Ahh, the smell of progress. According to a recent AP article, a zoo in Syracuse, New York, is studying the feasibility of powering their facilities with the zoo’s main byproduct, poo! “Particularly the prodigious piles produced by its pachyderms.” (I wish I’d made that up, but it’s a quote from the article.)

The idea is not new. There have been many studies into poo power. My dad worked in the fuel department of a large electric company before he retired, and can attest to the frequent studies of burning cow manure in power plants. However, this is the first attempt of a zoo using it’s own … ahem … resources to produce electricity.

It so happens that elephants are inefficient digesters and their grassy diet produces high energy poo perfect for producing power. In addition, each elephant (the zoo has six total) produces half a ton of power poo every day! The zoo spends about $10,000 a year to dispose of this waste, much of it going to compost on local farms.

Now, if only the elephants could be potty trained. Oh wait! They CAN!!