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ORGANIC VALLEY’S FACILITY SUSTAINABILITY
WALKING THE WALK, WITH ROOM TO RUN
At our cooperative, we take our responsibility to the environment seriously, especially when it comes to our owned real estate. That’s why we approach our environmental footprint from five key perspectives, each one a critical component in our ongoing efforts to minimize our impact on the world around us.
1 2 3 4 5
Land Management Energy Water Waste Indoor Air Quality
We recognize the need for balance between building occupant health, safety, and comfort and trying to be efficient and resourceful.
1 Land Management
At Organic Valley, sustainable land management is at the heart of who we are. We understand the important connection between the land and our waterways and strive to minimize our impact on both through the use of local, adaptable management practices.
Over 20% of our land is dedicated to protected pollinator habitats.
We employ practices such as installing bioswales in parking lots to filter pollutants from runoff and strategically use salt to protect local watersheds.
We use native organic landscaping at all of our owned buildings and preserve approximately 5 acres (about twice the area of a Manhattan city block) of the rare Oak savanna.
We are dedicated to responsible, sustainable land management for the benefit of future generations.
2 Energy
We strive for energy efficiency that aligns with our commitment to promoting respect for the interdependence of our planet and all its inhabitants. We understand that thermal comfort is a crucial aspect of our daily lives, especially in challenging environments like Wisconsin winters. This is why we approach energy with a two-pronged approach - we work tirelessly to run our operations as efficiently as possible, while also investing in renewable energy sources to mitigate our impact on the environment.
Our headquarters uses an innovative chilled-beams HVAC SYSTEM THAT IS 10-18% MORE EFFICIENT
THAN TRADITIONAL systems and requires fewer refrigerants.
We have one LEED Gold Certified building which uses about 55% less energy than a typical office building of its size.
Our refrigerated warehouse at our distribution center has a unique roofing design that incorporates an additional layer of thermal insulation to keep the cold air where we need it.
Three of our buildings incorporate solar panels, with a total system capacity of 200 kW.
Two of our buildings have solar hot water systems.
One of our buildings uses a unique geothermal system to reduce the electrical load of our HVAC operations.
In 2012, Organic Valley leased land for a joint venture with Gundersen Health System to erect two wind turbines. In 2019, we leased 17 acres of land for a solar farm. The energy generated by these two systems is used to reduce the electrical load of neighboring communities. Organic Valley purchases Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) from these systems to offset the entirety of our Scope 2 electrical usage.