Sustainable breweries assistance

Best Practices in most breweries:

• Upgrading fluorescent lights to CFL or LEDs to save energy.
• Installing low NOx emissions burners in boilers to reduce air pollution.
• Using clean-in-place methods to save water.
• Reducing waste by reusing spent grains as animal feed at local farms.

Unique ways to prevent pollution in breweries:

• Offsetting grid-supplied electricity with photovoltaic solar arrays. 
• Integrating a rain catchment system on roofs that route rainwater to a sand filter, removing solids before discharging into the Platt River. 
• Routing the waste CO2 from fermentation to an aquarium that grows a special strain of algae. The algae are used by an external company to develop sustainable printer ink. 
• Using repurposed materials to create all furniture in the tap room, including the bar. 

Practices that could be started at more breweries:

• Starting a leak detection program for air and water.
• Installing motion sensors on lights in low traffic areas such as warehouse or a fermentation room. 
• Installing a zip door with an automatic closing timer in walk-in coolers.
• Switching to a waterless canning line that uses an "Ionized air-rinse." 

Participating breweries include Avery, Asher, Breckenridge, Crazy Mountain, Great Divide, Horse and Dragon, Left Hand, Purpose and Upslope.

In the news:

• Free environmental assessments help craft brewers improve their bottom line