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Microbreweries, Maximum Sustainability
Did you know beer could be green? Neither did we.
At first when my partner and I set out to do this project, we thought our innovation was the fact that a local brewery, DC Brau, reused their waste by paying farmers to take it to their farms and feed it to their livestock. We later found out that this has been going on for ages.
Anheuser-Busch, the owner of global industry leading beers such as Budweiser and Stella Artois, has been recycling their beer waste since 1899! And that’s not all — as the recent craft beer movement has been expanding, so have sustainability initiatives of these small companies.
Many of these breweries use wind and solar power to power their electricity, and one, Alaskan Brewing Co. even catches and cleans its CO2 emissions. Many of these smaller breweries release annual sustainability reports as well as a means to show the public about their efforts.
So what’s the best part about all of these local companies giving back to our planet? We think it’s the concept itself and the potential it holds for future companies. But if you want to know more, you’ll have to check out our video and tell us what you think!
Cheers!
-Jen Wolfe & Melissa Turley
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On December 22nd, 2011 at 1:59 pm Terence Said:
You should check out what Sixpoint Brewery out of Redhook Brooklyn is doing in terms of sustainability. Not only do they donate all spent grain to local farmers, they collect runoff and use it to water their rooftop garden. They then use the ingredients they grow on the roof in many of the beers they brew and incorporate them into meals they feed their guests.
On December 23rd, 2011 at 12:49 pm Jennifer Wolfe Said:
Thanks Terence! That’s a great idea. There’s actually a lot of breweries that have combined brewing local beer and preparing foods because of the multi-purpose of the spent grains. If you’re interested check out Stone Brewing Co. or Hopworks Urban Brewery.
It’s a great idea to use the organic waste on a green roof — reusing waste, promoting organic fertilizer and using renewable energy. The craft beer industry is definitely a model business that we can learn from! Thanks again for your interest!
On April 7th, 2012 at 12:28 pm Joe Calzone Said:
Interesting, Will try to get a tour of Red Hook, being in B’klyn.