Green Living: Finding Eco-Friendly Beer

So, you've decided to go green in order to make the planet and yourself healthier. You should certainly be proud of yourself because you're making a real difference in the future of the planet and in your life. It's not always easy to go green in the beginning, especially if you are still participating in some "un-green" activities like drinking beer on the weekends. According to editors on Greenguide.com, which is affiliated with the National Geographic Society, beer is made primarily of malted barley, hops, and sometimes wheat, which is used to produce "wheat beer." These grains are usually contaminated with petroleum-based fertilizers, fungicides, pesticides and insecticides, which are potentially harmful to the environment as well as people.

Fortunately, if you like drinking beer, you're in luck, because you can continue to drink this beverage and still be green. Of course you can't drink Budweiser or Miller and expect to be doing the environment any favors, but there are some wonderful and quite satisfying green beers on the market so you will neither have to feel guilty about drinking conventional beer or about depriving yourself of drinking beer at all. According to many organic beer drinkers the taste is actually better, sweeter and more flavorful than traditional brands.

There are many places to get organic beer, but your best bet is to visit places in your neighborhood. Many bars now sell organic beer and other organic alcoholic beverages, which is great for those who are dedicated to living green. On fermenting revolution.com, there is a full list of beer breweries and bars with locations throughout the U.S. and even in other countries. In order to access the list, after going to the above website, all you have to do is click on the "drink beer" link and scroll down.

Another thing to consider when drinking beer, whether organic or not, is the container that the beer comes in. Whatever the material, the containers in which your beer comes in should be recycled after consumption. Recycling centers are available in just about every city or town, and many of the larger cities provide curbside recycling bins which can be hauled off with your regular trash each week.

It's perfectly okay for you to continue to drink beer after switching to a green lifestyle. You just need to remember that you've made a commitment to help protect the environment, which means that you should drink organic or other types of eco friendly beer whenever possible. If not, drinking beer on tap from local bars is a good alternative because it won't come in a glass bottle that needs to be recycled. Whichever method you use for obtaining and enjoying beer, as long as you stay conscious of the ecosystem and only drink in moderation, since even organic beer is still an alcoholic beverage, you can enjoy your beer without worrying.