollute as much as 40 cars.
"The District's Healthy Air Living Program asks residents of the Valley to make air quality a priority in their daily decision making. Clean Green Yard Machines helps them carry out one of those decisions and remove one of the biggest polluters at home, the gas-powered lawn mower," said Seyed Sadredin, Air Pollution Control Officer, and Air District Executive Director.
In 2007, The District embarked on a new and very successful lawn mower trade-in program when it partnered with the Neuton Lawn Mower Company to replace one-day trade-in events in favor of a direct-mail delivery program.
Residents living anywhere within the San Joaquin Valley Air District can request a program voucher. Upon receipt of the voucher, the resident has until May 31 to turn in their old mower (drained of all fluids) at a participating recycler within their county, then order the new, non-polluting mower by phone at a 62 percent discount off the regular retail price of $399. The Neuton cordless, electric mower is then quickly delivered right to their home.
The Air District thanks the following partners and sponsors for making this event possible: The Neuton Lawn Mower Company, Pacific Gas & Electric, Stanislaus County, San Joaquin County, Merced County, Tulare County, Valley Clean Air Now, Atwater Iron and Metal, Golden State Metals of Bakersfield, J&H Metals of Hanford, Levi's Iron and Metal of Fresno, Madera County Resource Management, Modesto Junk Company, Stockton Recycling Center and Tulare County Recycling.
The San Joaquin Valley air basin is classified by the Environmental Protection Agency as a non-attainment area for the national eight-hour ozone standard and must reduce ozone pollution within the District's eight counties: San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced, Madera, Fresno, Kings, Tulare and San Joaquin Valley portions of Kern.
For more information on Clean Green Yard Machines, contact any of the District representatives listed below or e-mail: public.education@valleyair.org.
http://www.valleyair.org/newsed/General%20CGYM%20web%20ad.pdf
North District Media Contact - Modesto
Anthony Presto
(209) 557-6400
Central District Media Contact - Fresno
Maricela Velasquez
(559) 230-6000
South District Media Contact - Bakersfield
Brenda Turner
(661) 326-6900
Spanish-language Media Contact
Claudia Encinas
(559) 230-6000
