Our Efforts
Leading the way in sustainable practices
We were one of the first companies in Maine to sign on to the Governor's Carbon Challenge to reduce our carbon footprint 20% by 2010. Here's what we are doing in our efforts to leave our planet better than we found it.
- Oakhurst Sustainability Committee -
In 2010 the Oakhurst Sustainability Committee established goals in five areas to reduce our carbon footprint. These goals are to be accomplished by 2014 using a baseline from 2008. The percentage goals below reflect our efforts to reduce our green house gas emmissions per quart of milk produced.
- Water - 20%
- Plant Energy - 20%
- GHG Emissions - 20%
- Transportation - 20%
- Solid Waste - 5%
- More Solar Energy -
In 2009 we continued our investment in solar energy with the installation of a new solar photovoltaic energy system at our Waterville, Maine distribution center. The solar energy system is made up of 216 Evergreen solar panels totaling approximately 3,250 square feet, making it one of the largest solar installations in the entire state of Maine.
Our Waterville installation will generate approximately 45,000 kilowatt (kW) hours of electricity annually – approximately 15% of the building’s current load of electricity – and will reduce annual CO2 emissions at the facility by an estimated 70,000 pounds.
- Hybrid Delivery Truck -
In 2009 we purchased a new hybrid delivery truck which was the first of its kind for the dairy industry in the
- Truck Skirts -
In 2009 we began fitting 25 of our large semi-trailer delivery trucks with side panel “skirts” to significantly increase aerodynamics and fuel efficiency. All 25 skirts plus an additional 10 will be fitted by the end of September 2010. Installation of skirts on one of our trucks will result in a fuel savings of 6% - 8%. A skirt-equipped truck driven an average of 30,000 miles annually – typical for each truck in our fleet – reduces CO2 emissions by approximately 7,200 pounds. When completely equipped by the end of 2010, the 25-truck fleet will produce approximately 7.6 million fewer pounds of CO2 annually than a non-skirted fleet.
Solar Energy - In 2008 we installed one of the largest solar thermal energy systems in New England, which will offset about 5,000 gallons of oil every year.
Biodiesel - In 2006 we converted 130 delivery fleet vehicles to biodiesel, becoming the largest private biodiesel fleet in Northern New England and reducing our CO2 emissions by 1,332 tons per year.
- Hybrid vehicles -
In 2005 we began converting our sales fleet to hybrid vehicles and have installed idle regulators to reduce emissions on other vehicles.
- Improving Efficiency -
We employ rerouting software to find more efficient delivery routes, avoiding 200 tons of CO2 emissions per year. We have also installed equipment in refrigeration units to improve efficiency, and we recycle our oil filters anti-freeze and waste oil.
- CFC-Free -
In 1992 we switched our delivery trucks and trailers to use a non-CFC refrigerant, making us the first major company in Maine to use environmentally friendly refrigerants in its entire fleet.
Tree Planting - Oakhurst spearheaded The Millennium Tree Challenge from 1993 through 2000, an effort that resulted in more than 1,000 new trees planted in the City of Portland. We continue to support tree-planting initiatives as a founding member and major financial contributor to the Portland Tree Trust.
- Tree ReLeaf Program -
Following the ice storms of January 1998, which caused unparalleled damage to trees in Maine and New Hampshire we pledged to donate three cents from each gallon and half-gallon of milk sold from February-May to plant or mend trees hit by the storms. Our goal was $100,000 and we raised $112,000, which forty-three communities received a portion of.
