Being #2, you try harder.  So the folks doing poop research were not about to sit idly by while other researchers made electricity from pee.  Hence, the Park Spark project which is turning poop into light.  Ahhhh, the glamor of science.

The initial implementation is a street light in a dog park.  The project encourages you to contribute your dog droppings to the natural composter, which then siphons off the methane gas to fuel the light.

But this is only the prototype.  And there’s noting special about dog poop beyond the fact that dogs have figured out how to train humans to clean it up for them.  Recycling being as popular as it is, it won’t be long before there are poop powered lights throughout your neighborhood.  I suppose eventually there could be a direct sewer feed, but early adopters will likely have to settle for curb-side donations.

I can see it now.  Grab the newspaper and tuck it proudly under your arm as you announce to the family, “I’ll be back in a bit… I gotta top off the street lamp.”  Make no mistake, this movement will say way more about you than a Prius parked in the driveway ever could.  You’ll be the talk of the cul-de-sac.