HUB: It's the Water, Just Not So Much
Hopworks Urban Brewery taketh and then giveth back.
As you probably know, water is a big part of brewing beer. Well, HUB recently signed an agreement with the Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF) to purchase Water Restoration Certificates (WRC), which will, over the course of the next year — restore 1.8 million gallons of water to Oregon’s Deschutes River.
According to a news release from HUB, BEF’s Water Restoration Certificate program is the first national-level, market-based solution that enables businesses to take responsibility for water consumption by helping restore water flow to critically de-watered creeks and rivers.
Basically, what this does is enable HUB, through the water restoration certificates, to return to the environment the entire amount of water they use during brewing for the whole year.
But water isn’t just fabricated, and you can’t pick some up at the store, so how do the WRCs work?
According to the news release, each WRC represents 1,000 gallons of water that is restored to critically “de-watered” streams, as identified and certified by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, which assures that the water is returned in ways that provide the greatest benefit to rivers, streams and fish and wildlife populations.
The program, which was launched in Summer 2009, provides economic incentives for water rights holders who historically have had to operate under policies that foster a “use it or lose it” model for water use. The BEF partners with water trust organizations to provide payment through the WRCs to water rights holders which allow them to use their water to restore these critically and chronically water-threatened streams.
Another great way to enjoy great beer and feel pretty darn good about it at the same time.
Posted by Lisa Morrison on October 19, 2010
