CMU Goes Eco-Friendly, Brings In Goats To Landscape Overgrown Hillside

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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Carnegie Mellon University is known worldwide for its high-tech innovations.

But, CMU is taking a step back in time in order to landscape an unsightly weed-covered hillside on their Oakland campus. And it's all very eco-friendly.

The school brought in a herd of goats from Allegheny Goatscape on Wednesday to munch on weeds between the Gates Center and Purnell Center for the Arts.

"It's an opportunity for the campus community to see this activity, to learn about it and to just see an alternative to other grounds maintenance practices," said Dave Wessell, CMU's groundskeeper.

The university says the area is being taken over by Kudzu vines, which are choking off all the native plants and trees.

Goats from @AllGoatscape are on campus for some eco-friendly landscaping! ????????Great views from the Pausch Bridge: https://t.co/6DhtSP9oIk pic.twitter.com/UomlwN4dsY

— Carnegie Mellon (@CarnegieMellon) September 13, 2017

"They eat 24 hours a day, essentially. They eat, they ruminate and rest, and then they keep eating, so this is around the clock," said Gavin Deming, of Allegheny Goatscape. "I've read that they can eat, an adult goat, can eat up to eight or so pounds a day of vegetation, so that's no small amount, especially when they're in an enclosed area like this one."

The herd of goats will spend about three days and nights on campus clearing the hillside.