Earth Day is Friday, April 22nd. And the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) notes the dairy industry has reasons to celebrate this special day, as it’s an opportunity to refocus on the environmental and climate leadership within U.S. agriculture and around the world.
So, courtesy of NMPF’s colleagues at Undeniably Dairy, here are some of those reasons:
- Due to innovative farming and feed practices, a gallon of milk in 2017 required 30% less water, 21% less land and 19% smaller carbon footprint than in 2007.
- According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, since 2005 North America was the only region in the world that reduced its greenhouse gas emissions, even as it increased milk production, making its greenhouse gas intensity for dairy products the lowest in the world.
- Dairy farms are a powerful tools against food waste by diverting byproducts (such as almond hulls, citrus pulp, and brewer’s grains) from other food industries and using them as feed, converting potentially unused resources into high-nutrient foods and beverages. Dairy farmers can also convert food waste and manure into valuable products such as renewable energy and fertilizer.
- U.S. dairy has set a goal to achieve greenhouse gas neutrality by 2050, creating a cross-industry Net Zero Initiative that advances research, on-farm pilots and new market development to make sustainability practices more accessible and affordable to farms of all sizes and regions.
There are also stories about dairy’s stewardship of the planet and the farmers who care for them, and the list goes on and on.
So on Earth Day 2022, NMPF invites everyone to grab a glass of milk and be glad you’re consuming the perfect nutritional complement to an important date on the calendar this week. Sustainability solutions are worth celebrating, and it’s what the dairy industry seeks every day.