How Now Green Cow - Simple Solutions for Our Green Waste Issues
Posted Feb 19 2009 5:32pm
Guest blogger Daniel Shellenberg writes the awesome farmer-goes-green blog known as "AGroGuru" - a great blog focusing on how greening impacts the agriculture community. Today he is my guest blogger and brings interesting insight into how we might find a surprisingly simple solution for green waste.Read on -
I had the wonderful experience of working with the Green Team during a winter solstice celebration in Lake Wales, Florida. The yoga camp, organized by 3HO, serves three vegetarian meals a day for about 500 people over the course of one week. As you might imagine, the camp produces its fair share of green waste. In search of a quick and efficient solution, we turned to local rancher, Bob Massie for help. He was happy to take about 9000 pounds worth of what he called “wet feed” off our hands.
Why do I think feeding green waste to cows is a novel idea? Well, we have a solution to dealing with green waste without added effort or cost. One alternative is composting and using it as a soil amendment. Composting is great, but it requires time to break down and a committed operation to get it done right. Another alternative is further packing green waste into landfills and harvesting the methane gas as an energy source. This is innovative idea, but methane capture from landfills requires a significant investment for what appears to be a low return.
The truth is feeding green waste to cows is a simple solution that uses existing resources. In many countries, feeding green waste to cows is common practice and I feel it has potential for three main reasons. First, infrastructure for green waste collection in many communities already exists. Second, animal feed prices have skyrocketed and farms may find green waste to be a cheaper alternative. And finally, farms are highly-efficient operations that operate independently.
It’s time to take home the message that agriculture is an integral part to helping with society’s challenges. I encourage you to reach out to a local farm and see what resources you can offer. Who knows? Maybe you go home with fresh produce and a sense of service.
Guest blogger Daniel Shellenberg writes the awesome farmer-goes-green blog known as "AGroGuru" - a great blog focusing on how greening
impacts the agriculture community. Today he is my guest blogger and brings interesting insight into how we might find a surprisingly simple solution for green waste.Read on -
I had the wonderful experience of working with the Green Team during a winter solstice celebration in Lake Wales, Florida. The yoga camp, organized by 3HO, serves three vegetarian meals a day for about 500 people over the course of one week. As you might imagine, the camp produces its fair share of green waste. In search of a quick and efficient solution, we turned to local rancher, Bob Massie for help. He was happy to take about 9000 pounds worth of what he called “wet feed” off our hands.
Why do I think feeding green waste to cows is a novel idea? Well, we have a solution to dealing with green waste without added effort or cost. One alternative is composting and using it as a soil amendment. Composting is great, but it requires time to break down and a committed operation to get it done right. Another alternative is further packing green waste into landfills and harvesting the methane gas as an energy source. This is innovative idea, but methane capture from landfills requires a significant investment for what appears to be a low return.
The truth is feeding green waste to cows is a simple solution that uses existing resources. In many countries, feeding green waste to cows is common practice and I feel it has potential for three main reasons. First, infrastructure for green waste collection in many communities already exists. Second, animal feed prices have skyrocketed and farms may find green waste to be a cheaper alternative. And finally, farms are highly-efficient operations that operate independently.
It’s time to take home the message that agriculture is an integral part to helping with society’s challenges. I encourage you to reach out to a local farm and see what resources you can offer. Who knows? Maybe you go home with fresh produce and a sense of service.
Shawna Coronado says Get Healthy! Get Green! Get Community! www.thecasualgardener.com or The Blogs - www.gardeningnude.com or http://thecasualgardener.blogspot.com