Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., 1075 East 20th Street in Chico, California recently earned a certification as a Platinum Sustainable Business by the Sacramento Sustainable Business Program.

The brewing company, which is a LEED certified facility, took voluntary actions to conserve energy, prevent pollution, reduce their solid waste generation, conserve water, and implement elements of Green building design.

Some of the outstanding sustainable measures implemented include:

• Construction of one of the largest private solar arrays in the United States. This solar project produces over 1.4 MW of AC power for the brewery.

• Construction of a 1.2 MW fuel cell plant. Bio-gas is fed to the Fuel Cell, where hydrogen gas is extracted and combined with oxygen from the air to produce electricity, heat, and water. Heat is then recovered and used to heat water for brewing and the electricity is used throughout the brewery

• Installation of co-generation boilers, which harvest the waste heat from processing equipment and produce steam for boiling the beer and other heating needs.

• Operating a two-step anaerobic and aerobic wastewater treatment plant that reprocesses and purifies all of the water produced from the brewing operations. The methane generated from the anaerobic digestion of the wastewater is captured and used to fuel boilers.

• Implemented a recycling program which diverted a total of 33,038 tons of materials (98.2% of the total waste) from landfill disposal in 2007.

• Utilizing spent vegetable oil from the Taproom and Restaurant as an alternative fuel source for their fleet. Sierra Nevada purchased a Springboard biodiesel processor which turns the oil into biodiesel, which is used in the Sierra Nevada long haul and local route trucks.

• In conjunction with the Agricultural Department at California State University, Chico, Sierra Nevada provides feed for local dairy and beef cows through the spent grain, hops, and yeast it has collected during the brewing process.

• Modernized their boiler systems to utilize cutting-edge technology with online oxygen sensors and variable-speed blowers to increase energy efficiency and minimize air emissions.

• Sierra Nevada joined the EPA’s SmartWay program in 2008 as a commitment to sustainable transportation. The SmartWay program allows progressive businesses to assess their current transportation standards and set goals to increase efficiency and awareness.

The Sustainable Business Program, operated by the Business Environmental Resource Center at McClellan, California, is a free service available to all Sacramento region businesses and organizations. It encourages businesses to conserve resources, prevent pollution, implement green building practices, use energy efficiently, and reduce water consumption.

There is no cost to participate in The Sustainable Business Program. It is made possible through the sponsorship of the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD), the Regional Water Authority, the Water Forum, Sacramento Regional Solid Waste Authority, and the Business Environmental Resource Center.

For more information call 916-649-0225 or visit the website at SustainableSacramento.com