Technology Works to Help the Environment

Dairy farms in Vermont try to help out the environment as well as their pockets by using the methane gas produced by the cow’s manure to generate electricity that is then used to help power the farm. Methane gas is one of the leading contributors to the greenhouse effect that has taken hold of our planet and the various climate changes that have taken place over recent years. Westminster Farms Inc. and Green Mountain Power (GMP) are the corporations that actually convert the gas into electricity, and they do this with an anaerobic digester which heats and breaks down the cattle feces, allowing the methane to be released all at once; the gas is then used to generate the electricity . But manure doesn’t just pollute the air, it also creates runoff which pollutes local water supplies. So some farms have taken the green idea a step further. Some farmers have taken the liquid runoff and used it as fertilizer to help grow and produce crops. As for the solid leftover material, farmers have transformed into and used it as cattle bedding, which actually saves the farm about $80,000 each year on bedding which is normally sawdust.

Personally I think these innovations are a great way for the farming communities to help the environment and make use of an otherwise useless substance. Especially with the current economy, low-paying jobs that our country depends on, like farming, need to find ways to keep themselves up-and-running.

-Cullen Lawlor