Several years ago while attending a business conference in San Jose, CA, we saw a herd of goats munching contentedly on the vegetation in what appeared to be a city park there. Since then we’ve learned that the city, through its Environmental Services Department, used several hundred goats and sheep to keep thistle and other unwanted weeds and invasive plants in check without the use of pesticides.
Grazing isn’t often considered for properties when battling the spread of invasive and, oftentimes, toxic weeds, but why not?
A San Francisco-based contractor, Living Systems Land Management, L.L.C., supplied the animals and apparently a shepherd, too. This is not a fly-by-night operation. It’s a well-thought-out, 7-year-old business that offers creative solutions to tough environmental problems.
We’re convinced that its this kind of thinking that will move the Green Industry to a more sustainable model. — Ron Hall
