The Growing Green Brewery Movement - Kona Brewing

"green" movement is seen everywhere, and the beer industry is no exception. There are several major breweries with green initiatives that have already garnered attention, such as solar energy system is used for the Sierra Nevada and MillerCoors. However, there is one company that seems bent on being as green as possible - Kona Brewing Company on the Big Island of Hawaii. While Kona can be seated in heaven, it does not mean that the company is not taking steps to make the world a clean and green as possible.

Kona Brewing Company has a huge number of green initiatives going on right now. For example, they are two bases on the islands, and both are Certified Green Restaurants (certified by the Green Restaurant Association). In addition, they are completely organic brew beer. Their Oceanic Organic Saison only organic beer brewed in the country. They have also installed a massive solar power system. This system is actually able to generate 60% of energy needs.

Other green initiatives using Kona Brewing to reduce their carbon emissions, including re-use grain brewing process. After the brewery has done with them, the grain is actually given away to local cattle farm. Each grape gives ranchers used in the brewery restaurant, make a paste. Another interesting innovation is the use of heat to recover and reuse waste heat during the cooking process. This further offsets the company's energy use and reduce their carbon footprint. There are many other ways that a company invests in a better world, as well.

Perhaps the biggest problem facing businesses in reducing their use of transport. As Kona Brewing is located on the island, almost everything they use or products must be shipped. This creates pollution. In order to eliminate contamination that (as well as reduce operational costs), the company recently opened facilities on land near the market where they sold beer. This eliminates a significant amount of air and maritime traffic generated by power lines.

Kona Brewing is far from the only brewery out there with a vision of a greener world, but they might just be the most dedicated. If you are brewing up a similar attitude, then a truly innovative solutions can be found to problems affecting the whole world, and we should all drink to that.

Poto Cervesia,
Dustin Canestorp