Cow Power
September 26, 2014
“College taps the power of cow manure.” As many colleges were gearing up for a new year, I discovered this headline praising Green Mountain College in Vermont for using electricity from generators powered by methane gas extracted from cow manure. The “cow power program” increased the college’s electrical costs a bit, but provided the “environmental college” a way to model using renewable resources based on the local economy. Students can even observe the energy-generating process at local farms. Apparently this and other sustainability initiatives have effectively reduced the college’s carbon footprint, so visitors can now walk on campus without worrying about stepping in carbon patties.
Such initiatives not only bring immediate practical benefits, but they also help fire up the imaginations and consciences of students who may not have pondered the environment and methane beyond fart-lighting contests in their dorms. “Cow power” can also bring a bit of gender equity to campuses that have for years used only b.s.
Actually, firing up students’ imaginations and consciences is what good colleges and universities do. Of course, they’ll teach students to read and write, to think and solve problems, and to develop other useful skills. But they want students to dream less about how to make a bundle than how to make a difference. They help students explore worlds they’ve never imagined and re-imagine the worlds they already know. They help discover the magic in methane. So cheers for the colleges with Cow Power and for the students they serve.
