Go Green by Drinking Beer: A Guide for Eco Friendly Drinking

Between college parties, lazy Sunday afternoons, and winding down after work, beer is no doubt a popular beverage worldwide. But beer is more than just a beverage, it is also a key factor in multi-million dollar industry.

Keeping the aforementioned in mind, with everything going green these days it was only a matter of time before beer followed. Recently there has been a boost in the production of organic beer, sustainable and renewable energy powered breweries, and environmentally conscious beer lovers.

So what can you do to help the environment while enjoying a refreshing beer? Going green with your drinking habits can be easy if you keep some simple things in mind.

Go Green by Drinking Beer Tip #1: Drink Organic Ale

By choosing organic ale you have bought a product whose ingredients were spared of harmful toxic pesticides, fertilizers, hormones, and insecticides. These chemical inputs are a major player in the pollution of air, water, and land. According to GreenAmerica.org, at least 67 million birds are killed each year from insecticides sprayed on U.S. fields. This is in addition to the roughly 14 million fish that die due to the pesticides in the runoff water.

Chemically intensive farms not only harm humans and the local ecosystem, they also contribute to the detrimental losses of family owned farms. Organic farming, on the other hand, is proving to help small family run farms as most organic farms are less than 100 acres.

Lastly, by general rule organic beers taste better.

Go Green By Drinking Beer Tip #2 Buy Ale Locally

Purchasing beer from local vendors and breweries supports small business. Consequently, buying your ale locally ensures that your money stays within the community.

Even if the beer itself is not organic, buying locally still helps the environment. By purchasing local beer less fossil fuels are emitted because it cuts out the need for transportation. Many local breweries also use large refillable containers called "growlers." This allows customers to fill up their own containers which cut down on unnecessary packaging. Finally, the glass bottles and cardboard used to store the local ale is easily recyclable.

Go Green By Drinking Beer Tip #3: Support Green Beer Companies

If you hear of a company that is going out of their way to be green don't hesitate to buy their product. Many beer companies are making tremendous efforts in energy sustainability. For instance, the well known Pale Ale brewers Sierra Nevada power their brewery with solar power. This is a great option if you live in an area where there aren't many local breweries.

Go Green By Drinking Beer Tip #4: Drink Draught

College kids rejoice! Kegs are better for the environment than bottles. This is really just a matter of simple math: kegs hold more beer and therefore waste less bottles and cans. Depending on the size kegs can save up to hundreds of bottles and cans.

Go Green By Drinking Beer Tip #5: Recycle and Reuse the Packaging

Once you have finished off those 12 packs don't forget to recycle the bottles and cans. Once aluminum has been recycled it can be back on the shelf in 60 days. As for the bottles, 1 ton of recycled glass saves 1300 pounds of sand. And don't forget about the bottle caps which can be reused for anything from extra game pieces to refrigerator magnets.

These green beer drinking tips will not only help the environment, they will give you a whole new outlook on drinking beer. Green living through beer drinking will challenge your taste buds and help you find some eclectic new favorites while taking part in the green movement.

Sources:

Planet Green @ Discovery.com
Green America