Elmhurst + Earth: What Makes Us Sustainable

How we live doesn’t stop with us, though. The Haudenosaunee say that we must think many generations ahead in the choices we make today. This is what we mean by sustainability – protecting what we have for both present and future to enjoy. Nature – land, air, water, and living things – cannot always replenish at the rate we use it. Sometimes it cannot at all. Take, for example, the Aral Sea of Central Asia.

Once the fourth largest lake in the world, it has vanished into a salty wasteland because of reckless damming of the rivers feeding it. You are just one person, but you can make a difference. And it may just start with leading your best life. Simpler is also better for the Earth – the less we take, the more we leave for present and future to enjoy. Even choosing an Elmhurst™ product is a small deed of conservation: more nutrition, increased satiety, less extra consumption, more for nature and other people.

Here are some other things we are doing to make your choice of Elmhurst™ one for the Earth: We’re sourcing ingredients from plants. On the whole, animal is more vulnerable than plant life – just check the endangered species list. One reason we’re an entirely vegan brand because plants, and the foods they yield, are generally highly regenerative. Tree nuts, for instance, can be consumed year after year without damage to the tree. (We think this might be nature’s way of telling us how we might eat.) Many also find ethical issues with animals being treated as a means to satisfy human appetites – especially as civilization continues to encroach upon their numbers and freedom. The best answer to this is ours: not to rely on them for food. We’re keeping a low carbon footprint.

Our air is precious. It’s a key element that makes Earth what it is, and not a toxic pressure cooker like Venus. Carbon footprint reflects the level of greenhouse gas emissions (seen by many as the cause of global warming) a given product or industry puts into the atmosphere. Think of this in terms of milk. Plants pull carbon dioxide out of the air and emit oxygen, which we sort of need.

Cows, on the other hand, belch methane into the sky. Because of this and other pollutants, 12 percent of all global greenhouse emissions were from the livestock industry in 2014.

1. The cartons for our dairy-free products are recyclable. Keeping things out of landfills (or, in the case of plastic bottles, the ocean) is one way to make the most of our resources. The cartons we use are 100% recyclable – including the cap – in most U.S. homes. This means they can go back into production, rather than having to clear more trees. Elmhurst packaging is sustainably sourced. Forests are critically important to sustaining biodiversity. Unfortunately, they are also a top source of paper and building materials. The Forest Stewardship Council is a non-profit organization promoting mindful management of the North America’s forests. The FSC stamp on our carton certifies that our packaging uses only paper from forestland meeting the organization’s conservation standards.

2. Many companies say how much they care about the Earth, but being plant-based is one way to prove it. Let’s be simpler together, and leave a better world for everyone to enjoy.