Profits for the Planet

Yogurt on a mission

Who'd have thought, when we started Profits for the Planet (PFP) back in 1993, that today we'd be donating $2 million annually to organic and other environmental efforts? To date, we've gifted $15 million in support of thousands of organizations that care for the earth.

Plenty of companies make donations, but PFP is especially interwoven with our environmental mission, which has always sat front and center here at Stonyfield.

We actually started as environmentalists, not yogurt makers. Our co-founder Samuel started the Northeast Organic Farming Association. His partner Gary, studied climate change in college and had become a windmill and renewable energy expert by the time he moved to the farm. The two teamed up to run a little, nonprofit organic farming school, teaching earth-friendly farming methods.

As a yogurt company, we've perpetually looked for the more environmentally responsible way to do things. That's why everything we make is organic. That's why we've vastly reduced the weight of our packaging over the years and have begun to use plant-based plastics. That's why, in 1997, we became the first US manufacturer to offset all greenhouse gas emissions from facility energy use and why we still offset those emissions to this day. It's why we've begun to transport some of our products by rail and fuel some of our trucks with biodiesel. It's why we generate renewable energy from the sun and even from our wastewater, and why we're always looking for ways to use less packaging, less energy, and less water—and why we're always working on innovative ways to lighten our impact on the planet.

We like to think we're showing other companies—manufacturers and non-manufacturers alike—that they can be both environmentally responsible and profitable. But the earth needs to be cared for in all sorts of ways. PFP enables us to support all sorts of environmental efforts in ways that don't intersect with yogurt making.

Meet some of the folks we've helped to support in 2011 through our Profits for the Planet program (PFP).

2011 PFP donation recipients

• American Dietetic Association (Chicago, IL)—support for the Hunger and Environmental Nutrition reception in Boston.
• American Farmland Trust (Washington, DC)—support for its manure methane reduction project.
• American Sustainable Business Council (Washington, DC)—to support the promotion of green business practices.
• Asia Society (New York, NY)—to support the production and printing of Glacier Research Imaging Project postcards.
• BabyCenter (San Francisco, CA)—to educate moms and moms-to-be about human and environmental health.
• BreastCancer.org—general support of its efforts to fight breast cancer.
• Center for Food Safety (Washington, DC)—to support production of GE fish campaign postcards.
• Center for Genetics, Nutrition and Health (Washington, DC)—to support its international conference in Greece.
• Chef’s Collaborative (Boston, MA)—to support the promotion of sustainable food among chefs.
• Chez Panisse Foundation (Berkeley, CA)—to support the foundation’s efforts to lead school food reform and nutrition education.
• Chop Chop (Watertown, MA)—to support its efforts to educate kids about cooking and nutrition and to encourage better eating habits.
• City of Ann Arbor (MI)—support for the city’s recreation programs.
• City Burlington (VT)—support for the city’s recreation programs.
• Climate Counts (Manchester, NH)—support of its collaborative effort to bring consumers and companies together in the fight against global climate change.
• Concord Energy and Environment Committee (Concord, NH)—general support of its efforts to help reduce energy consumption, while improving individual and environmental health.
• Concord Community Music School (Concord, NH)—support for a school sustainability project.
• Conservation NH (Concord, NH)—general support of its efforts to improve the environment and conserve natural resources.
• Detroit Public Television (Detroit, MI)—in support of its fundraising special about the “anti-cancer” diet.
• Earth Island Institute (Berkeley, CA)—in support of its “Kids vs. Global Warming” project.
• Earth School Educational Foundation (Louisville, KY)—to support communications about climate change solutions.
• Earth University (Atlanta, GA)—sponsorship of a scholarship beneficiary to become a community leader in the field of agricultural sciences and the rational use of natural resources.
• Ecological Farming Association (Watsonville, CA)—annual sponsorship to help support ecological farming education.
• Food Trade Sustainability Leadership Association (Eugene, OR)—to support the promotion of leading-edge, environmentally sound, and socially just practices in the organic food trade.
• Gabrielle Hathaway (Fairfield, IA)—to support Gabrielle’s becoming an organic dairy farmer.
• Global Awareness Local Action (Wolfeboro, NH)—to support sustainability education and local action that’s practical, effective, and fun.
• Greener Cow Project (Londonderry, NH)—general support of this pilot project exploring ways to naturally decrease global-warming gases emitted by cows.
• Healthcare without Harm (Reston, VA)—in support of its efforts to implement ecologically sound and healthy alternatives to health care practices that pollute the environment and contribute to disease.
• Healthy Child Healthy World (New York, NY)—to support its efforts to protect young children from harmful chemicals.
• Healthy Schools Campaign (Chicago, IL)—to support its advocacy for policies and practices that produce healthy school environments.
• Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (Minneapolis, Minnesota)—in support of local and global efforts to ensure fair and sustainable food, farm, and trade systems.
• Intervale Center (Burlington, VT)—in support of the center’s sustainable agricultural programs.
• Karen Valentine (Shepherdstown, WV)—to open a community resource center that encourages support of family farms, local and organic foods, and recycling.
• Kokua Festival (Haleiwa, HI)—support for environmental education in the schools and communities of Hawaii.
• Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (Unity, ME)—support for the Common Ground Country Fair.
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, MA)—support for the Source Mapping Project.
• Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service (Spring Valley, WI)—support for the “Our Help Wanted: Organic Farmers” program.
• Mount Washington Observatory (North Conway, NH)—support for the “Seek the Peak” fundraiser.
• Natick Community Organic Farm (Natick, MA)—general support for day-to-day operating expenses and redesigning of its website.
• National Audubon Society (New York, NY)—general support for the society’s efforts to conserve and restore natural ecosystems.
• Native Energy (Charlotte, VT)—to offset Stonyfield’s carbon emissions.
• New England Farmers Union (Shelburne Falls, MA)—in support of its Fiddlehead Festival, a local agricultural event.
• New Hampshire Energy and Climate Collaborative (Concord, NH)—general support for New Hampshire’s energy, environmental, and economic-development future, with a specific focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
• New Hampshire Public Radio (Concord, NH)—annual sponsorship of The Environmental Desk.
• New Hampshire Sustainable Energy Association (Concord, NH)—sponsorship of its annual Home Energy Conference.
• Northeast Organic Farming Association, Connecticut Chapter (Stevenson, CT)—annual sponsorship and support for “Taste! Organic Connecticut” event.
• Northeast Organic Farming Association, Massachusetts Chapter (Barre, MA)—annual sponsorship and support for The Natural Farmer publication.
• Northeast Organic Farming Association, New Hampshire Chapter (Concord, NH)—support for its annual winter conference.
• Northeast Organic Farming Association, New York Chapter (Cobleskill, NY)—support for its annual winter conference.
• Northeast Organic Farming Association, New Jersey Chapter (Hillsborough, NJ)—support for its annual winter conference.
• Northeast Organic Farming Association, Vermont Chapter (Richmond, VT)—support for its annual winter conference and support for on-farm workshop series.
• Organic Farming Research Foundation (Santa Cruz, CA)—support for conference educational programs and fall benefit event.
• Organic Trade Association (Greenfield, MA)—support for its annual organic industry dinner event.
• Organic Valley (LaFarge, WI)—support for the Kickapoo Country Fair.
• Our Task, Inc. (Arlington, VA)—general support to help young people advocate for environmental protection and restoration.
• PCC Farmland Trust (Seattle, WA)—support of their Future Farm Fund, created to purchase conservation easements on local farmland and restrict land development.
• Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (Millheim, PA)—sponsorship of the Farming for the Future conference.
• People’s Grocery (Oakland, CA)—support for its “Harvesting Justice” event.
• Preserve (Waltham, MA)—sponsorship of the “Gimme 5” program (collection of #5 plastic cups at Whole Foods stores; cups are recycled to create new products).
• Reverb (Portland, ME)—general support of its efforts to educate musicians and their fans about sustainability and to encourage them to take action for a more sustainable future.
• RCSR Productions / Robert Kenner Films / Frumkin Productions (Brookline, MA)—to support the production of “What’s in a Cup” and “Reasons for Change.”
• Second Harvest Food Bank (Santa Cruz, CA)—to support pesticide-free gardens at preschools serving low-income children.
• SHFT (Los Angeles, CA)—general sponsorship of its efforts to help bands green their activities and educate, via online webisodes, about the importance of sustainability.
• Spannocchia Foundation (Portland, ME)—sponsorship of the Spannocchia Symposium, an international gathering focused on sustainable food systems.
• Sustainable Nantucket (Nantucket, MA)—general support for its efforts to educate about sustainability and build a better local food system.
• Sustainable Food Lab (White River Junction, VT)—general support for this consortium of businesses, nonprofits, and public organizations working to accelerate the shift to sustainability.
• Terracycle (Trenton, NJ)—support for their packaging, recycling, and education efforts.
• The Life is Good Company (Boston, MA)—sponsorship of the “Life is Good” Festival fundraiser for children at risk.
• The Nature Conservancy (Arlington, VA)—general support for this leading conservation organization that works to protect ecologically important lands and waters worldwide.
• The Organic Center (Boulder, CO)—to help fund the creation and expansion of a dairy cow carbon footprint calculator.
• The Rodale Institute (Kutztown, PA)—to support its efforts to promote organic farming worldwide.
• The Safeway Foundation (Lanham, MD)—support for the breast cancer awareness campaign.
• The Vermont Scholarship Fund (Winooski, VT)—annual sponsorship for the children of St. Alban’s Cooperative Creamery members.
• Turtle Ridge Foundation (Sugar Hill, NH)—support for its environmental initiatives and youth athletic opportunities.
• University of Arkansas, Fayetteville Campus—in support of The Sustainability Consortium.
• University of California Santa Cruz—in support of the UCSC Foundation.
• University of Michigan (Ann Arbor)—annual support for the Graham Environmental Sustainability Institute and Center for Sustainable Systems.
• University of New Hampshire (Durham, NH)—sponsorship of the New England Carbon Challenge and 4-H Foundation of New Hampshire.
• University of Vermont and State Agricultural College (Burlington, VT)—in support of the Vermont Farm Women’s Fund and the UVM Center for Sustainable Agriculture.
• Vermont Student Assistance Corporation (Bennington, VT)—to support The Vermont Scholarship Fund.
• Western Foothills Land Trust (Norway, ME)—support for the Alan Day Community Garden Project.