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This evening I got to chat with Cheri Chastain, the Sustainability Coordinator at Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., about their ongoing efforts to reach complete sustainability at their brewery, and to do their part to help our environment. Here is a transcript of our conversation:

• What do you do at Sierra Nevada?
  My current official title is Sustainability Coordinator; I coordinate our recycling program, I oversee our energy & water conservation programs, our storm drainage program, our green house gas emissions reports – really, anything related to the environment comes back to me. It keeps me pretty busy.
• How did you end up at Sierra Nevada?
  Actually, I was hired as the Recycling Assistant. I went from there to Coordinator, and really it just mushroomed from there. They figured that “Sustainability” captured all of what I was doing. At the time, I didn’t have any brewing experience but I wrote my masters’ thesis on sustainability and it was certainly something I was passionate about. So when it turned out that Sierra Nevada was hiring, I jumped at the chance; it’s worked out really well.
• What is your favorite part about working at a brewery?
  Brewing produces such a wonderful product to begin with, and any opportunity I can have to make that product sustainable is awesome. I would want to work towards sustainability where ever I was but brewing, unlike other places I might have ended up, is not a dry industry, so to speak; it’s a fun industry to be in.
• I’ve read everywhere recently that Sierra Nevada Brewing is in the process of “going green”; what exactly does that mean for you guys?
  Honestly, our owner Ken Grossman has run the brewery in a “green” fashion from the beginning. Sierra Nevada was founded using recycled dairy equipment for our brewing process; we’ve always been driven by using what’s all ready readily available to us and we’ve maintained that to this day. A lot of what we do is simply just our culture and what we do here. We’ve been working on being good environmental stewards from the beginning; it’s something we’ve done since the brewery was founded in 1979.
• What steps are you taking to become sustainable?
  We have so many projects going on, but refining our energy process is one of the biggest; brewing takes lots of energy, largely in the form of heat. At first we worked on our lighting control systems; increasing efficiency and conservation in lighting throughout our facilities. We also have four new fuel cells on site, which produce one megawatt of power, through a blend of natural gas and methane, which is produced on site. It’s really a closed loop with the feedstock we have in our backyard. We also have brand new solar panels covering our parking lot, which produce an additional ½ megawatt of power, and we just signed a contract to begin instillation in the coming months of another megawatt of solar power on our warehouse rooftop, as well.

  These are the biggest things that a lot of people are talking about, but we have countless other things going on here, too. We have installed a C02 conservation system to capture the C02 released during brewing, which we later reuse throughout the brewing process – from cleaning tubes to running the bottling lines, etc. We have a water treatment plant on-site; we treat all of our water before we release it into the sewers. Sierra Nevada is also researching using our used water for irrigation; I’m Working really hard to reduce our water consumption. We’ve already reduced our water usage to about half of the level used in traditional brewing practices. I’ve also focused on heat recovery because heat is such a big part of brewing. We have Heat Recovery Systems in place in 3 different spots in our brewery—on our kettles, on the new fuel cells, and on our boilers—which reduce the demand on each for heat.

Let’s see, what else… We have an amazing recycling program – in 2006 we diverted 97.8% of our total waste, a large portion of which was spent grains & yeast which we sent to local feed lots to be used as a food additive. We even have a heard of cattle here on site that is completely organically pasture raised (which is where the methane used in our fuel cells comes from). The reality is there is not just one silver bullet that will solve all of our environmental issues, but more like 1000 silver B.B.s.

Sierra Nevada has even made efforts to reduce the waste generated through transportation to our brewery – We recently started bringing in our grain from Canada by rail rather than truck, which is less hazardous. Currently the grain is taken to about 10 miles from our brewery by rail and then driven the rest of the way, but soon that distance will be down to two miles away. Even our fork lifts are electric; we’re trying. There are so many things that we still could be doing, it’s always going to be an ongoing process.

• I know that many “green” companies go through a certification program; did Sierra Nevada go through something similar and, if so, what was the certification process like?
  Unfortunately there is no certification program for breweries at this time. That being said, a lot of breweries across the country are doing a lot of different things, as far as sustainability is concerned, but I think we’ve really taken the lead on many things – energy conservation for one. Reaching sustainability is an intensive venture to take on; it takes an enormous amount of time and capital.
• If it is such an intensive project to undertake, why do it? Besides the obvious impact on the environment, have you found any other benefits to sustainability?
  I think it’s actually easier for the smaller breweries to take on green initiatives. For instance, although it may be expensive initially, if you can cut your water usage and waste output in half, you cut your bills in half. All of the steps we’ve taken have turned out to be very economical in the end; breweries can take advantage of this, even if just out of necessity. It’s simple really; if you reduce usage, if you produce less waste, you don’t have to purchase as much; if you use fewer boxes, you need fewer boxes. It just makes sense on so many levels.
• With all of these initiatives in place, what’s next for Sierra Nevada Brewing?
  Oh God, so many different things. We’re doing so much already but there are still so many opportunities. The water is a big thing, not having so much waste water. Energy is another big thing; I have to find ways to reduce our energy consumption. Last year we joined The California Climate Action Registry where we voluntarily report our greenhouse gas emissions. It’s a great jumping off point to look at ways we can reduce our waste from our boilers, for example. All these goals to “going green” that people are throwing out—from being carbon neutral to reducing waste, etc.—really are great goals to have, and I’m sure we’ll peruse many of them.

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Popularity: 10% [?]

Right on the heels of my recent interview with Jon Cadoux of Peak Organic Brewing, this evening I got to chat with Heather Conlin, the Special Projects Manager of Alaskan Brewing Co. Here is what she had to say:

What is your role at Alaskan Brewing?
My role has sort of evolved over time, but currently I work in human resources and am the special projects manager. So I do a lot of hiring, employee motivation, and performance reviews; my special projects have evolved, too. I started as a chemist in the brewery lab 7 years ago and then worked in both production and quality assurance, before settling on what I do now. My current special project is marketing, but I’ve worked with our I.T. department for the development of our production database, I’ve also worked on our website, and even on the retail side of the brewery. I’ve done a little bit of everything, really; we have a very collaborate environment here, you work where your interests lie. Alaskan Brewing has an active Rough Draft Program where employees from any department can participate – I’m currently working on convincing our brewer to try a Belgium Whit. It’s neat because we can really make those things happen.

How did you come to work there?
It’s funny; everyone has a story for how they end up in Alaska. Some people are born here but most people just sort of end up here – most people come on vacation and just never go home. I was born in Alaska but not technically raised there. But, after grad school—at the time having lived here none of my adult life—I decided to go home. So I packed up a 1974 motor home and headed out. When I got here, I looked for the best job available; I started at the university as an adjunct professor of business, but when I saw the brewery was hiring a chemist, I thought “how fun would that be” and before I knew it, they had hired me. And I’ve never been happier.  

What is your favorite part about working for a brewery?
That every day is totally different: I wake up am and excited to come here. Also, you never know what the day is going to bring. The employees are what make it all happen – they’re passionate and are driving us to succeed every day; it’s an exciting environment to be in.

…About Alaska?
I’ve been fortunate to explore throughout the state recently and one of the things that’s so amazing is Alaska is HUGE, it is still very much a frontier – so really just the sheer size; but also the diversity of climates and the wildlife across the state. Believe it or not, Juneau is in the middle of a temperate rainforest, and right on the water, so we have all sorts of wild animals here that really are part of our lives. On the other hand, If you go further north, the terrain changes completely – I drove the Top of the World Highway through the artic tundra earlier this year. Every community in Alaska is so unique and the people here approach life with open eyes; there is a real can-do will about everyone and everyone is ready to take on life. It is harder to live life here, so relationships and bonds are a lot stronger.

What is the coastal CODE program and what is Alaskan Brewing Co. doing to help?
Well, Coastal CODE started earlier this year to coincide with the launch of our Alaskan IPA. We have a long history of corporate philanthropy and environmental stewardship, and saw the CODE program as an opportunity to give financially to both of those. The program is really both a call to action and a grant-making fund; it’s completely non-profit and run by a group called Ocean foundation. The program has an advisory board which meets quarterly and awards 3 grants a quarter to support coastal clean up, awareness, education, and our Paddle Out events. There is one such event going on in California right now—with one of the extreme athletes—to raise awareness about the harmful effects of plastics in the ocean. He is currently paddling the length of California and talking to people about how they can help at every stop along the way. We’re also planning beach cleanups around each of his stops. Really we’re just trying to get the community out there and aware of what’s going on with our oceans and their health.

Why should we care?
Oceans take up the largest percentage of mass on the earth and most people directly use the resources of the ocean in one way or another every day – we use it for recreation, fishing, and transportation – and people’s health depends on it. Every stream & river everywhere flows into the ocean, so even if you’re in a landlocked state, you are still directly tied to the ocean. Oceans are a very large piece of the puzzle when it comes to global warning, too, and Alaska especially sees the effects of that. Here’s a neat fact for you: 180 million Americans make a total of two billion visits to oceans a year, and 75% of all recreation in this country occurs within a ½ mile of our shorelines. We should all feel comfortable using our oceans and using them responsibly. 

How can others get involved?
There are a number of ways people can be involved: start by visiting our website, www.coastalcode.org; there you can buy a t-shirt to show your support, and $5 of each sale goes directly to the fund. You can find volunteer info and links on the site, and you can donate directly to the fund. But best of all, drink our Alaskan IPA – 1% of all sales of the beer go directly to the fund, which is what is granted out to non-profits.

What is the IPA all about?
The IPA is currently available in 9 states, however only on the west coast (sorry). It’s the newest product in our product line and features awesome graphics inspired by the coast of Yakutat, AK – a well-known cold water surfing destination. We recently funded a two-week beach clean up there, and sent our entire Brew Crew to Yakutat to help clean. We cleaned a total of about seven tons of garbage from the beach. There is no natural barrier there to protect the beach from man-made elements, so the beach collects garbage that flows in from all over the world. We found some very “interesting” stuff.

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Popularity: 8% [?]

This evening I was lucky enough to sit down for an exclusive interview with Jon Cadoux, the founder of Peak Organic Brewing Co. in Portland, Maine. The pesticides used in non-organic farming have been linked to cancer, Developmental Toxicity, Reproductive Toxicity, Endocrine System Toxicity, Neurotoxicity, Immune System Toxicity, and more. The good news, however, is that in the past decade, sales of organic products have shown an annual increase of at least 20%, the fastest growing sector of agriculture. Please do all you can to support Peak Organic Brewing and the organic movement. What follows is a transcript of my conversation with Mr. Cadoux, enjoy:

How did you first get into brewing?

Like many of the best brewers, I got my start home brewing in college. My friends and I were real foodies and kitchen rats, so home brewing was a natural extension of that. Home brewing really builds a good foundation for brewing, since you’re coming at from an experimental and improvisational standpoint. It’s one thing to be able to read and follow a recipe, but the real key to success is to bring improv to your brewing, to push the boundaries of style. Along the same lines, my friends and I starting making crazy beers and really getting into it; at the same time we were starting to get incredible feedback on the beers we were making.

As competitive as the beer world is, I think Peak Organic is just winning because of the sheer quality of our product, that organic point of difference; we’re really just along for the ride. Being organic allows us to cut through the clutter of the commercial beer world, but really we’re like anyone else - just a bunch of friends who got into the beer business.

What were the early days of Peak Organic Brewing Co. like?

There is a lot of paperwork involved with selling things commercially, but even more when what you’re selling is alcohol, and even more when it’s organic. I was really blown away by the bureaucracy of it all. But I guess that saves the integrity of the organic products, and beer in general really—this way no one is out there selling poisonous beer or faulty organic products—it was just surprising. But once the product got out there, on shelves and into restaurants, like I said, we were really just along for the ride.

Why did you decide to go organic?

Organic ingredients are just better. I like to think that I have some good business sense and I knew it was best to brew with the best ingredients we could get our hands on. You can have the best marketing plan and the best distribution deals, but when all’s said and done, you succeed when your product is great; we survive with people who believe in sustainability. To me, it didn’t make sense to be in business if I wasn’t in a business with a purpose. Not just making beer but continuing to turn people on to sustainability.

At the end of the day, I took a look at the state of agriculture in our country right now – at the use of pesticides, at the determent caused by agriculture runoff, at what will happen if our country continues operating at a non-sustainable pace, I didn’t want to contribute to that. Really, I can’t think of a reason not to brew organically.

Is it tougher to produce organic beers?

It can be, yes; organic brewing—like organic products in general—is often more expensive. We’re lucky enough, however, to have been doing this for eight years, so we’ve built great business relationships with those same original farmers who were amazed someone was just calling them up out of the blue.

What’s your favorite part about the industry?

Making beer. At the end of the day, attention goes to a lot of other things, to marketing, to distribution, to personnel—and it has to—but tomorrow morning at 7:00am I’ll be there brewing a batch of beer. It’s what I love more than anything else, so to be able to make money off of that is pretty cool.

Why did you decide to open up shop in Maine?

I’m from Baltimore originally and like a lot of people came up to New England for college. I’ve lived all over New England and traveled a great deal, but in the end, Portland just made sense.

On your website you ask people to share their photos and explanations of their “peak experience” – what was yours?

Someone take a picture of me at 7:00am tomorrow brewing beer, that’s what it’s all about. A lot of us at Peak are passionate surfers and outdoors people and that’s taken us all over the world, but at the end of the day – brewing beer is my favorite.

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Popularity: 9% [?]