Stonyfield Organic, a leading organic yogurt maker, has been providing families across the country with quality, organic food products for over 35 years. With this milestone year under their belt, Stonyfield Organic has shifted the focus to not only producing organic foods, but to making more parents aware of the harsh chemicals that are looming around their families—and not just in food.
“Even though we’re in the business of selling yogurt, it doesn’t matter how much organic you’re eating,” Gary Hirshberg, founder of Stonyfield Organic, says. “If you’re playing on fields, [your kids] are being exposed, [since] 90-plus percent of parks and playing fields in this country are getting a chemical cocktail of pesticides.”
Stonyfield Organic recently conducted a survey and found that a majority of American parents (69 percent) are looking to lessen their children’s exposure to pesticides, yet nearly 67 percent of parents do not think that sports fields and other parks pose a threat. However, Stonyfield Organic believes food is just one portion of a multitude of ways families can partake in preventative health, which is why they have set out to raise awareness and help parents everywhere to make changes.
“We are announcing a three year, half-million dollar investment to 35 communities around the country to turn those hills organic,” Hirshberg says. “We know it can be done—it’s been done by a group in Irvine. The community that invested over to organic had better grass, better development, [and] healthier turf. It’s a big step [and] a way for you as a parent to make a change in your community just like the moms in Irvine did.”
The new campaign, “35 Years, 35 Communities,” hopes to transform the lives of families everywhere, promoting a healthier environment in and out of the home. Not only will Stonyfield Organic provide you and your children with organic food products, they will also help you ensure a healthy lifestyle in your everyday activities.
“This effort goes far beyond the products we make and sell. We need to be just as concerned with what goes on kids’ bodies as what goes in them. This takes our mission of healthier people and a healthier planet to the next level by shedding light on an often overlooked issue and reminding everyone that they can make change locally to protect the health of our children and our environment,” Hirshberg says.
With a pilot program beginning in the spring and the official launch later this year, Stonyfield Organic hopes to announce more about the campaign in the months to come. Ultimately, Stonyfield Organic and Hirshberg aim to empower families everywhere and provide them with tools and resources to make changes in their own communities.
“This is a much more aware generation of parents than ever before, [so] it’s exciting to bring it back to the parents, who really get it and embrace it,” Hirshberg says.
For more information on Stonyfield Organic, its products, and its new campaign, visit stonyfield.com!
