At Google’s Mountain View headquarters, there are a few large grassy fields that need mowing on occasion – as large grassy field often do, in order to clear pesky weeds and reduce fire hazards (common is this area of California). This spring the forward thinkers at Google have decided to take a low-carbon approach to their lawn care.
Instead of using growling lawnmowers that run on gasoline and make a ton of annoying noise, they’ve rented some goats from California Grazing to do the job. A herder brings in about 200 goats and they spend about a week at Google green patches, eating the grass and fertilizing at the same time. The goats are herded with the help of Jen, a border collie. For the size of the area, this works out to be pretty much the same cost as regular mowing and landscaping fees.
May 3rd, 2009 at 7:42 pm
That’s pretty funny, I can see Google doing something like that, any word as to how much they get paid? LOL
May 28th, 2009 at 11:11 am
I guess they get paid in food, LOL.
May 17th, 2010 at 6:04 am
This says a lot about the practical thinking of management at Google. Just think of the number of applications this technique could have across the country at similar large corporation holdings.
June 22nd, 2010 at 3:50 am
On the Google Hires Goats to Mow The Lawn | Sustainability Ninja subject, Back in the old days only the extremely wealthy could afford to pay teams of scythe-wielding labourers to hold their pristine lawns in check (or get sheep to perform the job, and put up with with droppings among the toes). A farmer’s son and textile mill labourer known as Edwin Budding changed that in 1830, when, inspired by rotary machines utilized to trim velvet, he joined forces with the businessman John Ferrabee to produce a self-powered cylinder mower nearly identical to those still still being used in our day and age.
September 7th, 2010 at 9:56 am
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE….google…thank you! Robomower…those types of reel mowers are also in the barn…the peace is disturbed by the power mowers…I use electric right now, but the noise is not what I like…my goats are my best choice…and a scythe.
With chemical sensitivites, the power mowers on the property are not an option anymore. and while goat pellets do get in the lawn…it is great fertilizer and I am happy to report that chickenes take care of alot of the remaining manure:)
September 26th, 2010 at 2:34 pm
Where I live, we need some Heidi-types, as my Tennessee sister calls them, to herd a bunch of goats and eat-up the county’s kudzu. We could become one of the goat-cheese centers around here.