Stirring It Up: How to Make Money and Save the World

Book Description

Gary Hirshberg is the CE-Yo of Stonyfield Farm Yogurt. In Stirring It Up, Hirshberg describes how he built a successful $300 million-per-year business by incorporating environmental principles and practices, and how other companies can accomplish this, too. Making a business green actually saves companies money in the long run -- for instance, by measuring and reducing one's climate footprint, cutting down on trash and packaging, converting waste to energy, and building loyal and sustainable supplier relations, all while boosting consumer loyalty and thus reducing advertising costs.Hirshberg illustrates his points with practical information and advice, as well as engaging anecdotes from the early days of his yogurt company: how a power outage left them milking cows by hand, and how a fire in a Dumpster revealed the need for better packaging. He also describes numerous hands-on grassroots marketing strategies, such as using the yogurt lids for messages about the environment and giving out samples to thank subway commuters for using public transit, and explains how these approaches make a much more powerful impact on consumers than traditional advertising.Included are many examples of other businesses that have saved money by reducing their environmental footprints -- companies such as Timberland, Patagonia, Whole Foods, Newman's Own, Clif Bar, and even Wal-Mart -- all of whom have found that being green can be both cost-effective and financially rewarding.An inspiring book for business owners and managers as well as anyone interested in saving the environment, Stirring It Up demonstrates how companies can work to save the planet, while achieving greater profits and satisfaction, as well.