More good news on the renewable energy front. Here's the poop:

BRIDPORT, Vt. - The cows at the Audet family's Blue Spruce Farm make nearly 9,000 gallons of milk a day — and about 35,000 gallons of manure.

Turns out that manure can be converted into enough methane to heat 300-400 Vermont homes. And by-products include a soft dry material that can serve as cow bedding. Which is fine, because the rule is don't crap where you EAT. I've never heard anyone say don't sleep where you crap, especially not to a cow.

The article doesn't mention emissions, and I don't know offhand what kinds of emissions are produced from burning methane. But I do know that cow manure left to ripen naturally on the vine (or rather, in the field) adds to the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Methane doesn't get the same press that CO2 does, but it's a greenhous gas. Apparently, there is a case to be made that burning cow-pie methane actually helps clean up the environment.

All this while producing renewable energy that didn't require burning any fossil fuels. Plus the Audet family is making lots more money from their dairy farm now that they've added the brown product line to the traditional white.

Now that ain't just pie in the sky, folks.