At Malt-O-Meal, we’re continually looking for ways to be better stewards of our natural resources and our environment. We look for ways to conserve energy, consume fewer natural resources, and leave less behind. And, we believe that everyone can make a difference by making small changes in their daily habits.
What are we doing?
➢ Our convenient re-sealable bags contribute significantly to a reduction in materials and disposable waste. Each year, there are about 2.5 billion cereal boxes sold in the United States. If even half of those boxes were bags, we’d save 90,000 tons of paperboard.* The energy saved could power over 11,000 homes for a year. It would eliminate 170 million gallons of waste water. By eliminating the exterior box, we’ve reduced the amount of packaging that consumers need to dispose of by 75%!**
➢ We’re working hard to reduce the resources we use to produce and package our cereal products. We have active programs to reduce energy and minimize water use at our Northfield, Minnesota plant. Since 1996, we have reduced the water used to make cereal by 41% and we’ve reduced our energy use by 10%. That adds up to millions of gallons of water and KWh of energy saved through conservation.
➢ We have many recycling programs throughout our company, and over 99% of the waste in our Northfield plant is recycled.
What can your family do?
- Use compact fluorescent light bulbs. They’re more energy efficient and last longer, so they’ll save you money in the long run.
- Check dishwasher settings. Choose “air dry” or “no heat dry” to save energy.
- Shorten your showers. Every minute in the shower uses four to six gallons of water. Cut our daily shower by just one minute and you’ll save about 1,500 gallons in a year.
- Heat leftovers in a microwave. Faster heating equals less energy.
- Wait for the full load. Whether cleaning dishes or clothes, run your machine only when you have a full load.
- Shut down and unplug. Computers use energy even when turned off and chargers use energy if you leave them plugged in when not in use. On any appliance, a glowing light means energy is being used.
- Recycle. When you can’t reduce or reuse, recycle. Understand your neighborhood program to make the most of it.
- Minimize idle time. When waiting to pick the kids up, turn off your car to save gas and reduce emissions.
- Put on a sweater. Save 5% for every degree you turn down your thermostat in the winter.
- Donate used clothing, toys and household items. If you can’t use it, perhaps someone else can.
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*Environmental impact estimates were made using the Environmental Defense Fund Paper Calculator. For more information, visit www.papercalculator.org.
** Based on the net weight of empty consumer packaging of comparable size packages. Even when their box size is smaller, the net weight of their box and empty inner bag is still greater than the net weight of the larger Malt-O-Meal bag when empty.
