Reduce Emissions Once we have an understanding where our areas of greatest burden are, we need to reduce the emissions! We have taken a three-step approach to reductions: goal setting, efficiency and renewables.  Goals While we have spent many years trying to identify ways to reduce our emissions, in order to get company-wide alignment on priorities we needed to set GHG reduction goals.  In 2006 we launched Mission Action Plan (MAP).   We formed high level teams in each of our areas of environmental burden, including Sustainable Packaging, Zero Waste, Facility GHG Emissions, and Transportation. As part of the MAP process, each team completes an annual Action Plan which includes setting long term and near term goals and outlines the steps to achieve the goals. The plans must be approved by our CEO, COO and VP of Natural Resources. The team members also have a portion of their compensation linked to achieving an annual MAP objective. As a result of the MAP Action Plans, we now have company goals in place for our major areas of environmental burden including facility energy per ton of product, absolute facility GHG emissions, percent renewable energy for our manufacturing facility, packaging and transportation. Sample goals include: Facility GHG Emissions In keeping with the recommendations of the UN’s IPCC…We committed to 80% reduction from 2000 levels by 2050.  As we are a growing company, we will have to achieve this through a combination of efficiency and renewables. Because we have grown in absolute levels between 2000 and 2006, we will need to achieve a 92% reduction below 2006 levels: As part of our goal setting we set the following markers: By 2010 reduce absolute GHG emissions below 2006 levels by 15% By 2020 reduce absolute GHG emissions below 2006 levels by 50% By 2030 reduce absolute GHG emissions below 2006 levels by 70% By 2050 reduce absolute GHG emissions below 2006 levels by 92% Transportation (Distribution) Reduce our GHG emissions from 2006 baseline in relation to overall CO2/ton delivered 50% by 2010 75% by 2015 The Transportation Team is currently setting absolute reduction goals but they have not yet been approved by the CEO, COO and VP of Natural Resources. Zero Waste To reduce solid waste per ton by 25% by 2009 (from 2006 levels) To achieve a >90% overall recycling rate in the SF plant and office by the end of 2009. To have zero waste by 2017: No wastes going to a landfill or incinerator. Efficiency Between 1995 and 2005 we reduced our facility energy use and the associated CO2 emissions per ton of product by one third, saving over $1.7 million and 46 million kWh.  — enough energy to power 4,500 homes for a year — and prevented over 14,000 tons of CO2 from entering the atmosphere.  Efficiency gains at our facility and CO2 reductions have come from many initiatives, including designing processes to incorporate heat recovery, installing energy efficient motors and lighting, implementing energy efficient building practices, refrigeration system changes and fuel switching. However, due to an expansion, between 2005 and the start of 2007 we increased our emissions/ton of product. This was one of the main drivers for forming MAP and creating alignment of goals within the company.  We are now well on our path to achieve the long term reductions and are meeting our annual goals. In 2007 the MAP teams achieved the following: 40% reduction in distribution GHGs Packaging reductions equal to the elimination of 18 tractor trailer loads of plastic. Details of our work on packaging… Between the first half of 2007 and the second half we reduced facility energy/ton of finished product by 10%. Converted all of our products to organic Produced a study on milk production GHG emissions and recommendations for emissions reductions (available soon on this site!) Integrated environmental performance into employee compensation and evaluation. Other Areas Most people don't think that waste and recycling are related to climate change. But the manufacture, distribution and use of products—and managing the resulting waste—requires using petroleum, which contributes to global warming. Waste prevention and recycling can save energy and lower emissions. Through our reuse and recycling program we’ve prevented over 16 million lbs of material from going to landfills or incinerators; this is equal to over 8,000 metric tonnes of CO2 emissions avoided, or taking over 1,400 cars off the road for one year. Visit the Environmental Protection Agency to learn more about the link between trash and climate change. Stonyfield Farm buys millions of pounds of organic ingredients every year to make our organic yogurts and smoothies. Organic farming reduces atmospheric carbon levels by capturing atmospheric CO2 and trapping it in the soil. Rodale Institute studies show that approximately a ton and a half of CO2 per acre foot per year can be removed from the atmosphere with organic soil. This does not even include the energy saved by not producing the nitrogen fertilizer used to build soil in conventional agriculture systems. Learn more about organic farming. Renewable Energy It’s important that we develop renewable alternatives to petroleum for our energy sources. In 2005 Stonyfield Farm installed a 50 kW solar photovoltaic array on our yogurt making facility in Londonderry, New Hampshire, the largest array in New Hampshire and at the time, the fifth largest in New England. We’re proud to show that even in the often cold, cloudy state of New Hampshire, we can make the most of technology and generate some of our own clean renewable power! We also installed an anaerobic pre-treatment system that generates energy from our yogurt processing waste. This treatment system uses 40% less energy and generates 90% less waste than conventional dairy treatment systems.