HOME OUR FRUIT RECIPES PAIROLOGY HEALTHY LIVING FARM WITH US ORGANIC NEWS & FAQs

Farming About Stemilt Heritage Responsible Choice Community Outreach Composting Conservation Efforts Innovations Cherry Harvest Summer Fruit Harvest Fall Harvest

Conservation Efforts

As a farmer first, Stemilt founder Tom Mathison believed that we must protect the land in order to make agriculture a sustainable business for future generations to come. Today, Stemilt makes sustainability a priority throughout our operations. Examples of our conservation efforts include:

	Integrated Pest Management: IPM is an effective and environmentally sensitive approach to pest management. Stemilt orchards use information on the life cycles of pests and their interaction with the environment to manage them with the least hazard to people, property and the environment. Additionally, we use natural predators, such as trained falcons, to ward off fruit-damaging birds.
	Energy Conservation: In conjunction with our local utility company, we recently upgraded the lighting system at our largest packing facility, installed automatic folding doors on CA and storage rooms at all facilities, and developed a system to monitor electricity usage. All of these things work together to conserve energy.
	Reducing Carbon Emissions: Stemilt's centralized footprint helps reduce our carbon footprint. Today, 95 percent of our storage facilities are located within 10 miles of a packing facility in order to reduce the number of trucks needed to haul fruit from one place to another. We also transitioned more than half of our company forklifts from propane to electric-powered units.
	Water Conservation: We use a variety of methods to conserve water, including irrigating only when needed, micro-system sprinklers, and ground cover plantings that prevent moisture loss. On our packing lines, we use flow meters to monitor water usage. The addition of flow meters conserves nearly 7 million gallons of water annually.
	Environmentally-friendly Packaging: When redesigning fruit packaging, Stemilt selects environmentally-friendly materials that are easier to recycle. For instance, a large number of our fruit boxes are printed on Kraft paper, which requires 5 percent less wood fiber and 20 percent less water than boxes built from white paper. Kraft also reduces the Biological Oxygen Demand of waste water by about 50 percent, reducing the electricity required to treat the water.
	Company-wide Recycling Programs: Stemilt has a comprehensive recycling program in place for paper, cardboard, plastic, aluminum, oil, batteries, and leftover supplies. Additionally, our local fiber tray manufacturer produces fiber apple trays with Stemilt's recycled paper. In total, 78 percent of Stemilt's annual need for fiber apple trays comes from our company's own recycled materials!