In 2008, Earthbound Farm's organic farming operations on more than 40,000 acres will:

• avoid use of over 367,000 pounds of toxic and persistent pesticides;
• avoid use of nearly 12.4 million pounds of synthetic fertilizers; and
• conserve an estimated 2 million gallons of petroleum by avoiding use of petroleum-based fertilizers and pesticides.

Organic fields absorb carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, at an estimated rate of 3,670 pounds per acre each year. With our acreage, that’s the equivalent of taking more than 7,700 cars off the road annually.

Earthbound Farm now uses biodiesel in our farm equipment, in our local delivery truck, and in new company vehicles; most of our partner farmers are converting their farming equipment, too.

We’re constantly working to improve our energy conservation efforts throughout our facilities — so far, by implementing conservation measures and equipment upgrades, we’ve seen energy savings from 20%-50%.

Since 1999, Earthbound Farm has planted trees with American Forests every year to offset greenhouse gas emissions from our energy use. To date, we’ve planted more than 450,000 trees, which will absorb about 150,000 tons of CO2 during their lifetimes.

Earthbound Farm recently switched to shipping cartons made from 99% post-consumer/1% post-industrial recycled corrugate. We use 224 million square feet of corrugate every year in our shipping cartons, so annually this switch will conserve:

• 106,594 trees
• 2,382,603 gallons of oil
• 18,811 cubic yards of landfill space
• 25,081,030 kilowatts of energy
• 43,891,803 gallons of water

Earthbound Farm purchases renewable energy credits for clean (renewable, non-fossil-based) energy to cover 100% of the energy used by our Farm Stand in Carmel Valley, California. These credits offset approximately 175 tons of CO2 emissions every year.

Every year, we support national programs to promote organic foods in retail stores in conjunction with Earth Day. Part of that campaign is our Earth Day Celebration at our Farm Stand and Organic Kitchen in Carmel Valley, CA.

Earth Day is big at Earthbound Farm. We support it every year with company-wide initiatives, including supporting the Go Organic! campaign in retail stores across the country. But in organic farming, every day is Earth Day. Choosing organic helps protect the environment by keeping harmful chemicals out of our soil, air, water, and food — helping to preserve the Earth's natural resources for ourselves and generations to come. And that's just one of many healthy choices we all can make.