Susquehanna is welcoming around 20 new sheep to campus to act as lawn mowers for the 14 acres that the solar arrays occupy. The goal is to have the sheep eat the grass, thus cutting back on carbon emissions that would come with using lawn mowers. A 2001 Swedish study found that one hour of lawn mower usage is equivalent to 100 miles of auto-pollution, according to Science Daily. Sustainability Coordinator Derek Martin said it would take hours to mow the entire acreage which would need to be done multiple times a season.
Martin noted that while using sheep as lawn mowers is not a widespread practice, many people use other barnyard animals. Martin said he brought the idea up to the school, having seen other universities implement the practice.
“It’s a great way to show how we can do things, we can accomplish things in non-traditional ways that are better for the environment. And I think it’s our job as a university to show off those ways. So, we can show that you don’t have to use the lawn mowers to mow a lawn,you don’t have to use fossil fuels to make electricity you do can these things in different ways to still have decent outcomes but have less of an impact,” Martin said.
The sheep are meant to stay at Susquehanna between April and October and will go back to Owens Farms in Sunbury the rest of the year. Sheep herder Caroline Owens, from Owens Farm, said that there are about 27 sheep on campus now but the amount might fluctuate based on the sheep’s productivity. Owens will check in on the sheep weekly.
Sophomore Stephanie Clouser will act as a student sheep herder and will check in on the sheep every day to make sure they are all there and are healthy. Clouser noted that if students wanted to go see the sheep in action at the solar array they should not try and scare the sheep and should be aware that they are scared of strangers.
A sheep meet and greet was held on Degenstein Lawn on April 25 presenting the three sheep shown above, Smoky, Fuzzy and Petunia.
