Gary Hirshberg and Stonyfield Farm are pioneers in the philosophy of giving is winning. A Just Means article rightly titled CSR Heroes: Gary Hirshberg of Stonyfield Farm highlights some of their accomplishments:
- No chemicals, sustainable farming: Their products are organic, and they focus on the health of the cattle, employees and customers. They support small scale dairy operations localized in New Hampshire and teach sustainable farming techniques that preserve soil, minimize runoff and prohibit chemicals.
- Using profits to fight climate change: Stonyfield Yogurt runs Profits for Planet, which reroutes 10% of the yogurt company’s profits into grants distributed annually to a huge range of environmental organizations.
- Thoroughly efficient transportation: Stonyfield has made improvements in packaging that help them get more yogurt shipped per truck, reducing trips (and CO2). The trucks are equipped with software that limits maximum speed and C02 output. They use trains to ship Yogurt, another (generally underrated) CO2 reducing strategy.
- Sustainable operations, extensively planned: Stonyfield boasts an extremely lean, environmentally awesome operations. Green building, including graywater systems. Organic, onsite wastewater treatment. They built the largest solar photovoltaic array in New Hampshire that has saved the company more than $1.7 million in energy costs over the past six years.
- Zero waste initiative: Fueled by renewable energy, offset their carbon output.
- Raising green leaders—their employees: Training involves environmental education.
Stonyfield Farm has sustained a compounded annual revenue growth rate of over 26 percent–five times the industry average—and has amassed annual revenue of $300 million. Hirshberg says the secret to his company’s success is a blend of altruism and thinking differently. In an Inc. article, Pioneers, he states, “Back when we started the company and we talked about organic farming or decreasing our climatic footprint, we were largely dismissed as wacko,” he says. “Now we know that green means green, there’s real money to be made.”
Hirshberg sums up his philosophy: “Running a green business is not just an ethically and environmentally responsible activity, it is the basis for economic growth in the 21st century.”
Stonyfield invites consumers to become everyday activists for CSR by collecting information about the environmental impact of the world’s largest companies. In 2007, Stonyfield Farms backed the Climate Counts campaign, a site that rates businesses on their carbon footprint and the voluntary actions they take to reduce it. The information provided by Climate Counts aids conscientious consumers in voting with their dollars.
Additionally, Hirshberg attended the USDA meetings that led to the deregulation of genetically engineered alfalfa (a primary food source for dairy cows). When the legislation was passed to allow this GE product as pasture for licensed organic milk production, Hirshberg and several other organic food purveyors combined forces to fund an appeal.
They also immediately publicized the USDA decision to their customer base, translating the science of GE agriculture into plain language so that everyone can understand its implications. Hirshberg blogged for the Huffington Post, saying “Now more than ever we all need to stand together in opposition to GE alfalfa.” In the same way, Stonyfield stands with consumers to create the integrity and responsibility we all wish to see in the marketplace.
In 2012, Stonyfield is bringing local, sustainable farming to the big city. The company is opening a cafe in the historic Chelsea Piers of Manhattan, with a delicious, health-conscious menu designed around ingredients sourced from New York State farms.
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