Friday, July 13, 2012

Google is investing in hog farms




Google is investing in hog farms. And garbage dumps.

It’s part of the company’s goal of reducing its carbon footprint.

Its investments in hog farms is to build manure-based methane digesters to produce energy, in particular electricity.

The same strategy is involved in buying garbage dumps – or landfill sites – to capture methane gas.

So far Google has invested $15 million to purchase carbon credits from these projects. It has bought about five million tons of carbon dioxide so far and is looking for more.

One example is a deal with Duke Energy, Duke University and Lloyd Ray Farms which has a 9,000-sow operation in Jadkinville, North Carolina.

 Google invested $1 million in that project.