New Robotic Lawnmower Welcomed To Greenwich Town Hall

GREENWICH, CT — Greenwich officially welcomed its newest employee to town on Wednesday with a special ribbon-cutting ceremony outside of Town Hall.

But instead of joining in on the festivities, the new employee, aptly named Farmer Joe, was hard at work mowing the front lawn.

The new eco-friendly, battery-powered, rechargeable mower is part of Greenwich's overall strategy to become more sustainable and environmentally friendly.

The mower doesn't produce any direct emissions like traditional gas-powered small engines, and is extremely quiet. It allows fine clippings to blanket the ground to conserve moisture, build soil and feed microbial communities.

Several environmental advocates and town officials spoke during Wednesday's ceremony about the mower and Greenwich's efforts on the environmental front. The event was led by environmentalist for the town's conservation commission, Aleksandra Moch.

Speakers were from the Greenwich Tree Conservancy, Conservation Commission, Sustainability Committee, and Quiet Yards Greenwich, a group that has been outspoken about the use of gas powered leaf blowers in residential neighborhoods.

Erik Horn came to the United States from Europe and wanted to bring the lawn care practices he saw overseas to Greenwich where he now lives.

Horn helped facilitate Greenwich's purchase of the fully autonomous Husqvarna Group electric robotic lawnmower from Greenow. The mower, which is meant for commercial-type properties, cost $3,200. Smaller residential mowers go for closer to $1,800.

"Today, there's no question who has the coolest landscaper in town," Horn said with a laugh.

"This machine is outperforming human beings in really everything when it comes to mowing practices. Farmer Joe offers reliability, no complaints when it rains, he offers flexibility, and you can really schedule him to mow at any time during the day," Horn said, noting that the robotic mower will dramatically reduce work-related injuries.

"I'm very excited to see the town of Greenwich is moving toward a greener and smarter technology," he added.

Farmer Joe has a GPS installed on it, so it can be tracked if taken, Horn said.

Dr. Gregory Kramer, tree warden and director of parks and trees for Greenwich, said the town is moving towards implementing electric equipment in the coming year.

"The prices of electric have come down where they're not that much more than gas on a first buy," he said. "Certainly the maintenance factor is much less."

First Selectman Fred Camillo said Town Hall was the perfect venue for Farmer Joe to work at. He said passersby have stopped in recent weeks to see what Farmer Joe is up to.

"We really want to send a message to people that you can do this at home. It's quiet, it certainly gets the job done," Camillo said. "This is the future... I'm excited."

Myra Klockenbrink of the Sustainability Committee mentioned Greenwich's recent approval of a climate change resolution, which calls for town officials to create a climate action plan by the end of next year.

"The town of Greenwich now has stepped onto the path of a coordinated response to climate change," she said. "Not only can Greenwich be prepared, it can lead the region and be a model for what is possible when we plan and work together."

Selectperson Janet Stone McGuigan also spoke briefly and expressed excitement for Town Hall's newest employee.

"I think it's fair to say we're enamored with Farmer Joe," she said. "We love his work ethic."