The American Green Zone Alliance (AGZA) kicked off 2026 with an AGZA town hall–style workshop for the city of Burbank, Calif.
Presenters included Michael Cacciotti, governing board chair of the South Coast Air Quality Management District; Rodney Hupalo with Burbank Water and Power; and Dan Mabe, founder of AGZA.
Cacciotti’s presentation highlighted the health and air-quality challenges impacting Southern California’s South Coast Basin, which spans four counties including Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside and Orange. He also reviewed available incentives for residents and commercial operators to replace gas-powered lawn and garden equipment with zero-emission, battery-electric alternatives. Residential incentives for trading in a gas lawn mower typically range from $150 to $400, depending on purchase price. Commercial trade-ins may qualify for hundreds — and in some cases thousands — of dollars in incentives depending on equipment type, batteries and charging systems.
Hupalo briefly educated participants, many of whom were industry operators, on the city of Burbank’s newly formed gas leaf blower ordinance, which is scheduled to take effect in one year.
AGZA’s presentation addressed the real-world operational impacts of gas versus electric equipment, including worker health, noise, exhaust and evaporative emissions, plus the solvents and chemicals often used to maintain gas fleets. The workshop also covered how to implement battery-electric operations, including charging infrastructure planning, battery banks, tool testing and cost-benefit analysis.
AGZA AFTC manufacturers — including Stihl, Husqvarna, Makita, Greenworks, Kress, TOWA and OSO — supported the event by showcasing their AGZA Field Tested Certified commercial battery-electric platforms for hands-on demonstrations and a Q&A. Equipment on display included handheld and backpack blowers, string trimmers, walk-behind and riding mowers, chainsaws, hedge trimmers, stick edgers and robotic mowers.
