3 8 SPRING 2020 FOOD & DRINK
Planting thousands of trees, reducing
waste and returning clean water to their
local environments, these breweries walk
the talk.Water might be beer’s least-talked-about
ingredient, but breweries use a lot of it.
Reducing waste and returning clean water
to the local environment are top of mind
for breweries like Sawdust City Brewing
Co. in Gravenhurst and Bench Brewing Co.
in Beamsville, which have both installed
BRU Clean systems from Toronto- based
Econse Water Purification Systems Inc.
The employee-owned and -operated
Beau’s All-Natural Brewing in Vankleek Hill
was the first Ontario beer maker to earn
Certified B Corporation certification in- Becoming a B Corp isn’t easy: B Lab,
a non-profit that oper ates globally, verifies
that businesses meet stringent require-
ments demonstrating their positive social
and environmental impacts. High Park
Brewery in Toronto and Ernest Cider Co. in
Aurora have now joined the B Corp ranks.
Planting trees is one way Kenora’s
Lake of the Woods Brewery gives back
to its community. Partnering with the
First- Nations-owned Miisun Integrated
Resource Management Company, it has
planted 10,000 trees in three years.
Another Northern Ontario brewery,
Sleeping Giant Brewing Co. in Thunder
Bay, works with EcoSuperior Environ-
mental Programs to encourage land
stewardship on Lake Superior’s shores by
using sustainable packaging and holding
trash-cleanup events.
Green beer
BLYTH, ON | COWBELLBREWING.COM
When Grant Sparling, Cowbell’s chief devel opment officer, is
asked why sustainable practices are so deeply ingrained in the
ethos and actions of the brewery, it comes down to one word:
family. For generations, the Sparlings have built family-focused busi-
nesses with a commitment to giving back to their largely agricultural
community in western Ontario. With achievements like constructing
North America’s first carbon-neutral brewery, and its no-impact on-
site waste-water treatment, Cowbell continues to lead the way with
new initiatives. Up next: a zero-waste kitchen program.Cowbell Brewing Co.
On average,
it takes 10 glasses
of water to make
a single pint of
beer.COWBELL IMAGE BY AUSTIN CHAFFEMILLING ABOUT
Last year, Mill Street committed to reducing its
energy consumption and water usage by 10 per-
cent, a goal they exceeded in both categories.
Raise a glass of Canada’s most popular (and
oldest) organic Lager or try the fuller- flavoured
Tankhouse Organic Ale. The female-led team
at Brickworks Ciderhouse sends apple pomace
to local farms for feed and recently planted a
pollinator garden; a sip of its Mint & Basil Cider
transports you to a herb garden in full bloom.
Mill Street Original Organic Lager
LCBO 247627, 473 mL, $3.30
Brickworks Ciderhouse Mint & Basil
LCBO 900324, 473 mL, $4.25
Mill Street Tankhouse Ale
LCBO 399162, 473 mL, $3.30
SUSTAINABLE SIPS