Our Goal: To reduce our carbon footprint throughout our operations.
We are reducing our carbon footprint by investing in the right technology, adjusting our practices to maximize efficiencies, and by converting our equipment to run on renewable energy.
Reducing our Carbon Footprint
We are implementing new technologies and develop new processes every day as we continue to make strides toward reaching our progressive goals.
Tenias Technology
Harvesting almonds usually requires six separate passes up and down each row, but with Tenias, the same process is completed in just one pass. This dramatically reduces the dust put into the air while minimizing fuel usage. In addition, nuts harvested using this equipment never touch the ground, which leads to a higher-level of food safety.
We have deployed our Tenias machines on over 10% of our producing almond orchards in the last year, and we are working steadily toward our goals of 18% utilization by 2023 and 25% utilization by 2025.
Renewable Energy
We developed a 1 megawatt solar energy system at our 7,500 acre (3,000 ha) Oakdale hub that offsets 90% of the electricity needed for well pumping and irrigation! The project is so successful that we are expanding our solar footprint to the other California farming hubs and on Maui.
Additionally, we have partnered with the California Air Board to upgrade the entire set of Pomona vehicles and equipment. In 2021, 27% of our pickup fleet was powered by flex fuel or hybrid energy. By the end of 2022, over 35% of that fleet will be energy conscious, as we work toward our goal of converting 25% of our total Californian machinery to run on electric or hybrid energy.
Smart Equipment Management
We own our own equipment, which allows us to modify it for multi-purpose use and to manage its inventory strategically. Eliminating empty and return trips increases efficiency, decreases emissions and reduces fuel usage. We achieve the same by essentially creating vehicles that can do the work of two or more pieces of ‘normal’ equipment, reducing the number of orchard passes required to farm the crops.
