Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, Massachusetts, has become the first cemetery in the United States to earn AGZA Green Zone® Certification, marking a shift in how it manages maintenance with reduced environmental impact.

The cemetery, working with workforce training and certification organization the American Green Zone Alliance (AGZA) and non-profit Quiet Communities, has transitioned its routine landscaping from gas-powered equipment to battery electric alternatives. The Level 1 certification means routine maintenance is now performed without gas-powered handheld tools, including leaf blowers, string trimmers, hedge trimmers, edgers and chainsaws. Higher certification levels involve phasing out larger equipment like mowers and integrating broader sustainable practices. Mount Auburn plans to continue advancing toward those levels.

AGZA and Quiet Communities estimate the transition will eliminate approximately 16 tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually, equivalent to the carbon absorbed by more than 660 mature trees. Other estimated impacts include eliminating 8,981 pounds (4.5 tons) of toxic and carcinogenic emissions each year, substantial noise reductions with electric equipment that is two to four times quieter than gas alternatives, and a decrease of 361 gallons of fuel spilling into soil and groundwater annually.

“Mount Auburn Cemetery is demonstrating what the future of landscape care can look like,” says Dan Mabe, president of AGZA. “By transitioning from gas-powered equipment to cleaner electric tools, Mount Auburn is protecting the health of its staff, visitors and neighbors while significantly reducing emissions and noise pollution. We hope this milestone inspires other cemeteries, parks and institutions across the country to take similar steps.”

The cemetery will mark the achievement with a ceremony on May 28.

AGZA Green Zone Certification was established by landscape maintenance industry professionals. It is now one of the fastest-growing sustainability certifications in North America, with projects in the initial stages in Canada and Mexico.