This past week I was lucky enough to see Stonyfield Farm Chairman, President, and “CE-Yo,” Gary Hirshberg, give a lecture at the RiverRun Bookstore in Portsmouth, NH. On my way home from an evening walk, I noticed the bookstore was filled with people and decided to stop in and see what was going on. Am I happy that I stopped! Not only is Hirshberg a fantastic speaker, but his lecture touched on all things environmental, from organic farming and foods to solid waste management and conservation at the highest levels of business.

Hirshberg has a new book, Stirring It Up: How to Make Money and Save the World, and is on an extensive book tour promoting his efforts and touting tips on how to cut your carbon emissions, use fewer resources and still turn a profit. I thought he was an extremely good speaker – his honesty and sincerity were evident from the start of his talk, and you could just tell that his passion for saving the planet is real.

In addition to letting us in on his past – from his beginnings at The New Alchemy Institute on Cape Code – to his recent conversations with CEOs of major companies including Wal-Mart, Hirshberg shared stories about how Stonyfield Farms is doing their part to be a steward to the environment by managing their externalities, reducing waste, and recycling anything that’s left over.

While I’ve not yet had a chance to purchase his book, I intend on doing so. Hirshberg uses the text in order to call on individuals and businesses:

to realize their power to effect change in the marketplace – ‘the power of one’ – while proving that environmental commitment makes for a healthier planet and a healthier bottom line.

And in listening to Hirshberg, I truly got the sense that not only does he believe in his philosophy, but that he wants to do everything possible to make his philosophy a reality for as many people as humanly possible. Part of what made his talk so compelling too, was his emphasis on the positive – he wasn’t all gloom and doom when speaking about the challenges of changing human behavior in order to save the environment. Rather, Hirshberg offered an attitude of optimism, and made me feel that all of the little things I do on my own may actually make a difference in the long run.

Hirshberg also spoke extensively about Stonyfield Farm’s non-profit foundation, Climate Counts – an organization that fosters a “collaborative effort to bring consumers and companies together in the fight against global climate change.” One of the services that Climate Counts provides is a Scorecard that grades major corporations on their environmental responsibilities. I checked out the tool and was surprised to see how poorly companies including CBS and Levi Strauss scored, and also how well Nike and IBM did on their scores.

What I found most interesting about the entire lecture however, was learning about all of Stonyfield’s environmental initiatives. At the farm, nothing is wasted, and they really strive to make green changes with every new product they create, and with all of their existing products. Additionally, Stonyfield Farm gives 10% of its profits to environmentally-friendly organizations, has its carbon emissions offset 100%, and invites their customers to return their yogurt containers to the farm so they can be recycled into spoons and other products.

Check out Stonyfield Fams if you get a chance – and by the way, their yogurt is great too!