Poop Power

One of many reasons I don't see a dog in my future is because walking around three times a day with a plastic bag on one hand scooping poop doesn't come with a high like factor. For those who think the tradeoff for canine fun and affection is worth it, you may be seeing one of these in your future.

From Wired...

Conceptual artist Matthew Mazzotta is using dog feces to power lampposts in a park in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Mazzotta’s Project Park Spark, comprises a special “methane digester” that converts freshly scooped poop into methane. Dog owners collect their dog waste in a special biodegradable bag and throw it into the digester –- an air-tight cylindrical container, where the dog feces are broken down by anaerobic bacteria. A byproduct from that process is methane, which can then be released through a valve and burnt as fuel. In this case it is being used to power an old-fashioned gas-burning lamppost in a park.

The artist is keen to make sure that the energy is used as the community wishes, and so in the next couple of weeks the Park Spark project will be a holding a number of design meetings to gather ideas from the community for how to best use the flame. Suggestions already include a shadow-projection box, a popcorn stand and a teahouse.

In the future Mazzotta hopes to install permanent underground digesters in parks throughout the United States.

P.S. Coincidences happen. This will be the last poop or pee to power post for long time.