By Alecia Jenkins[September 22, 2009, Abita Springs, LA]--Millions of households and businesses around the world are doing their part to help preserve the natural resources of Earth by ‘going green.’ The Abita Brewery is no exception. This company practices many methods of conservation and encourage its employees to do the same at home.
The Abita Brewery proudly brews its beers using the Merlin system, which cuts down the beer’s boiling time and lowers the amount of carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere. The Merlin system also traps the steam that is released during the brewing process and recycles it using a vapor condenser. The Merlin system reduces energy consumption by 70 percent.
“I had never seen this system before working here,” says Ryan Ackerman, an engineer at the brewery. “It’s a great system and it really cuts down on the amount of energy the plant uses.”
The Abita Brewery also uses its own industrial wastewater treatment plant, which generates energy using wastewater. It uses a bio-energy recovery system which turns the wastewater into a bio-gas, which is created by breaking down organic matter in an atmosphere that is free of oxygen. Then, the bio-gas is used to fuel their boilers, which reduces its sewage load by 85 percent.
Another way that the Abita Brewery conserves energy is by tapping into its natural resources. The brewery is located in the small town of Abita Springs, which is home to a deep artesian well. The water drawn from this well is fresh, pure and free of pollutants. There is no need to filter or chemically treat the water at all, unlike most plants. Since Abita is able to skip this step in the brewing process, its overall energy consumption is reduced.
An interesting fact about the water is that Native Americans from the Choctaw nation used to drink from the artesian spring and would claim the water had healing properties. Abita actually means “healing waters” in the Choctaw language.
“Abita Springs’ water really is the best water around; it’s the only water I drink,” Ackerman says. “It really does taste more fresh and pure than other water that I’ve tasted.”
The Abita Brewery also has a strict commitment to the maintenance of its facilities. The pipes and faucets in the plant are checked frequently for leaks to make sure there is no water being wasted. One of the brewery’s goals is to brew its barrels of beer while using as little water as possible, with nothing wasted.
The brewery also packages its beer in an environmentally friendly manner. The carriers that hold their six-packs use 50 percent less paper and glue than traditional carriers and are all made from recycled materials. Even their glass long-neck beer bottles are recyclable and use less glass than other classic beer bottles.
Abita uses green transportation as well by having its sales teams drive gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles. Also, all of Abita’s 18-wheeler delivery trucks are mounted with an auxiliary power unit, which takes control of the engine when the vehicle is parked, resulting in decreased idle time and reduced emissions from the engine.
Nothing gets wasted at the Abita Brewery. Even the grain and hops leftover after the brewing process is complete are used by the local farmers as feed for their cattle. “Everything is used for something,” Ackerman says. “We try not to waste anything.”
The Abita Brewing Company does many things to help protect the planet. Debra Clarke, an assistant brew master at the plant says, “We’ve made a lot of progress, and we’re steadily researching ways to further help the environment.”
Ryan Ackerman-985-373-6971; firstname.lastname@example.org
Debra Clarke-601-818-1166; email@example.com