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Walking the Guac for Sustainability; Chipotle to Donate 100 Percent of Guacamole Sales on June 28 to The Land Institute

Walking the Guac for Sustainability; Chipotle to Donate 100 Percent of Guacamole Sales on June 28 to The Land Institute

Published 06-28-06

Submitted by Chipotle Mexican Grill

DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 28, 2006--Ever thought of ordering a side of sustainability with your carnitas or crispy chicken tacos? On Wednesday, June 28, when burrito enthusiasts file into their nearest Chipotle, this option will be on the menu, and it will be as easy as adding fresh, handmade guacamole to any order.

On that day, Chipotle restaurants across the country will donate 100 percent of guacamole sales (up to $50,000) to The Land Institute, a nonprofit research and education organization focused on building ecologically stable agricultural systems. The donation will help support the Institute, based in Salina, Kan., in its ongoing efforts to develop Natural Systems Agriculture, an agricultural system that mimics nature's own solutions to problems such as soil erosion, weed invasions, diseases and even climate change.

With Natural Systems Agriculture, crops such as wheat, corn and soybeans are transformed to perennial plants, coming back year after year without the need for replanting. They require little or no tilling or petrochemical fertilizers or pesticides, and ultimately reinvigorate and replenish depleted soils. According to the Institute, this sun-based, natural system could very well revolutionize agriculture worldwide for future generations. Wes Jackson, president of the Institute, who was recently profiled in Smithsonian magazine as one of the country's top 35 innovators, has long been an outspoken advocate for sustainable agriculture.

"Our work is about finding ecologically progressive alternatives to fossil fuel-based industrial agriculture," said Jackson. "We're pleased that our friends at Chipotle are lending support to this sustainable vision."

Chipotle's support of The Land Institute is a product of its own vision for sustainability. Under the banner of "Food with Integrity," the central mission that drives the company's push to revolutionize the way food is grown, gathered and served, Chipotle is working back along the food chain and paying attention to how vegetables are grown and how animals are raised, creating a clearer - and often unsatisfactory - picture of the food we eat and the impacts of conventional agriculture. Food with Integrity is a constant process of searching and improving, an incremental revolution to improve how land is farmed and food is grown. In addition to being the country's leading restaurant purchaser of naturally raised meats (meats that come from animals that are raised on a pure vegetarian diet and never given antibiotics or growth hormones), Chipotle has also begun serving organically raised beans and is committed to expanding its sourcing of sustainably grown ingredients.

"These are issues that go far beyond the dinner table," said Steve Ells, Chipotle's founder, chairman and CEO. "We were so inspired by the work taking place at The Land Institute when we visited with Wes in Salina. It's important to us to support the leadership they are showing all of us on behalf of food and farms in America."

About The Land Institute

The Land Institute, based in Salina, Kan., is a nonprofit research and education organization dedicated to the development of Natural Systems Agriculture, an agricultural system with the ecological stability of the prairie and a grain yield comparable to that from annual crops. Their mission is to encourage the collaboration of people, land and community. And by consulting nature as the source and measure of that partnership, the Institute's goal is to develop an agriculture that will nurture soil health and biodiversity while promoting a community life at once prosperous and enduring. To learn more about The Land Institute, visit www.landinstitute.org.

About Chipotle

Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE: CMG) offers a focused menu of burritos, tacos, burrito bols (a burrito without the tortilla) and salads made from fresh, high-quality raw ingredients, prepared using classic cooking methods and served in a distinctive atmosphere. Through our vision of Food with Integrity, Chipotle is seeking better food not only from a variety of fresh ingredients, but ingredients that are sustainably grown and naturally raised with respect for the animals, the land, and the farmers who produce the food. Chipotle opened its first restaurant in 1993 and operates more than 500 restaurants today. To learn more, visit www.chipotle.com.

Copyright Business Wire 2006

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