November 10, 2011 I attended a presentation at Tydings Hall given by the founder and CEO of Stonyfield Farms Gary Hirshburg. The presentation itself was enlightening and interesting covering the topics of the benefits of sustainable living and the economic benefits that can come with this. Gary Hirshburg touched on topics in Enviornmental Science and the current issues our planet is facing with a particular emphasis on the state of our agricultural production. Agriculture is not only one of the biggest sources of carbon emissions but also of pollutiona and resource use. The farming techniques made popular during the Green Revolution of fertilizer and pesticide use are not sustainable in the long term. These processes as well as the overuse of land are removing the precious minerals from the soil and creating the land unfarmable for future generations. This is a serious problem with our already large population of 8 billion growing at extreme rates with the potential of even more growth to 9 billion by 2050. Gary Hirshburg not only talked about Global problems but also the problems he himself faced with starting his environmentally friendly business.
Stonyfield Farms has become a model for socially and environmentally responsible business. Not only have they established a “Profits for the Planet” program, which commits 10% of our annual profits to individuals and organizations working to restore and protect the environment but Stonyfield also uses the yogurt lids to promote causes, organizations, and environmental initiatives. Their products have been developed using technology that has reduced the energy used to make yogurts, lowering the businesses carbon footprint, as well as recycling as much waste as possible, which has kept tens of millions of pounds of waste from being dumped into landfills - something other plants are guilty of and has a real effect on the surrounding ecosystems.
There were many interesting facts brought up throughout the lecture that i had no former knowledge of such as the cost of overweight people is 72 billion per year and the fact that 1 in 3 children born in the year 2000 will later become diabetic. This traces back to the fact that the food that we are eating is making us sick with the over consumption of refined sugar and processed foods. One interesting fact that was brought up in the talk was about the decreasing ratio of Omega 3 to Omega 6. Omega 3’s are a critical nutrient that serve as an anti-inflammatory as well as protecting us against caner. Cancer is becoming a big health issue to our population. 41 % of Americans alive today will be diagnosed with cancer this year where as ten years ago it was only 21%. The number has doubled and the #1 causality of this is being found to be chemicals in food such as pesticides.
In food production one important consequence is the pollution produced as well as consumption of resources such as water that is not controlled. This comes down to an externality problem of who is responsible. To be able to change the unsustainable buisness procedures of over water usage and point and nonpoint source pollution especially from food production there needs to be a change in the populations mindset on our resources. We treat resources such as water as never-ending pools that we can draw from without thougt to the future. More and more we are finding this not true as water scarcity is becoming an issue especially in developing countries where a large percent of the population are still impoverished and this lack of access to water creates a major concern in their ability to survive. Our actions and frame of mind need to be changed. Waste should not be an option of our precious resources and we cannot continue using them without thought of consequences. We need to change how we act but to do this in a sustainable way. The main conclusion his presentation was brought to was that being aware and living sustainably is not only good for our environment but for ourselves.
The lecture was motivational, speaking to the public about how it is possible to be able to succeed with environmentally sound practices and not only make a profit but flourish while living up to environmental morals. It made me appreciate the work of Stonyfield and other organic businesses that are really trying to make a difference on our current food production and its downfalls and move the planet in a more sustainable and profitable direction for both the people and the environment.