More and more creameries across the country are committing to environmentally-friendly practices. While the dairy industry hasn’t always been known for going green, this new trend is a perfect example of how innovative and forward-thinking the cheese industry is. Check out how the Organic Vallet Co-Op and the Farm at Doe Run are working to protect our environment one cheese at a time.
Solar-Powered Cheese
Organic Valley, producers of cheese, butter, and other dairy products, announced a landmark step toward becoming carbon neutral: In a collaboration with the Upper Midwest Municipal Energy Group, the nation’s largest farmer-owned cooperative will install over 12 megawatts of solar arrays in Wisconsin. The electricity created is expected to cover 100 percent of Organic Valley’s electric energy needs by 2019. It’s a win for the region as well: These solar installations are expected to increase overall solar energy use in Wisconsin by 15 percent.
Good Cheese, Clean Water
The award-winning Farm at Doe Run—who most recently took the top prizes at the 2018 Pennsylvania Farm Show—is making an environmental statement with its newest cheese: Buy Camembert-style Mayfly, and the sustainability-focused farm will donate 10 percent of proceeds to the Stroud Water Research Center, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving fresh water.
This isn’t the first partnership between the farm and the Stroud: The center has guided watershed restoration work with the farm, located along Sharitz Run, a tributary of the Brandywine Creek that’s currently considered impaired by Pennsylvania’s environmental protection standards. Wondering about the cheese’s buzzy name? For scientists at the Stroud, mayflies—often found above a healthy stream—are a sign that clean water still exists.
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