Conservation Highlights
Slowing Climate Change through Cow Power
Dairy farmers in California have an opportunity to help combat the greatest environmental challenge we have ever faced - climate change.
Thanks in part to efforts spearheaded by Sustainable Conservation, environmentally and economically savvy manure management projects that reduce methane emissions are now eligible for funding through PG&E's ClimateSmart [www.pge.com/climatesmart] program. ClimateSmart provides a voluntary option for PG&E customers to offset their energy use by paying a separate amount on their monthly utility bills to support projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions in California.
For more than seven years, Sustainable Conservation has been working on turning cow manure into renewable energy - waste into asset. By promoting methane digesters, proven technology for converting manure into electricity, Sustainable Conservation and our partners are preventing potent greenhouse gases from reaching the atmosphere, decreasing dependence on fossil fuels and cutting air pollution. Moreover, Sustainable Conservation is demonstrating that agriculture is an important part of the climate change solution for California and beyond.
Each of California's 1.7 million cows produces more than 100 pounds of waste per day. If methane digesters were installed on all California dairies, they could trap 450,000 tons of methane a year, equivalent to taking two million cars off the road. They could also generate enough electricity to power approximately 120,000 homes - equivalent to more than a third of homes in San Francisco.
Opening the ClimateSmart portfolio up to digesters and other innovative manure management projects will curtail California's greenhouse gas emissions while supporting farmers.
> More about Sustainable Conservation's manure-to-energy efforts.
> Video about nation’s first “cow powered” vehicle.
> More about PG&E's ClimateSmart program.
News
> Watch NBC's "Today" show featuring Sustainable Conservation and cow power.
> Watch KQED's "Quest" cow power broadcast.