The Latest Surprise in Green Technology Innovations Isn’t What You Think

Here in North Atlanta at our crate and corrugated box manufacturing facility, we are always looking for solutions to reduce our impact on the environment. Over the years, we’ve found a number of ways to make custom packaging a greener enterprise, namely:

Recycling used corrugated material in large quantities
Using sustainably produced and harvested lumber
Running our facility with minimal energy waste
Minimizing material waste in our designs and builds
Sourcing recycled corrugated material

But this past summer we went a little further in our commitment to the environment. This wasn’t solar or wind power, and it wasn’t using more recycled material. In fact, this green innovation was cute and hungry.

Landscaping with… Sheep.

Our facility in North Atlanta sits on a rather large lot. This means that, given the Atlanta-area’s lush climate, there is a lot of brush to clear. The kudzu and other species grow quickly and recklessly. It’s a big job to clear the brush, and that is exactly what we need to do to keep our retention pond clean—in compliance with local ordinances.

There are different ways to clear the brush. Because the terrain is rugged and steep, it is impossible to do this with heavy machinery. It’s also difficult to do by hand because of the incline. The easiest approach would be to use chemicals to destroy the vegetation. But this would result in those chemicals entering the retention pond and seeping into the ground water.

So, searching for a better solution – good for the environment and cost-effective – we happened upon a surprising idea. We could use sheep to clear the brush.

That’s right… sheep!

It turns out that sheep are wonderful workers. They work quietly and efficiently, around the clock, leaving only their particular “fertilizer” behind. We fenced them into the large space to be cleared and they went to work immediately, stopping only to accept treats and petting breaks from the employees at Reid. Not only did they clear the brush, they also stole everyone’s heart.

With the sheep, we were reminded that there is always an ecological, cost-effective, and humane way to do nearly any task, especially if you’re willing to use your imagination.

Here are some photos from their visit: