Most craft breweries do their best to mitigate the impact of brewing on the environment, and most craft beer drinkers that I know have at least some respect for Mother Nature, but it cannot be denied that the beverage we love comes at a price. Last Saturday, while most of us were probably doing nothing to help the environment, 86 volunteers from Pyramid Brewing and Columbia Distributing spent the day removing invasive species from parks in Seattle and Portland. It’s Pyramid’s way of helping to counterbalance the negative environmental impact of beer.
Volunteers spent over 500 volunteer hours at Pigeon Point Park in Seattle and Forest Park Conservancy in Portland removing invasive species as part of Tap It Forward, an environmental initiative intended to help counterbalance the inevitable impact of brewing beer, such as water usage, wastewater effluence, and carbon emissions.
According to a press release from Pyramid Breweries, the company has a triple bottom line philosophy that prioritizes community and environmental stewardship as part of its overall approach to business. Tap It Forward is part of the brewery’s volunteer time-off program where employees are encouraged to volunteer one to two days per year. Operations at the brewery shut-down and all employees work together to make an impact in the local community, including caring for urban green spaces to improve environmental impact.
“Tap It Forward is one of our favorite corporate initiatives as an opportunity to ultimately reduce the environmental impacts we have on our community,” said Robert Rentsch, general manager for Pyramid and Portland Brewing Co. “Volunteerism is another way we can protect and steward our natural resources and improve our footprint. It is a privilege to partner with Columbia Distributing to preserve our environment.”
Also from the press release, Pyramid and Columbia Distributing have roots in the Pacific Northwest, and the brand’s Northwest values of accountability, integrity, respect and trust have shaped past, present and future business and environmental practices. Tap it Forward lets the brands say thank you to the region that’s shaped their companies.
Cheers to all of our sponsors, like…