Featured in “Leveling the playing field,” Montreal-based Strathmore Landscape added two zero-emission teams to its maintenance division in 2011 to satisfy more environmentally conscious customers looking to become LEED certified.

The two-man crews drive electric trucks equipped with all nongas handheld products and electric mowers.

“We’re in Canada, so the environmental push is a bit stronger than in the states,” Vice President Jessica Milligan said. “The first year we decided we would launch these zero-emission teams, we were prepared to take a bit of hit with them because we thought they would be less efficient.”

The firm, however, experienced a pleasant surprise: The zero-emission teams have proven to be 20 percent more efficient than other crews.

Milligan credits that in part to the fact that the smaller vehicles can maneuver into tighter spaces, making it easier to drive right up to a job site.

Video: Strathmore Landscape