School District to Save $15,000 a Year with Lawn Mowing Sheep

Photo: Fotos_von_Carlos / CC

By Elizabeth Gibson
The Patriot-News

Sheep are taking over some of Carlisle Area School District (Pennsylvania) groundskeeping chores. They are saving the district up to $15,000 a year and cutting local air pollution.

Instead of workers spending six hours a week mowing and trimming near solar panels, sheep have moved in for the summer. They nibble grass and weeds each morning and laze under panels during hot afternoons.

[In April, the school won the 2011 Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence for its 1 MW AC solar field, sharing the honor with 12 other recipients. The Governor’s Awards for Environmental Excellence are presented each year by the Department of Environmental Protection to highlight the best in environmental innovation and expertise throughout the Commonwealth. The awards are the highest statewide honor bestowed upon businesses and organizations for environmental performance and innovation from cleaning up watersheds, saving energy, and eliminating pollution, to reducing waste and more. ~North Central PA.com]

“Right now, we’re testing how many sheep the solar area can maintain. … It looks like the grass is still growing, so I’m going to have to bring in more,” said Eric Sands, the animals’ owner.

Carlisle wasn’t aware of other districts putting grazing animals to work. But it might catch on.

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