Opinion: Turkey -- the 'green' bird

Turkeys don't get enough respect. Their reward for being our symbol of Thanksgiving is that we eat them. As it turns out, turkeys -- actually, their manure -- could play a role in cleaning up the environment.

Indiana is using truckloads of turkey manure to purify the water at abandoned coal mines. The water is so acidic that no aquatic life can exist in it, but after treatment with tons of the droppings, the wetlands will support a variety of vegetation. Admittedly, the cure stinks, so much so "it will bring tears to your eyes," said a state reclamation official.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is using the turkey waste to clean up jet fuel spills at an Air Force base near Goldsboro, N.C. The manure is layered with contaminated soil to create a compost that breaks down the harmful petroleum hydrocarbons. Before, the government would burn the soil, a time-consuming and expensive process.

Actually, innovation with turkey manure was born of necessity. In poultry-producing states such as Maryland and Minnesota, waste disposal is a growing problem. Both states are considering experimental power plants that would burn turkey and chicken manure, but the topic is still controversial.

At least one group is happy with the state of affairs -- those whose business it is to get rid of the stuff. Roger Seger, part owner of Wabash Valley Produce in Indiana, has sold 30,000 tons of turkey manure to the state for its coal mine project.

The loathsome byproduct "used to be a liability," Seger said. "But these days it's almost an asset."

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