Nancy’s Yogurt Goes Solar

Pioneering Creamery Shines Light On Solar Power With Live Data Website

Eugene, OR. (6/24/09) - Springfield Creamery is “greening” its cultured dairy and soy production with the help of the sun. The makers of Nancy’s Yogurt are taking another step toward sustainability with a new 63.5 KW Solar Electric System that helps power the creamery and can be monitored directly from the Nancy’s website.

“Going solar was the next logical step for us,” says Sue Kesey, co-founder of the family owned and operated Springfield Creamery. “This system allows us to do our part in reducing our carbon footprint.” The ‘Live Solar Energy’ data page on nancysyogurt.com gives real time stats, such as how many trees have been preserved or how many tons of CO2 have been saved by the solar energy generated to date at Springfield Creamery in Eugene, Oregon.

The Springfield Creamery’s ‘Solar Electric System’ is unique because they chose to Net Meter their system and use the electricity within the facility.  Net Metering the system output allows the creamery to retain all of the Solar Renewable Energy Credits (SRECs) based on the actual system performance and thereby show zero emissions for this portion of the power used at the production facility.  SRECs enable businesses to offset their energy use by helping fund renewable energy installations.

“This is the first time we’ve installed a large PV (photovoltaic) system in Eugene and had the business opt to retain their SRECs,” say Eden Corbin, Director of Operations for Advanced Energy Systems, a Eugene-based solar company that designed and installed the creamery’s system.

Long known as pioneers in the industry, Springfield Creamery was the first U.S. creamery to add probiotic cultures, such as L.acidophilus, to its yogurt in 1970 – a move that forever changed the cultured dairy industry. With 2010 marking Springfield Creamery’s 50th anniversary, the folks at the creamery continue to find ways to innovate, while remaining loyal to their commitment of making cultured dairy and soy products the old-fashioned way, and using only natural and organic ingredients. Recently named “Oregon’s 2009 Organic Producer of The Year” by Oregon Tilth, Nancy’s products are made from real organic fruits, and milk that arrives fresh to the creamery daily from nearby farms in Oregon. To top it off, Nancy’s products are teeming with billions of live probiotics per ounce and contain no cane sugar.

Springfield Creamery has a long history of environmental responsibility; starting with the reusable and recyclable HDPE #2 containers used since 1970 for all the Nancy’s products. The environmental commitment continues with the planting of the entire perimeter of their 10-acre property with evergreen trees – those beautiful, mature trees line the property today.

For more information about Nancy’s Cultured Dairy & Soy products or to learn more about Nancy’s probiotics, visit www.nancysyogurt.com.