In this video, Randy Dean, author of the climate‑focused ebook Too Little, Too Late, recounts how he has progressively replaced gasoline‑powered yard and snow‑removal equipment with electric alternatives. He begins with early corded electric tools, then adds a corded electric snow blower and pressure washer, and finally adopts a Greenworks Pro 80‑volt battery‑powered mower. The mower’s two 80‑V batteries not only power the mower but also a string trimmer, handheld snow shovel, and blower, creating a unified battery ecosystem. He also showcases a 300‑watt portable power station that runs off the same battery pack and is used for camping, featuring AC and USB outlets. Throughout, he highlights practical benefits—instant start, no gasoline odor, lower maintenance, and consistent performance—as well as the broader environmental motivation, hoping that his local utility will transition to renewable energy. The video serves as a personal case study of how individual equipment choices can contribute to climate action.
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Hi, I'm Randy Dean, author of the new ebook all about climate called Too Little, Too Late. And I wanted to share with you today just one little thing that I've done to hopefully help our environment in the future. I basically electrified all of my lawn, garden, and snow removal activities. It actually started about 20 years ago with these old corded electric blower and electric hedge clipper. And I still use both of them today, although watch for a little bit of something about the electric blower. And then, I don't know, maybe 4 or 5 years ago, I decided to buy both a corded electric snow blower and a corded electric pressure washer. And I have to tell you, both my previous— the previous gas snow blower and pressure washer were nothing but problematic. Those little 2-cycle engines. I mean, they smell, they stink, and a lot of times they don't want to start. These things, they start right up and you don't smell like gasoline when you're done, which is wonderful. But then things really changed about 3 years ago when my wife bought me the best birthday present ever— this Greenworks Pro 80-volt powered electric mower. Um, and you're looking at the gas tanks. Right there. These two 80-watt batteries. This thing is awesome. Now I have a pretty big lawn, as you can see, and this mower can actually mow this entire thing plus the backyard that I haven't even shown you, all on a single 2-battery charge. So I just mow and then put those two batteries on the charging station, and then I'm ready to mow the next time. And the other thing that's really nice about this is that these electric yard tools, they don't overheat because they're powered by electricity and not gasoline. I don't have to worry about shutting it off if I need to pick up something in the yard or move it to another place. When I had the old gasoline mowers, I was always worried that if I shut it off, it might not restart. And when I get done mowing, I don't smell like a gas station. But here's what's super cool about this battery set. Not only does it power the mower, but check this out, I also have a string trimmer, a handheld snow shovel, and a blower, all three of which run on these same batteries. So basically, by having the lawn mower with these two batteries and the charger, I can then accessorize to get these other tools, and they run on the same battery pack. I've been able to basically electrify nearly all of my yard activities. And check out this little job— that is the 300-watt power station. And if you check this thing out, it also uses this battery. And we take this thing when we go camping because look, it's got attachments for a regular 3-prong plug-in and 2 USB ports. And once again, it also runs on the battery pack. And of course, don't forget about just good old-fashioned human body effort. And of course, that could only help the environment, especially if I can get my local utility to completely convert to renewable energy resources.