Short’s Brewing Offsets Electricity Consumption With Renewable Energy

  – 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 athttp://www.renewablechoice.com/business-about-renewable-energy.html
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