The Earth Day DRINK GREEN Challenge
Tomorrow is Earth Day! Woot woot!
(For those of you who have trouble remembering the date, it is always two days after 4/20 … yeah just saying)
And although I am a firm believer in celebrating Earth Day everyday, the date itself is a great opportunity to challenge and inspire people all over the world to change their habits and behaviors — if just for one day.
My goal of this post is to create a viral challenge. I challenge everyone to drink as green as possible on Earth day.
Now, I understand that the word “green” is very ambiguous and overused. What exactly does it mean to drink green? I have broken it down into two categories, DRINK LOCAL & DRINK SUSTAINABLE, each of which I will go into further detail.
DRINK LOCAL
1. LOCAL BREWPUBS & BREWERY TAP ROOMS
THE LOGIC: This is by far the most environmental of all the choices. Drinking on premise reduces carbon footprint TREMENDOUSLY. The beer is essentially served straight from the bright tank — which means no energy is consumed for bottling, kegging, shipping etc… Not to mention, beer is freshest when consumed directly from the source in which it came. Purchasing from locally based breweries also helps support small, privately-owned businesses
THE BONUS POINTS: Give yourself extra credit if:
- The brewery sources organic, local or some sort of sustainable ingredients.
- The brewery gives away its spent grain (and yeast) to local farmers.
- The brewery engages in energy and water conservation practices (extra points for solar panels and recycled water)
- The brewpub serves local, organic, conscientiously raised food.
- EXTRA EXTRA points if you ride your bike, walk or take public transportation.
THE EXCEPTION: If your local brewery is a corporate company, that is the exception to the rule. Why? Because I said so.
2. LOCAL BEER AT LOCAL BARS
THE LOGIC: Drinking local beer at local bars not only reduces the carbon footprint of the beer (the farther beer has to travel, the bigger the footprint), but it also boosts the local economy. If you are not lucky enough to have a brewpub or brewery within a decent distance, swilling down some of the most local beer at your local bar is a great alternative! Also, drinking off draft helps reduce carbon footprint because a lot of energy goes into glass production and glass is one of the hardest products to recycle efficiently.
THE BONUS POINTS: Give yourself extra credit if:
- Your beer is organic or made with sustainable ingredients.
- The bar engages in sustainable practices.
- The bar serves local, organic, conscientiously raised food.
- EXTRA EXTRA points if you ride your bike, walk or take public transportation.
THE EXCEPTION: Consuming Budweiser at your local bar. That is just NOT COOL.
DRINK SUSTAINABLE
1. DRINK HOMEBREW
THE LOGIC: Same idea as drinking beer on tap at the establishment that makes it, homebrew consumed at home (or near it) has very little carbon footprint.
THE BONUS POINTS: Give yourself extra credit if:
- You pair your beer with a meal made from organic, local and conscientiously raised ingredients.
- The homebrew is made with organic ingredients (Check out SEVEN BRIDGES for more information)
2. DRINK LOCAL GROWLERS
THE LOGIC: If you are drinking at home, why not pick up a refillable growler or “beer box” from your local tapping room? Because filling growlers does not consume much energy, this beer will have less carbon footprint than anything that gets bottled (and shipped)
THE BONUS POINTS: Give yourself extra credit if:
- The local beer is sustainably produced.
- You ride your bike, walk or take public transportation to buy the growler.
- You pair your beer with a meal made from organic, local and conscientiously raised ingredients.
- You recycle the growler.
3. DRINK ORGANIC BEER
THE LOGIC: Essentially, certified organic beers are made with certified organic ingredients from certified organic farms. This means that barley, hops, and other ingredients used to make the beer are spared the application of toxic insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, and fertilizers. These unhealthy chemical inputs pollute our water, air, and soil. Unfortunately, organic hop and barley producers are very few and far between. These guys are, essentially, “the little guys.” The price of organic certification in conjunction with the higher ingredient costs may make some organic beers appear more costly than others. But trust me, it is worth the money.
THE BONUS POINTS: Give yourself extra credit if:
- Your organic beer is also locally produced.
- You ride your bike, walk or take public transportation to the store to buy organic beer.
- You pair your organic beer with a meal made from organic, local and conscientiously raised ingredients.
- You recycle the bottle and/or clean it an use it for homebrewing.
BEER SUGGESTIONS:
- BISON BREWING COMPANY: All Bison beers are brewed organically, not just one or They are certified organic by the CCOF, Santa Cruz, CA. Certified organic means that agricultural products have been grown and processed under USDA national organic standards and independently certified. They believe that organic products, from field to consumer, are the best way to protect the environment, save energy, and ensure sustainability of American farming.
- PEAK ORGANIC BREWING: Peak is a small craft brewing company dedicated to making delicious, handcrafted ales using only the finest artisanal ingredients.
2. DRINK SUSTAINABLE BEER
THE WHY: Getting “organic” or “green” certifications can be extremely costly and almost impossible for some breweries. Most craft breweries engage in some sort of environmental practices — whether it be as small as just donating spent grain or as a large as installing solar panels or utilizing wind power! If you cannot find any organic beers locally, go for some that are “sustainably produced.”
THE BONUS POINTS: Give yourself extra credit if:
- Your organic beer is also locally produced.
- You ride your bike, walk or take public transportation to the store to buy organic beer.
- You pair your organic beer with a meal made from organic, local and conscientiously raised ingredients.
- You recycle the bottle and/or clean it an use it for homebrewing.
BREWERY SUGGESTIONS:
- Great Lakes Brewing Company is an environmentally and socially conscious brewer of award-winning, all natural beer. The care that goes into the beer resonates from a commitment to the community and environment, otherwise known as the “Triple Bottom Line” – to engage in economic, social and environmental practices that achieve a sustainable, yet profitable, business. They have installed solar panels on both the brewery and the brewpub and are actively engaging in water conservation efforts.
- Odell’s Brewing Co. – Odell’s is actively helping reduce greenhouse gas through solid waste (paper, glass, plastic, etc.) recycling; staggering production to avoid using energy during peak demand times; investing in and using renewable energy sources; using skylights for natural light; promoting the “Bike to Work Day” Business Challenge and the “Drive Less” Challenge. They use wind power for 100% of their electrical needs, reducing the demand for conventional, fossil-fuel-burning energy and reducing emissions of CO2, particulate matter and other pollutants. Odell’s also fuels all their diesel trucks with biodiesel, a renewable fuel made from American-grown vegetable oilseed crops.
- Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.: Sierra Nevada uses a combination of fuel cells and solar panels. They have made great strides around recycling, heat recovery, carbon-dioxide recovery, water conservation, and energy efficiency. In an effort to quantify and begin reductions, Sierra Nevada joined the California Climate Action Registry. The Registry is a voluntary reporting program that gives SN a way to report and certify GHG emissions.
- Brooklyn Brewery – In 2003, Brooklyn Brewery became the first NYC company to switch to 100% wind-generated electricity. It also pays farmers in New Jersey to swing by and pick up the “spent grain” — the remaining husks that are left over after brewing. The farmers then feed the nutritious grains to their livestock, making good use of Brooklyn Brewery’s waste.
- Wolavers and Butte Creek offer organic pale ales, IPAs, porters, stouts, etc.
- New Belgium Brewing Co. – The following list highlights the actual sustainable practices of New Belgium:
1. Increased efficiencies in the brewing process
2. Utilized green design throughout our building. (Lighting. HVAC. Materials.)
3. Implemented a process for treating our wastewater
4. On-site energy production
5. Wind-powered electricity since 1999
6. Employ a High Involvement Culture
7. Sustainable Eventing
8. Actionable Advocacy
TAKE THE “DRINK GREEN” CHALLENGE
If only for one day out of the year, I encourage you to join with me and accept the challenge to DRINK as GREEN as possible on Earth Day.
I encourage others to leave comments on this post, sharing with everyone how you intend on drinking green tomorrow!
Cheers!
35 Comments to “The Earth Day DRINK GREEN Challenge”
Leave a Reply
I think I’ll go the “drink homebrew” route. As local as it gets, right?
Great write up. We will pass it along in our Brewery’s digital feeds.
Another note: Growlers. Need beer for dinners, weekend events, your home? Get refillable growlers from your local brewery.
For Example: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?invites&eid=120052511344861
I’m in!! Will be drinking at a local brewpub and walking there! Cheers! Great article.
Enjoyed the post – being a home-brewer I know brewing can be resource consumption heavy and it’s good to encourage this behavior in thre breweries we buy our beer from. Salute!
Very nice article! We’ve linked to you on our Facebook. Cheers!
- Lucky Hand Brewing Company, Oakland, CA
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Really nice writeup on this one, Ashley!
Thanks Ken!
Social comments and analytics for this post…
This post was mentioned on Twitter by dancurranjr: Pass this on! The DRINK GREEN Challenge: http://is.gd/bCpAy Interesting write up. Spread the word!…
Thanks Ken!
Very nice article! We’ve linked to you on our Facebook. Cheers!
- Lucky Hand Brewing Company, Oakland, CA
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