Biz (2599)

Google hires a goat herd

Gardening unions likely to be outraged

4 May 2009 14:30 GMT / By Stuart Miles

Attempting to push its "green" credentials and no doubt cut costs at the same time, Google has taken to hiring goats instead of people.

That's right - in what is likely to spur outcry from gardening unions everywhere, the company has chosen a herd of 200 goats from the California Grazing company to do the work normally done by "noisy mowers that run on gasoline and pollute the air".

According to Google "A herder brings about 200 goats and they spend roughly a week with us at Google, eating the grass and fertilizing at the same time. The goats are herded with the help of Jen, a border collie".

Before going on to justify the move to the stockholders by saying that "It costs us about the same as mowing, and goats are a lot cuter to watch than lawn mowers".

Unfortunately they aren't "kidding".

Full tags

Biz, Google, Eco