Bellaire, Mich. – Short’s Brewing Company, Northern Michigan’s largest craft brewery, today announced it has purchased 538,552 kilowatt hours (kWh) of renewable energy credits (RECs) generated by wind farms across America. Short’s Brewing Company’s REC purchase from Boulder, Colo.-based Renewable Choice Energy will offset 100 percent of the company’s electricity use at its brewpub in Bellaire (MI), production brewery in Elk Rapids (MI), and administrative offices in Wixom (MI).
This commitment by Short’s Brewing Co. to support renewable energy development and reduce carbon emissions has an impact similar to removing 57 cars from the road for a year or planting 7008 plant seedlings and growing them for 10 years.
In addition to its renewable energy commitment, Short’s Brewing Co. sustainability efforts include:
- Extensive solid waste reduction and recycling programs
- Process water recapture and reuse
- Reuse of spent grain for feeding local livestock
“We’re thrilled to be able to take another significant step towards improving the way we consume electricity,” says Matt Gacioch, Sustainability Specialist at Short’s Brewing Co. “Combined with recent energy-saving upgrades to our facilities and practices, we see RECs as a contributing factor in leaving a more positive impact on the natural world that Short’s calls home.”
How Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) Work
Renewable energy facilities generate renewable energy credits (RECs) when they produce electricity. Purchasing these credits is a widely accepted way to address the environmental footprint of your electricity consumption. Purchasing RECs at the same quantity as your electricity consumption guarantees that the energy you use is added to the power grid from a renewable energy facility and supports the further development of these projects. Renewable Choice RECs are third-party certified by Green-e Energy. More at http://www.renewablechoice.com/business-about-renewable-energy.html
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Renewable Choice Energy Renewable Choice Energy (http://www.reneawblechoice.com) is a leading national provider of renewable energy credits (RECs) and verified emission reductions (VERs) (carbon offsets) to hundreds of Fortune 500 Companies and small businesses, thousands of residential customers, and over 1000 LEED green building projects in the U.S. Founded in 2001, Boulder-Colo.-based Renewable Choice and its clients have received prestigious awards from the EPA and DOE for supporting and expanding the renewable energy market and have been featured in hundreds of media outlets including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, CNN, USA TODAY, and more. http://www.renewablechoice.com/business
Short’s Brewing Company
In April of 2004, Short’s Brewing Company opened its doors in the quaint village of Bellaire, MI. Beer was the mission, liberation was the movement. The philosophy was (and continues to be) to bring an appreciation of craft beer to Michigan with product education and creativity. Over nine years later, Short’s is the fourth largest craft beer producer in the state of Michigan with bottle and keg distribution throughout the Great Lakes State. Believing in the power of the smallness, Short’s plans to continue focusing its energies close to home and supporting what it calls the “SBC Michigan Stimulus Package”. www.shortsbrewing.com
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