Organic Valley joins Climate Week NYC
The aim is to highlight how dairy can be part of the climate solution
19 September 2023
2 minute read
By: Organic Valley launched today Protecting Where Your Food Comes From, a new campaign that highlights the importance of our food system and protecting small organic family farms, which are home to countless plants and animals and help reverse the effects of climate change, according to a company press release. The US is losing 100,000 family farms each decade* and this summer, the country faced record high temperatures* leading to an uncertain future for US food system resiliency.
To launch the campaign and connect protecting where your food comes from to the earth, Climate Week NYC is getting its first-ever organic farm experience as Organic Valley transforms the iconic Rockefeller Center Channel Gardens into a pop-up organic dairy farm experience. We are inviting families, food enthusiasts and curious urbanites to be part of the excitement and learn why it's important to protect where our food comes from.
Open to the public Wednesday, Sept. 20, and Thursday, Sept. 21, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST, the family-friendly farmstead will come alive with a series of hands-on, immersive activities. Climate Week attendees and New Yorkers alike will get to meet farmers without leaving the Big Apple – getting to know real organic dairy farmers, sampling Organic Valley's farm-fresh dairy products, sitting on a tractor and digging into the stories of resilience and climate-friendly dairy innovation from America's leading organic farmers. In fact, Organic Valley dairy farms average 24% lower greenhouse gas emissions than conventional dairy farms.
While the event in NYC is a moment in time, the Organic Valley campaign is intended to live on for years, built on the farmer-owned cooperative's 35-year movement safeguarding small family farms. The video in this movement campaign was filmed on eight real Organic Valley farms across the country.
"We're here at Climate Week NYC to change the narrative: Not all dairy is created equal. There's often a one-sided view presented about animal agriculture and a perceived need to reduce milk and meat consumption to lower carbon impact, but we aim to showcase the other side: ethically sourced organic dairy done right – organically on family farms," said Jaclyn Cardin, chief brand officer at Organic Valley.
"Unlike the greenwashers out there, what we do is nonfiction marketing – all the animals, birds and farmers featured in our campaign videos and activations across the country are real and found on our small family farms. By choosing Organic Valley over the alternatives, people contribute to the protection of over 400,000 acres of certified organic pastureland and diverse ecosystems," she added. "Not all dairy is scary, and our aim is to broaden the perspective of those who believe otherwise."
