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Cow Power

Recycling has gained new meaning at a fistful of dairy farms in California, where farmers have learned how to turn cow patties into a potent power source that also reduces greenhouse gas emissions.

Methane digestion – a 20-year-old technology gaining popularity due to a push to reduce global warming – is helping farmers collect cow dung and turn it into enough electricity to run an entire farm. The process saves farmers up to $6,000 per month in utility bills, reduces methane gas emissions (that occur naturally from the bacteria that breaks down cow manure), cuts water pollutants and reduces carbon dioxide emissions by reducing the need for power produced by burning coal.

The technology is far more popular in some European countries, such as Germany, where more than 1,000 dairy farms are run on methane digesters. It’s also catching on in the United Kingdom, but has been slow to take root in the United States because of resistance from the utility industry.

Cows produce roughly 120 pounds of dung per day, which contributes to water pollution, and up to 200 liters per day of methane gas, which contributes to global warming. Farms run by methane digesters can cut 80-99 percent of organic pollutants from their wastewater along with several tons of greenhouse gas emissions.

California legislators created a $10 million pool of matching funds in 2001 to encourage greater use of this technology. If cow power catches on, it could help American farmers save money, clean up their local environment and slow global warming at the same time.

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To learn what you can do to help slow global warming, please visit www.fightglobalwarming.com.

To read more about this and other environmental health issues, go to: www.environmentalhealthnews.org, www.ourstolenfuture.org, or www.healthandenvironment.org