Turin, Italy -- Sustainable lawn mowing is making a come back in tight economic times. City officials in Turin, Italy expect to save about $48,000 this year by using a herd of sheep to trim municipal lawns instead of having gardeners mow the lawns.

It's not a new idea; sheep were originally used to keep parks mowed when Europeans invented country parks in the 18th Century.

The plan uses no gasoline and saves the city money as well as the owners of the sheep that would normally have to rent spring pastures for their herds.

Herds of 700 sheep will graze in two city parks for two months this year. Officials blocked roads to walk the first sheep to their park last week and the second herd will be brought in Monday to its park, where the sheep will remain for the next two months, grazing, according to the Guardian.

The sheep will be contained in fenced sections that will be moved around to keep the parks evenly trimmed. After two months, the sheep will be taken to their summer Alpine pastures.

Sheep were selected over cattle during a test last year that found the cows left too much dung behind. But Turin isn't alone in using sheep instead of lawn mowers Unity College in Maine uses its herd of Hampshire sheep to keep the athletic field trimmed, according to a statement on its website.

The plan will also eliminate the greenhouse gas emissions from gasoline-powered lawnmowers.

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