Elysa Hammond and Jad Daley volunteering at American Forests’ planting in Phoenix.
Elysa Hammond and Jad Daley volunteering at American Forests’ planting in Phoenix.

ON A SUNNY DAY in Phoenix, Jad Daley, American Forests’ president & CEO, and Lindsey Putz, director of corporate giving, met with Elysa Hammond, Clif Bar’s vice president of environmental stewardship. Hammond had joined American Forests the day before in planting 75 native desert trees and shrubs in North Mountain Park as part of the GreenBiz Conference, a convening of the brightest minds in sustain ability. After putting shovels in the ground together, Hammond gave us a glimpse into why our historic partner- ship is such a natural fit for Clif Bar.

Clif Bar and American Forests have been restoring landscapes together since 2004, planting nearly 150,000 trees across the country. The partnership began in a very organic way, pun intended, as Hammond was spearheading Clif Bar’s commitment to going organic, which is the foundation of their sustainability program. Through this process, Hammond was inspired by the deep ecological connection she saw between our food system and climate change. So, she decided to take Clif Bar’s sustainability commitments even further.

“When we launched our commitment to organic, we also decided to put a stake in the ground and take responsibility for our carbon footprint,” Hammond explained. “It was a holistic approach to addressing climate change.”

Clif Bar began investing in numerous environmental initiatives, including a powerful natural climate solution – trees. In fire-damaged areas of the Sierra Nevada mountains, the range showcased on Clif Bar wrappers, the company worked with American Forests to plant tens of thousands of trees. In Idaho, home of their new one-of-a-kind sustainability-focused bakery, the organizations have been planting the keystone whitebark pine tree species, a main food source for the grizzly bear. To be able to reforest landscapes in places they live and work lines up perfectly with the company’s values of striving for a healthier, more sustainable world.

“I’m really excited for the future of our work together,” Hammond shared, “to not only continue planting trees but to do so in increasingly more intentional ways that educate and engage people in restoring public lands.”