Reduce, reuse, recycle are particularly meaningful words on Earth Day, but for almond farmers they’re top of mind all year round.
Did you know almond trees grow more than just the nutritious almonds we eat? Our favorite nut grows in a shell, protected by a hull, on a tree. The California almond community has always taken responsibility to ensure each of these products are reused and put to beneficial use rather than sent to a landfill. Traditional uses for these materials include using hulls as dairy feed, shells as livestock bedding and, at the end of their productive lives, turning the trees into electricity.
Currently the California almond community is focusing research on additional and more optimal uses for these products, embracing a zero-waste approach and addressing needs across multiple industries such as food, pharmaceuticals, and automotive.
In fact, by 2025, the California almond community commits to achieve zero waste in our orchards by putting everything we grow to its optimal use. To help achieve our goal, this year the Almond Board of California is investing $1.2 million in nine research project exploring new applications from in-orchard utilization to value-added uses.
Ultimately, the almond community aims to be part of a genuine bioeconomy where every byproduct is an input for another valuable product. Watch for more about our zero waste approach:
