Quotable quote: “We need to begin making the earth a healthier place to live day by day and stop the dangerous trend which is in action. Each day the earth suffers. We need to have days in which the earth’s health improves. That is important to life as we know it today.” -David Temple

Annelies Gamble: What is the purpose of People Powered Machines?  What is the mission?

David Temple: The mission of People Powered Machines is to offer high quality manual and electric machines which are environmentally friendly. We have been in business 13 years and continue to add new and exciting products to our line. This last month we added the Hills Clotheslines and the Hoss Tools Cultivators to our line.

Hills Clotheslines are made in Australia and offer many types of clothelines to fit a customers needs. Using a clothesline from  April through November will dramatically cut down on your electrical bill and give you beautifully dried clothes.

The Hoss Cultivator is made in the United States and is a high quality cultivator which will give the home gardener the tool they need to grow lots of vegetables and plants. All parts can be replaced , so this tool will last many years.

AG: Describe how you see your company fitting into the “Products” category of the Greenfox5 sustainability model.

DT: Our products fit because they don’t pollute. The products offer a healthy choice to perform jobs which gas powered polluting machines often do. Our Sno-Wovel is a perfect example of how to clear snow without polluting with good clean exercise. Our clotheslines offer you the chance to dry your laundry without electricity. Natural drying is better for your clothes and saves on electricity. Our composters protect landfills and enrich the soil and save on taxes spent to haul trash away.

AG: You used to be a teacher. Why do you think sustainability education is valuable to children?

DT: If we don’t continue to pursue better ways to care for our planet, life as we know it will be no longer. This recent oil spill is a tragedy unlike any other man has had. It is very serious. We need to begin making the earth a healthier place to live day by day and stop the dangerous trend which is in action. Each day the earth suffers. We need to have days in which the earth’s health improves. That is important to life as we know it today.

AG: What inspired you to start People Powered Machines?

DT: We moved from New York City to Boston and then to Ipswich where we built a house. This was the first time since going to college that I had to deal with a lawn. I did not want to pollute so I purchased the best American lawn mower I could find. It worked well the first year. A little worse the second year. It completely fell apart the third year. I thought about inventing a reel lawn mower and my wife found one on the internet that I began importing. Then we began People Powered Machines.

AG: What are the sustainability benefits of lawn or garden care with less pollution?

DT: Many, many benefits. First of all, you make zero pollution. Secondly, you get good exercise. Thirdly, your lawn looks better. Same for the garden and vegetables. You are what you eat, why not eat healthy vegetables grown in your garden.

AG: How much pollution do your products cut back on?

DT: According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a traditional gas powered lawn mower produces as much air pollution as 43 new cars each being driven 12,000 miles.

The EPA states that 17 million gallons of fuel, mostly gasoline, are spilled each year while refueling lawn equipment. That’s more than all the oil spilled by the Exxon Valdez, in the Gulf of Alaska. In addition to groundwater contamination, spilled fuel that evaporates into the air and volatile organic compounds spit out by small engines make smog-forming ozone when cooked by heat and sunlight.

Until 1995, lawnmower emissions were unregulated. Older more powerful, less efficient two-cycle engines release 25-30% of their oil and gas unburned into the air. The health toll includes cancer as well as damage to lungs, heart, and both the immune and detoxification systems. Plus smog inhibits plant growth.

Electric mowers don’t totally eliminate pollution, however emissions from the electric industry are more regulated and are not in your backyard. Also they save on gas spills and gas refinery and transportation. To achieve a net environmental savings from switching from gas to electric mowers depends on the efficiency of the power plant from where the electricity originates. Only reel mowers have a 0 carbon footprint. This is why we still prefer reel mowers to all other types of mowers, and electric reel mowers, which can have an electric kick for those days when the lawn is longer, or your time is shorter.

Using a push mower instead of a power mower helps to reduce CO2 in the atmosphere by 80lbs a year.  From the easy to the ambitious, there are numerous actions you can take to reduce your energy consumption and fight global warming.

Thank you, David!

Month: April 2010
Greenfox5 Category: Food
Hero: Amy Porter
Job Title: Communications Coordinator 
Company: Yale Sustainable Food Project

Annelies Gamble: Describe how you see your company fitting into the “Food” category of the Greenfox5 sustainability model.

Amy Porter: Schools have an incredible opportunity to teach young people about the importance—and also pleasures—of really good food that has been sustainably sourced. There is a national movement led by Michelle Obama to bring good, healthy food to our schools. The Yale Sustainable Food Project’s mission is at the heart of this movement, providing opportunities for college students to learn about and become involved in food and agriculture—and make a real difference.

AG: What is “food sustainability?”

AP: When we talk about “sustainable food” we mean food that is good for the land, good for the farmers who grow it, and good for our health. A few simple things you can do as an individual are to purchase food directly from a local farmer, and to get to know the person who grows your food. Many small farmers participate in community-supported agriculture (CSA), which gives you the option to subscribe to a season of farm-grown food in advance. It’s also important to eat food that is in season for your region. Even in New England it’s possible to eat salad greens and good vegetables in the middle of winter.

AG: Why is food sustainability important for children and students to learn about?

AP: We all eat food—and what we eat has serious consequences for our health and well-being, as well as the health of our communities and the environment. We all want to eat food that tastes delicious and is quick to prepare, too, both of which are easy when you eat food that is freshly picked from a local farm. We’ve had kids, and parents and college students—really all kinds of visitors—come to the Yale Farm and literally jump for joy over a sun gold tomato or candy carrots. There’s just nothing to compare to eating a tomato plucked fresh from a vine, and it’s an experience you never forget. That moment of realization has an impact on your understanding of food and the habits you will develop for your entire life (and the sooner you learn the lesson, the greater an impact it has).

AG: Describe the Yale Sustainable Food Project.  What are its goals and what results have you accomplished to date?

AP: The Yale Sustainable Food Project was founded in 2003 with the belief that the world’s most pressing questions regarding health, culture, the environment, education, and the global economy cannot be adequately addressed without considering the food we eat and the way we produce it. On campus, we manage the Yale Farm, our one-acre organic market garden, collaborate on a sustainable dining program, and run diverse programs that support exploration and academic inquiry related to food and agriculture. By creating opportunities for students to experience food, agriculture, and sustainability as integral parts of their education and everyday life, we’re ensuring that Yale graduates have the capacity to effect meaningful change as individuals and as leaders in their communities, their homes, and their life’s work.

As a school administrator, working with the chefs at your school to source food from local farmers is an enormous benefit to students—for their health and education—and also for the strength and economy of your local community. We created a sustainable purchasing guide for institutions in 2008, which is a handy resource available on our website.

Thank you Amy Porter!