The Beaufort Gazette reports on a shift in several coastal communities in South Carolina away from two-stroke gas-powered lawn equipment, and toward quieter and cleaner battery-powered machinery. Sample:

One of the area’s largest landscaping contractors thinks it can make those interruptions a little less grating. The Greenery is introducing battery-powered equipment in places like Beaufort’s Henry. C. Chambers Waterfront Park, Sun City in Okatie and Harbour Town on Hilton Head Island.

The company has purchased battery-operated Stihl backpack blowers and hedge trimmers, though the number is still only a small fraction of the gas-powered inventory.

The new blowers maxed out at 78 decibels on an iPad decibel-meter application Friday in Waterfront Park. The gas blowers peaked at 93 decibels....

Noise exposure has been an issue for officials with the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, said Jerry Ashmore, The Greenery’s workforce and safety director. OSHA officials monitored Greenery employees in February, measuring sound levels each hour for eight hours and averaging their findings.

Federal regulators don’t want workers exposed to noise above 85 to 87 decibels for an extended time, Ashmore said, adding the Greenery was within those limits with gas blowers.

And here is a video from the site.