Conservation 101: the Compete to Conserve Blog

photo credit: Saquan Stimpson/monstershaq2000

If the first step in addressing an issue is to admit that there is one, then I have a confession: I am Irish. And as a member of the famous potato-famine ravaged brethren, I take my alcohol seriously.

Sure, I succumbed to the likes of “head-wrecker” beer in my younger days (the bottle opener bottom design was just too convenient for late night parties on the beach.) But as my palette, uh, matured, I tended toward the finer microbrews, the more intricate, aged wines, and the top-shelf alcohols. Not every time, but as often as my wallet could cover the cost (and when others were buying, of course.)

I have even patted myself on the back for purchasing, drinking and liking organic wines, especially when paired with local food fare featuring Niman Ranch products and regionally-raised produce. (A favorite in San Francisco is Green Chili Kitchen. I highly recommend it.)

But, until now, I have not delved much deeper into the availability of wines, beers and spirits that aim to lessen their carbon footprint. And more and more pop up every year.

Determining a Carbon Footprint for any product is a multi-level process with many contributing factors. For example, the Cider Museum in Hereford, England, posted a report exploring the Carbon Footprint of Cider. The essay notes that the same method is used for all carbon footprint calculations: “You find the inputs, the amount of fuel and materials, and measure how much C02 each produces. You off set this against any C02 that the process absorbs.”

The cider making process can be broken down into two major parts—growing/harvesting the fruit and making the cider. (There should also be some consideration for shipping the final product.) But within those parts are many other parts that need to be established to determine the Life Cycle Assessment of cider production and distribution.

In the Orcharding stage, for example, one needs to consider how many people travel to work, how far they travel, and the average emission rate for their cars, as well as how the fruit is transported, including how far it travels and the mode of transport (car, train, boat, etc). Fertilizer and pesticide use also needs to be examined. While many producers are aiming toward more organic options, the shift is still a work-in-progress.

These elements and more come into play when considering the footprint of any flavor of booze.

Christopher Mark O’Brien highlights the efforts to “tread lightly” put forth by beer manufacturers in his beer activist blog. He notes that New Belgium, creators of Fat Tire, did a study and found that 50 percent of greenhouse gases related to the beloved ale came from energy consumed via refrigeration at beer retailers. Other sizable contributors included production and transport of the glass bottles used for packaging and the “agro-chemicals and energy used to grow and malt barley.” To reduce this contribution to the ever changing climate, the company sources renewable energy to power their brewery and are considering packaging some of their beer in lighter, more compact aluminum cans, which require less energy to recycle than glass. They are also “brewing their Mothership Wit with organic ingredients grown without petroleum-derived fertilizers and pesticides.” (And it tastes good, too.)

For fresher and even more enviro-friendly beer, aim for the brewpub, says O’Brien, where beer is piped from storage vessel to serving vessel (recyclable kegs or refillable growlers being the environmentally-preferred options) within the same building.

O’Brien’s book, Fermenting Revolution: How to Drink Beer and Save the World, offers a variety of other ways to enjoy your favorite brew in an Earth-conscious manner—from bringing your own bags to the grocery store to brewing your own beer.

With the growing interest in consuming organic and/or local products, there seems to be a little something for everyone, in terms of alcohol options. Organic wines may not be so new, but the presence of organic spirits is refreshing.

For those shopping for vodka, Iceland’s Reyka Vodka is made in a geothermal energy-powered distillery—where water from natural hot springs is converted to energy. McCormick’s 360 Vodka comes in bottles made from 85 percent recycled glass and labeled with 100 percent post-consumer recycled paper. The company also buys offsets for its electricity, transportation and natural gas emissions, and donates a dollar to an environmental organization for every bottle sold. (info care of thedailygreen and blogher.com)

Both organic and distilled locally (at least for those of us in NorCal) is Square One Vodka, made from “pristine spring water from the Teton Mountains and organically certified North Dakota-grown rye” in a partially wind-powered distillery. Square One boasts such purity in its water and rye that the product need not be distilled multiple times. And the left over rye mash is even sold as feed to local dairy farms. The company also forgoes frosted glass bottles and prints its labels on “sustainably grown and renewable fiber sources” including bamboo, bagasse and cotton. They even recommend that, post-use, the bottle makes a fine vase.

Other brands to look for include: Rain Organics (made from organic white corn with a polishing stage that adds pure limestone water), 42 Below (touting the purity of New Zealand’s water and air), and Death’s Door (where ships transport locally grown grain to the mainland via Death’s Door passage—the waterway connecting Lake Michigan and Green Bay.)

In the whiskey department, Bruichladdich leads the way by aiming for “zero carbon footprint” at their new Port Charlotte distillery (thedailygreen.com).

As for gin, Death’s Door also makes a small-batch gin from local juniper berries, while Juniper Green Organic Gin boasts first certified 100-percent organic gin status (made with organic juniper berries, coriander, angelica root and savory, and without chemical fertilizers or fungicides.)

For more on drinking eco-responsibly, check out the Green LA Girl’s organic liquor round up at: http://greenlagirl.com/2007/07/23/organic-liquor-roundup/

Or her guide for drinking like an environmentalist: http://greenlagirl.com/2007/08/06/happy-hour-with-green-tinted-glasses/

Related Entries

1. Food and Fuel—Keeping it in the Country
2. Real Food Options
3. How Organic is “Organic”?