Win For Environment As 'Green Zone' Is Created In East Quogue Park

EAST QUOGUE, NY — Green was the color of the day this week, as Southampton Town Councilwoman Christine Scalera, along with other local officials, residents and environmentalists, took major strides to create a environmentally green corner of the world in East Quogue.

On Wednesday, Scalera and others dedicated the first AGZA Green Zone® Park, not only in the Town of Southampton, but in the eastern United States, at the East Quogue Village Green.

The project, spearheaded by Scalera in partnership with the non-profit organization Quiet Communities and the American Green Zone Alliance, or AGZA, will bring electric-powered maintenance equipment to the park.

The goal is to use the new equipment instead of, for example, gas-powered leaf blowers, to reduce levels of noise and eliminate emissions at the park including ozone-forming chemicals, fine particulates, and carbon dioxide, a release from the town said.

“Establishing a Green Zone at the East Quogue Village Green is a starting point to test innovative equipment and techniques that would improve the quality of life for residents in terms of noise and air quality, which is consistent with the action goals of the town's sustainability plan,” Scalera said, adding that it's her goal to continue to establish similar Green Zones on other town-owned land.

A certified AGZA Green Zone is a defined area of land, such as a park, hospital, or school campus, where routine maintenance is performed with zero emissions, low noise equipment, and manual tools, town officials said.

AGZA is the global leader in sustainable zero-emission grounds maintenance strategies; Quiet Communities is the eastern licensee for AGZA’s Green Zone program and informs municipalities, businesses and schools on risks associated with the use of industrial equipment, and what alternatives could be used in their place, town officials said.

Southampton Town's Parks and Recreation Department participated in a demo last year with Mean Green Products to test out their electric powered equipment, including full sized lawn mowers.

The town has since purchased a fleet of state-of-the-art electric battery equipment that will allow it to achieve the same aesthetic in a healthier, more sustainable manner.

"It's amazing how such a large mower can be so quiet," said Jon Erwin, Southampton Town’s parks maintenance supervisor; a 60” deck mower is about 15 to 20 decibels quieter than a comparable gas engine product, Mean Green said.

“Parks maintenance staff members use power equipment on a daily basis and after testing the electric products, and getting a better sense of how they function and perform, they’re very enthusiastic about their implementation,” added Kristen Doulos, Southampton Town parks director.

Patch file photo by Lisa Finn.