Propane Council Announces Inaugural Green Leadership City Award

The Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation, and Open Spaces Department became the first recipient of the Propane Education & Research Council’s (PERC) inaugural Green Leadership City Award in November 2017. As part of the award designation, PERC donated $5000 to the Parks Foundation of Miami-Dade County. The donation was presented at an event at Southridge Park.

“The Green Leadership City Award aims to highlight public agencies that demonstrate a commitment to environmentally friendly and sustainable practices, and the parks department at Miami-Dade is a model agency for others to follow,” said Tucker Perkins, PERC president and CEO. “For nearly 10 years, the Miami-Dade parks department has maintained the community’s green spaces with propane mowers, which reduce emissions and greenhouse gases that can be harmful for the public. They should be commended for that effort.”

“Using propane mowers has allowed our department to set a new standard of environmental stewardship for our community,” said Miami-Dade parks director Maria I. Nardi. “The financial benefits we’ve enjoyed because of lower fuel costs and an increase in crew productivity while operating with propane is just icing on the cake.”

By presenting the Green Leadership City Awards, PERC intends that more municipalities, counties, and public agencies will become aware of the benefits of switching to propane-fueled mowing equipment, among them reduced greenhouse gas, nitrogen oxide, and sulfur oxide emissions; increased productivity; and lower fuel costs.

Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation, and Open Spaces began using propane mowers in 2008 and runs 95% of its fleet on the alternative fuel. The mowers are used on parks and sports fields and at residential communities in the county’s special tax districts. The department also contracts with Port Miami and the Miami Police Department to provide landscape maintenance services.