From time to time, I see letters to the editor in the Evansville Courier & Press from a guy who says how bad eating meat is for the environment. As a vegetarian, he states that the whole process of raising livestock and getting meat into the grocery store, creates a lot of pollution. From what I have read, he is correct, particularly with some of the chicken places in Kentucky. Too bad I can't seem to kick the meat habit myself. However, I got to thinking, what can be done to make farming practices better for the environment and possibly, alternative energy production? I looked on the U.S. EPA site and saw a reference to the "Methane to Markets" program. A lot of people don't realize how much in the way of greenhouse gases we are producing when we dispose of our trash, medical waste, manure, etc. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas and the less rising into the atmosphere, the better. I previously wrote about the Puente Hills landfill, where methane is captured from the landfill to be used as power. A similar concept (and also promoted by the "Methane to Markets" program), is to capture methane from livestock's manure management systems for clean energy. The energy can be converted into electricity or can be used to fuel gas-fired equipment, which could definitely help with a farm's energy needs. Since manure is an inevitable part of farming, it's good to know that the U.S. EPA has thought of a way to help farmers use it to help offset some of the costs associated with running their farms. Given that the agricultural sector is responsible for over 50% of human-related methane, it would make no sense to squander this energy source. Although I can't recall where I read it, I saw an article not too long ago about a farm in Vermont that was actually selling their methane to provide energy to area homes. Although the methane-capturing infrastructure is expensive to install on a farm, the farm in question was going to be able to pay it off and move into the profit zone within a few years, I believe. Whether the farmers use the methane themselves or sell it on the open market, one thing it clear to me--This is a win-win situation for the farmers who can be more profitable and for the environment by reducing the methane escaping from the farm waste into the atmosphere.