Science Shows One Belcampo Burger Sequesters 28
Pounds of Carbon from the Atmosphere
Belcampo Farms, a community of small farmers and pioneer of
sustainable, organic, grass-fed and -finished, and Certified Humane
meats, broths, and jerky, has released its greenhouse gas (GHG)
inventory for 2020. The inventory demonstrates that its burgers
have a net negative impact on carbon emissions. The new data shows
that 28 pounds of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) were sequestered
for each 8 oz. Belcampo Burger, the restaurant’s most popular menu
item. This is equal to removing the emissions of a typical
passenger car driving approximately 32 miles.*
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Belcampo Farms' Climate-Positive Burger
(Photo: Business Wire)
Data suggest that the conventional meat and dairy industry may
be responsible for nearly 15% of all global greenhouse gas
emissions, but Belcampo’s Climate-Positive Burgers show that meat
produced with regenerative techniques, including short duration
high density grazing for the full life cycle of the animal, can
make a climate positive impact on the environment. In 2020,
Belcampo Farms removed a net 23,000 metric tons of CO2e from
the atmosphere; this number reflects the total carbon sequestration
from its regenerative grazing minus the emissions from all the
company’s commercial activities, which include enteric methane,
transportation, last-mile fulfillment, restaurant operations, and
all other farming practices and processes. The Belcampo community
of farmers’ total carbon removals last year offset the equivalent
of the CO2e produced in 13,939 flights from London to Los
Angeles.**
“Meat that is actually good for the environment sounds like a
radical idea, but it’s actually a more traditional way to farm and
the science proves it captures carbon from the air and stores it in
the soil,” said Anya Fernald, co-founder of Belcampo Farms. “We
hear a lot about how bad meat is for the environment, but the
reality is that the way in which meat is farmed by our community of
farmers is drastically different in terms of environmental impact.
For every half-pound of meat we sold in 2020, we removed 28 pounds
of CO2e from the atmosphere.”
Regenerative farming harnesses the relationships between plants
and soil microbes to pull more carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere
and store it in plants, their root systems, and the soil. With
regards to livestock production, regenerative refers to an array of
management practices — such as no-till grassland and grazing
management — which improve soil and land health including
sequestering carbon in agricultural soils and ensuring that it
remains there.
“Belcampo has always strived to operate in an environmentally
responsible manner,” said Fernald. “We look forward to leveraging
the data in this, our first of many, GHG inventories, to identify
additional ways Belcampo can become more climate positive including
projects underway to increase the amount of carbon sequestration at
our ranch, shift to using more renewable energy at our facilities,
and help our community of farmers apply these practices in their
farms, multiplying our efforts.”
The GHG inventory calculated the emissions from Belcampo Farms’
complete supply chain from field to delivery and estimated the
amount of CO2e emitted from the production and delivery of each
Belcampo burger. The data show that every 4-ounce serving of
Belcampo meat across the entire enterprise sequesters in the soil a
net of 14 pounds of CO2e. The carbon reductions for Belcampo’s
Climate-Positive Burgers available through its restaurants
include:
- Belcampo Burger (8 oz.) – removes 28 lb. of carbon
- Double Fast Burger (6 oz.) – removes 21 lb. of
carbon
- Single Fast Burger* (3 oz.) – removes 10.5 lb. of
carbon
*Available at select locations
Belcampo’s community of farmers are on a mission to
revolutionize the meat industry for the well-being of people, the
planet, and animals by building a supply chain that produces meat
with Certified Humane, organic, regenerative, and climate-positive
farming practices resulting in healthier meat products. Belcampo’s
animals are raised on its own USDA Certified Organic farms in
California on approximately 27,000 acres using Certified Humane and
regenerative farming techniques, and also by Belcampo Farms’ entire
community of small farmers.
The GHG inventory was compiled by Ali Ahmed, founder and
principal of Green Strategies LLC, and Dr. Mark E. Ritchie, Ph.D.,
scientist at Syracuse University specializing in ecology of
grasslands, grazing animals, and soils and principal of Soils for
the Future, LLC, a global consultancy focused on removals of
greenhouse gases to soil through grazing and fire management. Ahmed
has more than 20 years of experience as a recognized sustainability
and energy management leader and has developed and managed more
than 50 global energy and sustainability programs within his areas
of expertise, including carbon management, GHG inventories,
sustainability reporting, energy management, building and
industrial automation, energy procurement, renewable energy and
sustainable transportation solutions. Dr. Ritchie is an expert in
data analysis and modeling, especially related to grazing systems,
livestock, and wildlife management and the connection between land
management and soil carbon. His Soils for the Future project
partners include The Nature Conservancy, Biodiversity Research
Institute, Wildlife Conservation Society, Conservation
International and BioCarbon Partners.
To learn more about Belcampo Farms’ carbon sequestration and
climate-positive meats, please visit
https://belcampo.com/pages/climate-positive-burger.
Climate-Positive Burgers can be ordered at all Belcampo
restaurants, which are located throughout Northern and Southern
California with exact locations and details listed here:
https://belcampo.com/pages/locations. For non-California residents,
the same beef used to make Belcampo’s Climate-Positive Burgers is
available online at
https://belcampo.com/collections/climate-positive with nationwide
shipping. For more information about Belcampo and its mission to
revolutionize the meat industry, please visit www.belcampo.com.
About Belcampo Farms
Belcampo Farms is a community of climate positive farmers and
pioneer of hyper-sustainable, Certified Organic, 100% grass-fed,
Certified Humane, pasture-raised meats, broths, and jerky, with a
mission to revolutionize the meat industry for the wellbeing of
people, the planet, and animals. Belcampo is a climate positive
company, with carbon sequestration (removal of CO2 from the
atmosphere) from its regenerative farming and grazing practices
exceeding the carbon emissions from its operations and supply chain
as calculated per The GHG Protocol Corporate Standard. Belcampo
beef, poultry, pork, and lamb products are available online, in
select retailers, and in its restaurants and butcher shops. For
more information, visit www.belcampo.com or connect on Twitter,
Instagram or Facebook.
*
https://www.epa.gov/greenvehicles/greenhouse-gas-emissions-typical-passenger-vehicle
**
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/ng-interactive/2019/jul/19/carbon-calculator-how-taking-one-flight-emits-as-much-as-many-people-do-in-a-year
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Becca Stonebraker Rachel Kay Public Relations 818-383-3929
becca@rkpr.net