Photo by Arthur Rosa

If you think you’re saving the environment by mowing your lawn with an electric mower then think again, because Google’s found a way to be even more eco-friendly. Google’s newest landscapers don’t have any new tricks or fancy equipment to reduce their carbon footprint either unless you count a healthy appetite for flora. Instead of the usual landscapers, the search giant has instead opted to rent goats to maintain the lawn at their Mountain View headquarters. To rent the goats, Google turn turned to the company California Grazing, who rents herds of goats and sheep that are more than happy to just graze all day. Not only does employing goats and sheep to graze on your property reduce the emission that would be otherwise produced by using gas mowers, the herds also help restore plant species and fertilize the land at the same time. Additionally, the goats are also quite fond of “hot fuel” plants or plants that easily lead to brush fires and other pest plants like Star Thistle and Poison Oak. Along with goats and sheep California Grazing also rents trained USBCHA champion Border Collies to help with shepherding your new landscapers. The last time Google rented a herd, about 200 goats, they grazed on the large Mountain View campus for about a week and were managed by only one herder and a Border Collie named Jen. One of the best things about California Grazing is that their herds are available to rent at any time of the year as well. California Grazing claims that if you have a large plot of land that renting a herd from them will cost you about the same amount as moving it and Google seems to agree. Renting a herd might not save you much money but saving the environment sure doesn’t hurt anything either.

via Google Blog

Find out about renting a herd of goats or sheep at California Grazing here