New Belgium Brewery, makers of flagship beer Fat Tire, has their very foundations in the idea of working in concert with the surrounding environment. Founded 20 years ago, New Belgium has prided itself on its dedication to stewardship and sustainability. Located in Fort Collins, Colorado, New Belgium offers an array of beers brewed using wind power, a unanimous, company-wide decision more than 10 years ago.

2nd Green Revolution toured the facilities in the Fall of 2008. Several of the brewery’s sustainability measures are on display during the tour. This includes the capture of waste heat from fermentation which is pumped back into buildings. Spent yeast is sent to a local farm to serve as feed for cattle, while sludge is harvested from waste water and sold to an aqua-farm. During the tour, many unique features were discussed in addition to those mentioned above. After one year of employment each individual receives a bicycle from the owners. In the parking lot, premium spaces have been allocated to hybrid (gasoline-electric) vehicles. New Belgium is not available throughout the country in part due to their attempt to lessen fuel consumption. To help decrease packaging, the brewery has tested lighter, more often recycled aluminum as an alternative to glass bottles.

Here is a list of 10 specific steps New Belgium Brewery has taken toward their goal of being environmental stewards and a sustainable business:

1. Increased efficiencies in the brewing process
2. Utilized green design throughout our building
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
9. Constant benchmarking
10. Partnering to support innovative technology

Point number four mentions “on-site energy production”. The following explanation of this point comes from New Belgium’s sustainability page on their website. “The methane produced by process water treatment is used to fuel a combined heat and power engine—or co-gen—which creates electricity and heat for the brewery. The co-gen allows us to offset those critical—and expensive—peak loads by creating electricity on-site from a renewable source—our process wastewater. When the co-gen is running full-time, it can supply 15% of our electrical needs.” Local production of renewable energy provides New Belgium with a reliable source of independent energy, which reduces their overhead.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day,

- Justin Manger and Eric Wilson