Every week, over 50 million Americans fight back against overgrown lawns, using over 800 million gallons of gas annually while pushing those lawn mowers in the sun. Though the noise of a lawn mower on a summer afternoon is one of the classic sounds of summer, the lack of government regulations on older model mowers’ emissions mean that that iconic noise is also the sound of more air pollution than you’d think. Though new EPA regulations are attempting to reform the worst of the pollutant models, using a typical 3.5 horsepower can emit the same amount of smog-producing emissions as a new car driven for 340 miles! A couple of Portland entrepreneurs have created a business model that provides a truly sustainable alternative to that scary fact: Next time your lawn looks a bit wild, call Goat Rental NW, and a scrappy team of goats will show up to tame invasive species and overgrown grass, showing that goatpower can go up against horsepower while protecting the environment.
Goat Rental NW started out as a small resource for residential property owners, but the demand for such a creative, earth-friendly alternative to conventional landscaping is growing quicker than the weeds in your neighbor’s yard. Even businesses like Google and Yahoo are renting goats to manage the overgrowth on their Northern California properties! It’s a win/win solution: hungry goats are always happy to chew away at blackberry brambles and other invasive species, and homeowners can feel “greener” while their lawns stay green and clean.
For a minimum of$300 per day, a huge, 3,200 –square-foot plot of land strangled by blackberries can be cleaned up by the “goat brigade” in as little as two days. With skilled management, goats can clear large swatches of land while protecting desirable plants, unlike clear-cutting with an earth mover or a heavy-handed weed whacker.
It’s not cheap, but as demand increases, who knows? We might be seeing goats out in a lot of Portland neighborhoods. It’d be an elegant way to take care of those overgrown yards in front of foreclosed homes; wouldn’t it be hilarious to walk up to a “For Sale” sign with a few goats roaming in the yard, making sure everything stays tidy? Goat Rental NW is comprised of a large herd of over 70 goats, and its likely going to keep growing. A lot of the herd is comprised of unwanted goats, so there’s a tale of compassion and love behind the practicality of a creative small business.
Not ready for a goat brigade in your yard? Using a push mower instead of a gas-powered model cuts down on both noise pollution and smog, reducing the amount of carbon dioxide in the air by 80 pounds a year, even if they aren’t as picturesque as farm animals grazing in your backyard.
Contact the McDonald Group realtors to find out about homes for sale in Portland, and find your own plot of land perfect for a bit of goatpower taming.
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