A methane digester is a bit like a giant balloon that covers a manure storage pit. As bacteria decompose the manure, the balloon captures the methane they release. Normally this methane would go into the atmosphere, where it acts as a greenhouse gas that’s 25 times more powerful than carbon dioxide.
When methane is captured in the digester, it can be burned to heat water or generate electricity. Just like lighting a match in the bathroom, burning the methane reduces odors and releases some CO2. The CO2 has less of an impact on the climate than letting the methane escape, and this also means fewer fossil fuels are burned.
Brighter Planet helps family farms that normally couldn’t afford a methane digester. When you buy carbon offsets or use our cards you’re investing in community-based projects that fight climate change by reducing emissions.
To learn more about the methane digesters that our customers support, visit the Hillcrest-Saylor dairy farm page or the Wanner farms methane digester page.