Green Beer

One of the things Chico is famous for is being the location of Sierra Nevada Brewery. We are also noted for being relatively eco-conscious, and the brewery is a wonderful example of that.

Joel and I have dinner in the restaurant on a regular basis. Well, if we find ourselves lucky enough to have a date night on our hands, it's pretty much understood that unless someone says otherwise, we're probably going there. Good food. Reasonably priced. And tasty beer. I don't even like most bottled beers, but I will enjoy a something from their tap. And it comes in half-pints, which are just about my size. (It comes in pints?! I'm gettin one! Name that movie) Anyway, the place is almost always hoppin' - no pun intended - and for good reason.

Chicoans can be proud that for the past few years, the brewery has owned "one of the largest private solar arrays in the United States."2 They've also recently installed a charging station for electric cars in the parking lot! You can find more info about their efforts to save water, energy, and resources in the Environment section of their website. I find many of their practices quite clever, and it's refreshing to see a large company taking steps to reduce waste and emissions.

Keeping in mind that Sierra Nevada does have a relatively large facility, processing over 780,000 barrels of beer last year1, one of the more creative... and cute... and fluffy ways that they have reached for sustainability is the addition of sheep to their "workforce." No kidding! I just saw it on the local news a couple of weeks ago. You can find the whole story here. But basically the idea is that the sheep are brought in to graze in the hop fields - it's a more earth-friendly way to get rid of weeds, and the fields also get fertilized at the same time. haha. Apparently the sheep will stay there for a few months before they are returned to their home at a local farm.

Gee, I wish I could work for Sierra Nevada by laying around and eating.
Here is a photo of the cute little sheep that they shared on their Facebook page. Aren't they precious?

Well, good for you Sierra Nevada. I applaud your clever environmental practices.
Cheers!






Sources: 1- Wiki 2- Sierra Nevada