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Stirring it Up: How to Make Money and Save the World. Written by Gary Hirshberg. Published by Hyperion, 2008.
This morning, as I contemplated what I would write today, the Weather Channel advised me that our overnight low temperature was two degrees Fahrenheit and that we would see twelve inches of snow this evening. Naturally, I was put in mind of global warming, and decided to write about a book on the subject that I recently read.
In the interest of full disclosure, and in order to add some clarity to what I write, I will state up front that I do not believe that the .74 degree Celsius increase in temperature that the world may have experienced over the past one hundred years is caused by man-made greenhouse gases. But it is not this writer's intention to discuss here the pros and cons of the global warming argument, but rather to discuss the total self-delusion of one particular proponent of that argument, namely, Mr. Gary Hirshberg.
We are all well aware of the seeming hypocrisy of the evangelists of the man-made-global-warming gospel. Al Gore flies on private jets rather than frequenting more “earth-friendly” public transportation. Sheryl Crow encourages the unwashed masses to use only one square of toilet paper when relieving themselves, but does not see the need to in any way practice a minimalist lifestyle herself. Likewise, many Hollywood environmental activists decry the production of so-called greenhouse gases by evil corporations, but make no attempt to curtail their own extravagant lifestyles in order to limit their own carbon footprint.
Prior to reading Gary Hirshberg's book, Stirring it Up, I was inclined to believe that the inconsistency between the actions and words of the environmental activist crowd was just so much hypocrisy. But now that I have read Mr. Hirshberg's book, I am inclined to think that perhaps the environmental activist crowd may act more out of self-delusion than they do out of outright hypocrisy. This change in my thinking occurred because, as I read through Stirring it Up, I became convinced of the fact that Mr. Hirshberg really does think that he is running the model “green” company in spite of the overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
Gary Hirshberg is the self-styled “CE-Yo” of Stonyfield Farm Yogurt, a $300 million organic yogurt manufacturing company based in New Hampshire. One can not be certain as to why he prefers to call himself the self-effacing “CE-Yo” rather than the “CEO” of Stonyfield, but I would hazard a guess that he has a distaste for the title “CEO” because such a title connotes, in his mind, an evil head of an evil corporation.
The premise of the book is, as stated by Mr. Hirshberg, “Ecologically sound practices are also economically sound over the long term.” It appears as though Mr. Hirshberg thinks that the foregoing statement is a nugget of heretofore unknown corporate wisdom that he is imparting so that he might “save the world.” I can only surmise that Mr. Hirshberg has never heard of a country called “Japan,” but it is a little country that may be of interest to him, as it's whole post-World War II economy has been based upon eliminating waste in every aspect of manufacturing. Apparently, Mr. Hirshberg is equally ignorant of the significance of the terms “Six Sigma” and “Lean Manufacturing.” These are manufacturing philosophies and programs that most American companies have been pursuing and implementing since 1980. The focus of Lean Manufacturing is the elimination of all waste in all aspects of manufacturing. Most American companies of note have known for almost thirty years that eliminating waste plays a significant role in increasing profitability. For decades smart companies have been recycling corrugated boxes, wooden pallets, plastic re-grind, scrap metal, white office paper, etc. For decades smart companies have been actively seeking ways to reduce energy consumption.
Mr. Hirshberg probably is aware of the long-standing, waste-eliminating, corporate programs such as Lean Manufacturing. I would suggest that his reason for ignoring these programs is that they do not appear altruistic enough when filtered through the green-tinted lenses that he wears. In Mr. Hirshberg's world, if the management of any given company has not drank the cup of purple, global-warming Kool-Aid (or maybe in this case it is green), then any waste-cutting efforts on their part can not be considered as legitimate or good for the environment.
Mr. Hirshberg's green-tinted lenses become very obtrusive when he discusses the odd manner in which he became involved with Stonyfield Farm. In chapter two he effectively admits that he, to some degree, owes his success to Ronald Reagan. In 1982, Mr. Hirshberg was involved with an organization called “The New Alchemy Institute.” He does not provide in his book all of the particulars of the charter of The New Alchemy Institute, but he does let us know that it was an organization that was funded by federal grants and charitable contributions. Apparently, no small portion of this organization's funding was provided by a federal agency known as the Community Services Administration. Hirshberg describes the Community Services Administration as “a federal agency that supported local activists trying to help poor people.” Ronald Reagan's very first executive order, literally signed on inauguration day, abolished the Community Services Administration.
Mr. Hirshberg's funding dried up and he was suddenly faced with the very unfamiliar prospect of having to seek profitable employment rather than having the United States taxpayer fund his lifestyle. It seems that this transition was very traumatic, because even today, twenty-five years later, he is bemoaning “conservative politics” and the “Reaganites.” Ronald Reagan forced Mr. Hirshberg to stop living off of the government dole, and as a result, Mr. Hirshberg is running a $300 million company. Rather than thanking President Reagan for providing him with an opportunity to succeed, his green-tinted lenses still allow him to see himself as being terribly wronged.
In his book Mr. Hirshberg states that Stonyfield Farm spends a great deal of time and money every year in assessing their carbon footprint. He readily admits that Stonyfield Farm generates large amounts of so-called greenhouse gases. He states that the two items that contribute the most carbon output in the Stonyfield operations are the methane emissions of the cows and the “greenhouse gas emissions from growing and transporting the feed for them.” If Mr. Hirshberg will just heed my advice, I think that I can save him a great deal of time and money and worry about global warming.
First, let us deal with the “greenhouse gas emissions from growing and transporting the feed” for the cows. The simple solution to this problem is, if I may corrupt a line from Marie Antoinette, let them eat grass. Cows are four-stomached, ruminating animals that thrive on a diet of 100% pasture grasses. They do not need to have feed grown for them or transported to them. They are perfectly content with a diet derived from simply walking through a field and grazing. The only reason that the farmers that supply Stonyfield Farm need to grow and transport feed to the cows is that a grain-supplemented diet for the cows provides greater milk production than the pasture diet alone, especially during cold weather. Mr. Hirshberg wants us to think that at Stonyfield Farm profitability is secondary to the needs of Mother Earth and the crisis of global warming, but readily admits that Stonyfield Farm will not eliminate the unnecessary, carbon-producing operations of growing, harvesting, and transporting feed to the cows that supply milk for Stonyfield, and the only reason that he could possibly have for not eliminating these “evil” operations is that profitability would suffer.
Now we can deal with the methane emissions of the cows themselves. Methane emissions from cattle account for eighteen per cent of all greenhouse gas emissions. Mr. Hirshberg says that the people of Stonyfield are studying the problem and exploring changes in diet for the cows. Again, I will offer a more simple solution: Kill the cows. I am fairly certain that humans can exist without yogurt, but if one is to believe the propaganda spouted by the proponents of global warming, we must act now to save the earth. If Mr. Hirshberg is to exhibit behavior consistent with what he says, then it is his duty to immediately slit the throat of every cow that attacks Mother Earth with it's thoughtless flatulence. I will agree, for the benefit of all mankind, to cease eating yogurt if Mr. Hirshberg will agree to stop producing it. Together we can save the world.
Mr. Hirshberg has deluded himself into thinking that since his intentions are good, then it naturally follows that all of his actions are right. This self-delusion allows him to then preach about the evils of so-called greenhouse gases while at the same time actively working to grow a business which, by its very nature, must produce more and more of the worse greenhouse gases. His self-delusion has now reached such a grand scale that he can, with a straight face and not a trace of irony in his words, publish a book in which he touts his methane and nitrous oxide belching factory as the model of an earth-friendly company.
I love yogurt. It is a healthy, wholesome food and I estimate that I consume a little more than a pint of it every week. But Stonyfield Farm yogurt will never pass through these lips again. I can not, in good conscience, be a party to the enabling of Gary Hirshberg's self-delusion. It is my hope that other average joes will likewise assist in this effort to bring Mr. Hirshberg back to reality. Please, for the good of the mental health of Gary Hirshberg, eat great quantities of yogurt, but do not eat Stonyfield Farm yogurt. Together, maybe we can bring him back to reality.
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