It was, most likely, one of those "Eureka!" moments when somebody came up with a novel way of saving costs related to cutting grass. Not to mention the publicity and public relations value.
The Mayor of Paris, Bertrand Delanoe, an environmentally-friendly politician, is responsible for the bike-and-car-sharing program, the expansion of designated lanes for bikes and buses, in addition to a project to allow pedestrians to stroll along the banks of the Seine.
The Mayor isn't sheepish about his newest project, which ewes-es (little play on words there...very little) ovine power to keep grass short and sweet. He is using sheep, ewes to be specific, to graze the area around the Paris archives, replacing traditional lawnmowers. The sheep in question - all four of them who are on the small-ish side measuring 2 feet in height - will be make the trip by truck from their usual grazing place in Ouessant in Bretangne to Paris, for short periods in April and October. In order to ensure they perform their duties, they will be surrounded by a 3 foot high, yellow, electrified fence.
So I'm thinking here...while the addition of sheep to gnaw/nibble/whatever the grass is ewes-ful, and if they prove successful and a decision is made to expand the project in a big way, how will this go over with the city gardeners whose job is to cut grass? Taking it a step further and if the idea becomes popular with gardeners, the sheep could become a familiar fixture for your average home owner. Taking it still one step further than the last step (I'm a big step taker), owning a couple of sheep could become a status symbol.
"Did you see my luxury, very high end and expensive, new car?" one average home owner could comment to his neighbor in the way of a boast.
"Very nice but mowing the lawn is a thing of the past for us," the other average home owner would reply.
"You're hiring gardeners?" the new car owner would naturally and logically respond.
"Nothing so pedestrian. We're a two-sheep-family, now. No more lawn mowers. We let nature do it for us. We're eco-friendly other than the occasional goat bleat now and then. Did I mention that we also don't need fertilizer anymore?"
Meanwhile, here is a link to a photo of the sheep: http://news.yahoo.com/ewes-full-paris-hires-sheep-mow-city-lawns-125648769.html
Do you see sheep in your future?
The Mayor of Paris, Bertrand Delanoe, an environmentally-friendly politician, is responsible for the bike-and-car-sharing program, the expansion of designated lanes for bikes and buses, in addition to a project to allow pedestrians to stroll along the banks of the Seine.
The Mayor isn't sheepish about his newest project, which ewes-es (little play on words there...very little) ovine power to keep grass short and sweet. He is using sheep, ewes to be specific, to graze the area around the Paris archives, replacing traditional lawnmowers. The sheep in question - all four of them who are on the small-ish side measuring 2 feet in height - will be make the trip by truck from their usual grazing place in Ouessant in Bretangne to Paris, for short periods in April and October. In order to ensure they perform their duties, they will be surrounded by a 3 foot high, yellow, electrified fence.
So I'm thinking here...while the addition of sheep to gnaw/nibble/whatever the grass is ewes-ful, and if they prove successful and a decision is made to expand the project in a big way, how will this go over with the city gardeners whose job is to cut grass? Taking it a step further and if the idea becomes popular with gardeners, the sheep could become a familiar fixture for your average home owner. Taking it still one step further than the last step (I'm a big step taker), owning a couple of sheep could become a status symbol.
"Did you see my luxury, very high end and expensive, new car?" one average home owner could comment to his neighbor in the way of a boast.
"Very nice but mowing the lawn is a thing of the past for us," the other average home owner would reply.
"You're hiring gardeners?" the new car owner would naturally and logically respond.
"Nothing so pedestrian. We're a two-sheep-family, now. No more lawn mowers. We let nature do it for us. We're eco-friendly other than the occasional goat bleat now and then. Did I mention that we also don't need fertilizer anymore?"
Meanwhile, here is a link to a photo of the sheep: http://news.yahoo.com/ewes-full-paris-hires-sheep-mow-city-lawns-125648769.html
Do you see sheep in your future?
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