Environmental Commitment

Flipping through the Gaiam Mind Body catalog the other day (their Therapeutic Support Gloves provide great relief for the Reynould’s syndrome that causes my fingers to go numb in the slightest cold), I noticed that they, like many other catalogs, make a big deal out of planting 1,430 trees to offset the CO2 emissions from their headquarters and fulfillment center. After a quick bit of math, I calculated that Rock Spring Farm had planted some 200,000 trees four years ago, which left me thinking about just how fundamental doing the right thing for the environment is for organic farmers. So, I want to take a moment to toot our environmental horn. At Rock Spring Farm, we:

Planted 10 acres of hardwood forest in the fall of 2004, and 2,000 additional trees in the spring of 2005; by the time these tree reach ten years of age, they will offset the carbon emissions from transporting our produce by more than a factor of 10.

Invested in a “green” packing facility for our vegetable operation. Built from Structural Insulated Panels, our packing house uses up to 50% less energy than a comparable building constructed with conventional methods. Our two walk-in coolers share an interior wall, and have 50% more insulation than a standard cooler wall. In-floor, radiant heat and passive solar design also contribute to energy efficiency. We installed fluorescent and compact fluorescents in every space, using incandescent bulbs only where we need lighting in very cold situation. An on-demand water heater reduces the amount of hot water needed to “fill the pipes” at our hand washing sink. Dual-flush toilets ensure that water usage and septic system load remains at a minimum.

Purchased an extremely fuel-efficient refrigerated delivery vehicle in 2005. Our Freightliner Sprinter has logged up to 22 miles per gallon, and runs at more than 75% of its cubic capacity on more than 75% of our delivery and farmers market trips. By comparison, a typical box truck might get between nine and twelve miles per gallon, and new pickup trucks run in the 20 miles-per-gallon range.

Invested in right-sized, fuel-efficient tractors. As with the delivery truck, it makes more sense to run at capacity most of the time, rather than hauling around a bunch of horsepower we don’t need to get the job done. And the differences in fuel efficiency among tractors can be pretty astounding.

Developed delivery connections for smaller deliveries that allow us to “piggy-back” on loads already traveling between Decorah and the Twin Cities. In the Twin Cities, we work with Coop Partners Warehouse to “cross dock” our deliveries to outlying stores, again taking advantage of empty space on trucks already making the trip.

Print our newsletters on 100% post-consumer content recycled paper. It’s also processed chlorine free.

Encourage biodiversity, even when it’s inconvenient. Every two years, we argue with the coyote trappers who come to our land (they disagree with us, but respect our property rights) about whether the effort that goes into keeping young lambs away from coyotes, through the use of electric fence and a guard donkey, outweighs the benefits that coyotes provide by controlling rodents, which make up most of their diet. Likewise, we spend hours each year cleaning fallen trees out of our fields, but we leave the dead trees around our fields standing to encourage hawks and owls to perch there to keep rabbits and mice under control. Cover crops, compost, unmowed areas, and timed grazing also make our farm a friendly place for all of the critters.

I actually think that, for organic farmers, making decisions that benefit the environment is our fallback position most of the time, even when we aren’t trying to do the right thing for the planet. We’re out in it all the time, and we see the dramatic interactions that take place out in the world, and we know that we need that world to be a sane and steady place for us to have the best possible chance of long-term success.