With three of our eight major breweries located in water stressed or water scarce areas, it's natural that Water Stewardship is a key part of our Community Investment strategy.  We provide support, grant funding, shared community outreach and other resources to a range of organzations involved in local water stewardship activities. Many of our employees are actively invovled on brewery community water councils and other organizations focued on water-related issues.  

River Network

We are proud to partner with River Network, a national nonprofit organization focused on water quality and watershed protection. To encourage local efforts, we donated $80,000 so that River Network can make grants to nonprofit organizations that protect and restore local water resources through agricultural means. After applicants around the country submitted their projects, River Network selected eight finalists and conducted an
online voting competition. Learn more about the 2011 winners.

The Nature Conservancy

The Nature Conservancy manages a large preserve surrounding the headwaters of Silver Creek in southern central Idaho, and has been restoring the riparian habitat and conserving water to protect the creek’s renowned trout population. Because some of our barley comes from this area, it was a natural fit for us to participate along with
our growers. With our financial support, The Nature Conservancy purchased equipment for monitoring stream flows and water temperatures, which are fundamental measures of a waterway’s ability to support fish and other forms of life. The monitoring data will also help us measure the effects of our watershed stewardship efforts.

We also collaborated on a water efficient irrigation method that has initially reduced water usage by nearly 20 percent and it is also expected to result in energy savings. The success of this project led us to collaborate on an exciting new project in 2011: implementing multiple water conservation best practices at a representative “showcase” farm where other growers can visit and learn.

Learn more about our partnership in this video.