Blog Update!
For those of you not following me on Facebook, as of the Summer of 2019 I've moved to Central WA, to a tiny mountain town of less than 1,000 people.

I will be covering my exploits here in the Cascades, as I try to further reduce my impact on the environment. With the same attitude, just at a higher altitude!

Thursday, October 25, 2007

Seattleites - get your goat

I heart goatsDid you know that it is now legal to own dwarf or pygmy goats in the city of Seattle? Recent legislation now treats smaller goats as a pet, just like cats, dogs and potbelly pigs.

One of the council members that voted for the measure stated: "There are arguments to be made that could achieve greater heights of urban sustainability by bringing farms back into the city and farm animals."

Seattle already allows its residents to own up to three chickens (or "domestic fowl") per standard lot, with an additional 1 bird allowed per additional 1,000 sq. ft.

I think it's pretty exciting that, within the city limits, one can grow enough vegetables, fruits and animal byproducts to live a fairly sustainable life (along with help from farmer's markets). It's getting to the point where you don't have to move out to a rural area to achieve self-sufficiency.

So, let's see:
  • Fruit and nut trees
  • Raised beds for veggies and herbs
  • Goats for milk and wool
  • Chickens for eggs and meat
  • Rabbits for meat and fur

    You can have a veritable farm here in the city! What do you all think of that? Does this change your attitude about how and where you live?

    Oh yeah, and Happy 4th birthday to Emma, my crazy little chicken!
  • 10 comments:

    Anonymous said...

    That's great news! Where I live in urban Australia, we are able to keep six birds (chickens or ducks etc) as long as we have no rooster! Rabbits are illegal as they are a pest in the wild here. I'd love to be able to keep a goat!

    Greenpa said...

    Very cool. Nice to see signs of intelligence amongst the city managers.

    Can you get the goats to mow the lawn effectively?

    I'm still trying to figure out why nobody has posted the carbon/fuel costs of the world's "lawn" mowing habit. My guess is the mower makers are having those people whacked. :-)

    Phelan said...

    I think it is wonderful news. And it will not have an impact on where I call home {probably because I am a little ways from Seattle ;)

    Chile said...

    Greenpa, I don't know if the goats would do a nice pretty even job. ;-P

    The carbon cost of lawn-mowing is only one of many arguments against lawns. When we had to maintain a lawn (in a rental), we used a push mower. In our own place, any pre-existing lawn is left to die!

    Anonymous said...

    So you have no problem murdering and eating a creature that you would wish 'happy birthday' to? I think it's safe to say that that is fairly sick and twisted.

    Greenpa said...

    Dear Anonymess- I think it's safe to say your experience with animals is limited to TV, and maybe a pet fish. Ask any farm kid - and in case you hadn't noticed, there are millions- if it's possible to love an animal- and yes, also eat them. So you're saying all farm people, and children, are sick and twisted?

    I know who I think is sick. Very. Puhleeze- get a life.

    Crunchy Chicken said...

    Oh, I really can't stop laughing about this.

    Emma is my 4-year-old daughter, but thanks for the chuckle.

    I own no poultry. The only chickens in my house are human.

    But, Greenpa has many fine points and I would suggest that it's safe to say that "murdering" an animal grown for meat is a bit overly dramatic.

    Phelan said...

    haha! sorry crunchy, but the murdering of animals statement causes me to giggle. Whenever I post about butchering I get some really well thought out replies on why I am such a horrible person. I have always stated that I was a vegan for most of my life and why things have changed for me. But you know how some people can be.

    Run Emma Run! ;)

    Anita said...

    We live in a tiny (pop, 500 or so) farming community in southwest Kansas, and are not allowed ANY farm animals in town, and only 3 dogs per household...
    I SOOO want chickens and a goat or two!

    Anonymous said...

    In your self-sufficiency listing, you left out extra goat kids for meat, and potbelly pigs, for meat and clean lard for cooking and making soap. These little pigs eat what everything else won't eat and also prepare garden beds. They're small and easy enough to butcher that a single person can handle the job. And if they're a bit noisy from time to time, they're tasty enough to make up for it. Kalua pork, YUM!