In its recent report on the company's carbon footprint, Google said that it offsets its emissions with high-quality offsets. We are happy as a pig in shit about that. Which is appropriate, because here's one example of what that means: energy powered by pig poop.
The company has invested in a North Carolina project which collects the methane from the waste of 9,000 hogs. A power plant burns the methane to create power for 35 homes a year.
This isn't an energy solution that will power the entire country (too many hogs required), but it does keep the methane, a potent greenhouse gas, from filtering into the atmosphere. That's why the project generates carbon-offset credits. Props to Google for investing in offsets that actually keep greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere. And props to the pigs for the high-power pooping.
