Once the grass gets its final cut and the leaves are handled, it’s time to swap out the lawn mower, blower and trimmer for the snow thrower, generator and chainsaw. The Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OkPEI) said handling equipment this fall sets the stage for when the weather turns colder. 

“A little prep now means less stress—and fewer repair bills—later,” explained 
Kris Kiser, president and CEO of OPEI, an international trade association representing manufacturers and suppliers of outdoor power equipment, small engines, battery power systems, portable generators, utility and personal transport vehicles and golf cars.

Here are OPEI’s eight quick tips for getting ready for fall equipment storage and winter weather:

1. Follow the manual. Review the manufacturer’s guide and follow all safety steps—especially how to shut down equipment quickly. Never disable or remove safety features.
2. Service before storage. Do all maintenance as directed by the owner’s manual. Clean, change oil, swap filters and handle any repairs before parking summer gear. Give winter equipment a once-over, too. 
3. Manage fuel smartly. Be sure to run tanks empty before storage. For winter equipment, use fresh fuel (most engines run on no more than 10% ethanol), add stabilizer according to manufacturer’s guidelines, and use fuel within 30 days.
4. Charge and store batteries correctly. Fully charge batteries, keep them away from metal, and store in a climate-controlled space.
5. Keep gear sheltered. Store summer equipment where it’s clean and dry. Keep winter gear handy but out of the weather.
6. Clear the way. Make space in the garage or shed now. Remove yard debris, toys and other hazards from the yard before tree leaf piles or snow hide them.
7. Be generator-ready. Stock heavy-duty, outdoor-rated cords long enough to run your generator at a safe distance from the house. Never operate generators indoors or near openings.
8. Keep what’s most important inside. When operating any outdoor power equipment, make sure children and are indoors and supervised. 

For more on safety, visit OPEI.org.

The Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), creators of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building rating system, and Inspired Air Fund, a program of Renaissance Philanthropy dedicated to making healthy air standard in every classroom, launched the Classroom Clean Air Alliance.

Children spend roughly 1,000 hours per year in school buildings, and a strong relationship exists between indoor air quality and health and academic outcomes. Air cleaners serve two important purposes. First, in schools that need major HVAC upgrades—an estimated 36,000 schools nationwide—portable units offer an affordable way to improve classroom air quality without waiting years for HVAC upgrades. And second, even where ventilation works well, in-room filtration adds clean air capacity that central mechanical systems can’t easily deliver, helping reduce exposure to pollutants and respiratory infections. 

The new alliance translates school experience and feedback into useful market guidance and calls on manufacturers to develop a new generation of classroom air cleaners that are effective, affordable, quiet, durable and practical to maintain.

Since deploying in-room air cleaners during the COVID-19 pandemic and recent wildfires, school districts have found that day-to-day use is hard to sustain when devices are too loud, too bulky, too expensive to maintain and too easy to switch off or neglect. The alliance is urging manufacturers to make their use simpler for schools and districts. 

“Schools have learned a tremendous amount from deploying in-room air cleaners at unprecedented scale during and after the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Anisa Heming, director, Center for Green Schools. “Now, we have an opportunity to turn those lessons into a clear picture of what schools actually need—and invite manufacturers to work toward products that are effective at delivering clean air in classrooms day after day.” 

To capture the needs and experiences of schools and the experts who serve them, the alliance convened listening sessions with 26 participants that included district facilities and operations leaders and educators who collectively serve more than 1.2 million students, along with indoor air quality researchers, practitioners and others involved in deploying and maintaining classroom air cleaners. 

“Schools have learned firsthand what it takes for air cleaners to work in real classrooms—not just in a lab,” said David Carel, Inspired Air Fund director. “The Classroom Clean Air Alliance turns those lessons into a clear signal to the market. By giving schools a stronger collective voice and inviting manufacturers into the conversation, we can accelerate products that deliver effective clean air while being affordable, easy to maintain and simple enough to keep running every day.” 

The input of focus group participants helped shape a new Classroom Air Purifier Target Product Profile (TPP) for in-room mechanical filtration devices, addressing clean-air delivery, noise, filtration, maintenance, energy efficiency, durability, safety, cost, placement and device management. Among the group’s recommendations for in-room air filter units: 

• Devices should have at least one setting that delivers sufficiently clean air without disrupting teaching and learning. 
• Devices should operate by default, with the ability to centrally raise output under certain conditions while enabling teachers or staff to make adjustments manually as needed. 
• Filter changes should take minimal time, and status indicators should report the actual condition of the filter rather than a timer counting down. 
• Long-term, in-room air cleaning technology should be installed off the ground and on the walls or ceilings away from students to prevent unplugging. 

The development of the TPP combines school-based experience with published research, existing standards and guidance. It is an aspirational, yet achievable target; it is not intended to be a certification or a description of what every product must achieve today.

The Alliance has provided resources for schools and districts to learn more about the importance of indoor air quality, including the Clean Air for Classrooms White Paper and Executive Summary, the Classroom Air Purifier Target Product Profile and the TPP Backgrounder. It invites schools and districts to join the Classroom Clean Air Call-to-Action, to express support for advancing better classroom air-cleaning solutions. Schools, nonprofits and other organizations are invited to visit the Classroom Clean Air Alliance page.