Your house powered by pooch poop? Yes, because scraping dog poop off your shoe, now that’s something most people have been frustrated with for a long time. That’s never happened with my dog, Kahlua….nooooooooooooooooooo……shhhh.

Did you see the movie “Milk”? The movie of Harvey Milk, supervisor of San Francisco who at that time passed a law forcing people to pick up the poop or get slapped with big fines. Apparently, residents of San Francisco still strictly abide by this law, as they should, with a city that has about as much green grass for dogs to dump as downtown Tokyo.

So, my home town, San Francisco takes the Hart of Green Award for Most Creative in Green… as we harness the power of methane in doggie doo so it can be used for heating homes and generating electricity. And while I’m handing out awards, the winner for coolest state in America for protecting wild Turtles..is….Florida.

We use biodegradable bags and dog-waste carts to pick up the poop in one of San Francisco’s most popular dog parks.

Waste is run through a methane digester, a tank in which bacteria break down the feces to create methane. This biofuel is then piped directly to a gas stove, heater, or anything else powered by natural gas.

What a great opportunity to turn this nuisance into something positive.

From Food Scraps to Dog Doo

I didn’t know this fact until today. Wow! Known for its green credentials, San Francisco already uses several recycling programs to divert almost two-thirds of its household garbage away from landfills. The city aims to divert all of its waste from landfills by 2020.

The poop-to-methane project is an extension of another bio-recycling program the city initiated ten years ago, when it began collecting food scraps from houses and restaurants and turning them into fertilizer for vineyards and organic farms.

Today 300 tons (272 metric tons) of food scraps are collected every day from more than 2,000 restaurants and tens of thousands of homes.

I have lots of respect for Norcal, our garbage people. They are leading the nation as we have the most forward-thinking recycling program in the United States.

Take a guess how much of all the garbage collected is animal feces? 3.8 percent here in the bay area. Most cities are under 1%.

The high percentage is not surprising considering that San Francisco is home to an estimated 120,000 dogs, far more than there are children.

San Franciscans may be responsible about cleaning up after their dogs. But most of the droppings are wrapped in plastic bags and end up in landfills, where the waste may sit for generations.

If it’s not picked up, animal waste may dissolve into the soil and flow into the groundwater.

Breaking It Down

Most anyone I talk to is jazzed about the carts that have popped up around the city near parks where we can recycle poop.

The reaction from dog owners in San Francisco has been overwhelmingly positive.

The reaction from the dogs we could reach for comment basically did what this Jack Russel likes to do.  You know, gnaws on delicious denim for a quick second, then expects a kiss. That’s why we love dogs so much. Most everything they do is so cute it’s almost unbearable, in a good way.

I called over to the garbage company, Norcal, and was curious how many people a day are asking about [the program]. Pretty cool. Nearly 20 to 30 people call in everyday and are asking how they can volunteer to make sure it’s a success

One more thing, Since starting Hart of Green, my view of who’s innovating with remarkable new green solutions has changed quite a bit. My awareness of eco-activity across the world let alone in my hometown, was fairly shallow.

New illuminations are blooming around us, with countries providing a unique contribution with diversity of green initaitives that at times have left me breath taken. Each culture, worldwide is galvanizing their green to give love to the planet and ultimately making life more efficient and balanced.

Raise A Green Dog - Lets see it on YouTube…. ready?

• Skepticism and resistance to living green This blog is about "Living to think green, a skeptic's journey". Definition of "Skepticism" (a) an attitude of doubt or a disposition to incredulity either in general or toward a particular object; I've been very curious about how to lower my skepticism and resistance to living green. Living green means......
• How do we know if National Bike Day was successful? Do you watch TV sometimes and think, "Glad that's not me". Today is National Bike Day and it's the first time I've stopped to give it a moment of attention. At first I used to judge and criticize people that participate in what I thought was a bit purists for......
• Can we make Disaster Response and Relief part of being green? I had to digest what really happened to me before I could post about my stressful not so green catastrophe. No, not the news that people are burning down their houses to keep from paying their mortgage. Yes, it's true. Can't pay your mortgage, hey, why not? Lets just torch......
• In a museum in the morning and on a mountain in the afternoon, only in San Francisco! on Smart Green Travel on Green 960 AM San Francisco What are you doing for a Green Memorial Day Weekend? Stay home near the cool fog, treat yourself and that work-a-holic schedule to a cool relaxing restaurant. Next,  open your intentions to the best of our city, our neighborhoods yet to be explored, so many cultures to experience. Always more......
• BE green with humility When you reach milestones that involve a new experience, excitement usually follows. A friend tells me about this article. I think to myself, "Oh lord, not a long interview on some boring website that feels like visual valium..wait, don't judge it. Stop being so negative and BE green with......

• Review: John Warrillow “Built to Sell: Turn Your Business Into One You Can Sell” If you want to succeed with your own business, you need to build a business that can sell. When you have built a company that is successful enough to be bought and sold, you can know that you have found a successful strategy for your business. “Built to Sell: Turn......
• North Carolina Non-Residential Customers Get Saving Incentives with Green Energy Rebate Programs Years ago, school students across the nation proudly sang the patriotic song “This Land Is Your Land, This Land Is My Land.” This land IS yours and mine, and national renewable energy efforts are spreading across the country to encourage everyone to take part in energy conservation. Many schools and......
• Top Ten Things to Do While in San Francisco pt 1 There is so much to do and see in San Francisco that there is no way for you to do it all in a day. Here are some of the top things that you should absolutely do and see while you are visiting in San Francisco. This list includes the......
• Tops Make Money– Your Internet How To Make Money Good Money Article Make Money easy money When running a home business, there are a number of facets you are going to have to focus on. Everything from writing the content to promoting your business to dealing with customers will be on your list. However, it is vital you do not overlook the importance of......
• Fat People Cause Global Warming: Fat Isn't Very Green Photo Courtesy of starsky1231 Lately, we have noticed an increasing push for "going green." We have seen changes in everything from transportation to food preparation to the internet. This got me thinking about how I could make my life greener. My immediate realization was that I was a walking global......