Did you ever imagine that you could help the environment by opening a beer? Here's yet another example that the ways corporate America addresses the issue of climate change permeates all aspects of our lives.
This week, Molson Coors Brewing Company was designated the number one brewing/alcohol company in the country in terms of climate change practices, and second in all beverage companies. This honor was bestowed upon Molson Coors by Ceres, a "national network of investors, environmental organizations, and other public interest groups focused on sustainability challenges," and was
announced in its "'Corporate Governance and Climate Change, Consumer and Technology Companies,' which focuses on climate change governance practices at 63 of the world's largest retail, beverage, pharmaceutical, technology, apparel and other consumer-facing companies."
Molson Coors notable achievements include reduction in energy usage by 5 percent; reduction in water use by 4 percent; reduction CO2 emissions by 6 percent; reduction in solid waste generation by 14 percent. The company was also recognized for its innovative efforts to convert waste beer into ethanol, producing 2.7 million gallons of ethanol for sale in Denver in 2007, a 68 percent increase from 2005.
So here's an alcohol company whose main interests lie in plying us
with beer, a substance that's not considered the healthiest of all we things we can ingest.
But what we're witnessing is a watershed moment with the power to transcend the type of business
involved; it's about an intersection between profit motive and doing what is right.
However, the real story is not that a brewing company is at the forefront of
climate change, it's that so many other large corporations are on the day-to-day frontlines of moving us into a healthier, more sustainable world.
So sit back, crack open a cold one, and feel good about your impact on the environment. Just don't forget to recycle the bottle.
Jonathan A. Schein is the publisher of MetroGreenBusiness.com and GreenBuildingsJobs.com