I was privileged to attend Husqvarna's fourth edition of their Silent City conferences in Hamburg this week.
Billed as "an ongoing project about the future of sustainable landscaping", this week's event continued the discussion which the previous ones in Antwerp, Stockholm and Edinburgh had raised - namely how can the maintenance of parks and open green spaces be maintained in greener, healthier and more ecologically sound ways in the future.
In Hamburg this week particular emphasis was placed on the value of trees in an urban environment and on the effects of noise from green space management.
The agenda was set by Sascha Menges, president of Husqvarna division, who said the company was "solidifying our commitment to the environment, but also to health." He said this wasn't just an intent, but rather this commitment has been "validated and calibrated" with external agencies, with very specific carbon reduction targets set by the manufacturer.
Sascha explained that for Husqvarna the most significant impact they as a company have in terms of both carbon footprint and noise emissions, is not through the manufacturing process or component delivery, it's through customer use of their machines. In order to mitigate this, the company are continually working on technological solutions.
"Robotics and automated systems are a fantastic opportunity to reduce emissions and become environmentally friendly, but also healthy," said Sascha. "Also battery products, an emission-free solution, are much better from a noise perspective but also from a carbon footprint perspective. Digital solutions can also reduce the carbon footprint of the products in use."
Sascha concluded that the message had to be strongly conveyed and shared that there can be much smarter ways we think about green maintenance.
An unhealthy noise
One of the great aspects of the Silent City conferences is that the audiences there, who are predominately made up of custodians of green spaces from across Europe and the wider world, are not simply sold to for the duration. Thought provoking expert speakers are invited to give their take on how they believe the future of professional landscaping in public places should be shaped. Hence this time around we heard from representatives from the WWF, from an organisation who quantify the value of trees called Treeconomics, from a landscape architect, and academics.
One speaker who provided quite a powerful message and one which for me, summed up what the entire conference was about, was Dr Jamie Banks from a non-profit organisation based in the U.S called Quiet Communities. Dr Banks explained that the organisation she represented has as their mission to "transition landscape maintenance to low noise, zero emissions practices with positive solutions to protect the health of workers, children, the public and the environment."
A fact which she discussed, which frankly I had no idea about, is that quite simply "noise makes you sick."
Rather than just hearing loss, prolonged exposure to noise from say, a petrol powered leaf blower, can lead to various health problems, most significantly cardiovascular disease. This article from Time magazine from February this year explains how "noise disrupts the body on the cellular level. Specifically, researchers say, it induces stress responses and activates the sympathetic “fight or flight” nervous system. This causes a spike in stress hormones, which can eventually lead to vascular damage."
Dr Banks believed that so far, in the U.S at least, legislation against noise levels from outdoor powered equipment had been largely ineffectual - mostly because the rules are not enforced stringently enough and are therefore widely flouted. She argued that with technological developments in battery-powered machines manufacturers were in a wonderful position with a real opportunity to actually improve the health of users.
With this in mind, the conference allowed Husqvarna the opportunity to launch several new products which have at the forefront of their development, this desire to keep noise and emissions at a minimum.
Quiet launches
Launched with an impressive practical demonstration of its abilities was a new all-wheel drive robotic mower, the Automower® 535 AWD. The unit is designed for professional use and manages 70% inclines and rough terrain, with zero direct emissions. It operates at 62 dB and manages lawn sizes of up to 3,500 square meters. The machine is also equipped with a remote object detection feature, Ultrasonic, which means it reduces its speed as soon as it senses a nearby object. Wheel brushes and a rubber bumper have also been added to the body.
Conference delegates were bussed out Baaken Hafen Park in Hamburg to watch the new machine at work on a very steep man-made grassed slope. The unit's all-wheel drive system and articulated steering coped with the conditions admirably.
Sascha Menges described the mower as "a game changer for professional lawn care." He said it enabled landscaping teams to work safer and smarter, whilst contributing to city health by reducing noise and carbon emission to minimum levels. The unit will be available in spring 2019.
Also demo-ed in the park was a new backpack battery blower, the 550iBTX. Described by the company as one of the first professional battery backpack blowers in the industry, it has close to zero vibrations due to an embedded fan system.
Pierre Lanquist, product manager electric at Husqvarna, said, "The performance of the 550iBTX is comparable to a 50cc petrol blower, but with benefits such as lower emissions, vibrations and sound levels. Compared to a petrol blower, it also reduces operational costs.”
Also previewed in Hamburg was a new Carbon Footprint Calculator addition to Fleet Services, the company's data-driven software system. Via machine sensors or built-in connectivity, the new calculator works out the carbon footprint from a landscaper's entire machinery fleet and gives them the tools to analyse trends over time and identify improvement areas. The carbon footprint is broken down into application area, product category, engine type and location.
“The new feature is developed for municipalities as well as landscaping teams, as the Carbon Footprint Calculator can help commercial users identify possibilities to further cut carbon emissions,”, said Jonas Willaredt, the company's sustainability director.
Finally, a vision of the future was presented with the delegates getting to see Husqvarna's design concept known as ZERO. Described as an "autonomous and sustainable green space solution", the concept combines robotic mowers with solar power, artificial intelligence, induction charging, virtual boundaries, and multiple sensors.
The idea of the system is that during the daytime, the solar-powered charging hub generates electricity from sunshine through photovoltaic cells. When low on energy, the robotic mowers automatically return to the charging hub, where they can be sealed in by sliding doors and recharged via induction charging plates. The LED light tubes on top of the solar hub provide by-passers with information about energy levels as well as creating an atmospheric glow during the night.
Rajinder Mehra, design director, at Husqvarna brand said, “To reduce cities’ carbon footprint, we have to explore new and untested ideas. Design concepts like Husqvarna concept ZERO, is a great catalyst that energises us to develop new people and planet friendly solutions."
Silent City proved once again to be an incredibly thought-provoking and fascinating two days for all who attended. Husqvarna should be applauded for organising a conference which is so much more than simply a vehicle to sell machinery. With their programme of speakers they have genuine intent to ignite a dialogue regarding how the future of green space management will need to evolve.
I'm sure the decision-makers who were in attendance, who have responsibility for the upkeep of our parks, will have left with some serious food-for-thought running through their minds - which will most likely influence their machinery purchasing decisions in the years to come.
