Linda Lovelady and her husband, Richard, have always loved the outdoors and have worked to make their home an eco-friendly one.
When the couple opened their Henderson business—Lovelady Brewing Company—nearly a decade ago, they approached it with the same attitude of sustainability.
The Loveladys use paper bags and cups, compostable eating utensils and more to make their business green. Like all breweries in the Las Vegas Valley, Linda Lovelady said, their business gives its spent grain—a common food waste in the industry—to a local ostrich farmer.
“I think climate change is already here—we’re seeing the effects of it now,” she said. “And I think it’s only going to get worse. And I think everybody needs to do what they can to make a difference.”
She had the opportunity to discuss green practices April 5 at a Sustainable Brewery Summit, hosted at her Henderson taproom by the Nevada Green Business Network and the Nevada Craft Brewers Association.
The summit, attended by local brewers, distillers and others, included a range of presentations on sustainable practices, from energy efficiency—like adjusting refrigeration temperatures and turning off unnecessary power—to reducing and reusing waste—whether that’s composting or using recyclable straws, can packs and other products.
Erica Gallegos, a Green Business Network speaker at the summit, pointed to checking for and repairing any leaks that could lead to water waste, drought-tolerant landscaping and curbing pollution output as other ways breweries can be sustainable.
The Green Business Network offers a statewide certification program, which recognizes efforts by businesses to save energy, reduce waste, prevent pollution and more that can help transition Nevada to an eco-friendly economy.
“We’re very hands-on,” Gallegos said of the certification process. “We try to help you as much as possible and make sure it’s not too cumbersome.”
She outlined how breweries can be sustainable both in general and in industry-specific ways, and ultimately become green-certified by completing a checklist of environmental practices and passing an on-site visit from the organization.
Some green certifications by other organizations are too rigorous and expensive for small businesses, Gallegos said. The Green Business Network’s program is free, voluntary and straightforward to make being sustainable easy—though, she added, there is always a monetary investment when it comes to sustainable alternatives.
“I know it can seem a little overwhelming hearing it all at once … but I promise it’s not as bad as it seems,” she told attendees at the summit, which also included speakers from the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality and Core Cans from Sacramento, California. “Your green business advisers are here to hold your hand through the process and make things easier for you.”
Another aspect of the brewing process to consider when it comes to sustainability is the use of carbon dioxide (CO2). Lance Rainwater with Green CO2 Systems pointed out during the summit that Las Vegas does not have its own CO2 production facilities, so the compound must be delivered from other areas.
Green CO2 Systems has delivered CO2 from production facilities—which might have fertilizer plants or use ethanol—in the past, Rainwater said, but has since opted for a more natural capture of the compound.
“We decided to go with something that didn’t rely on manufacturing,” he said. “We pulled it out of a natural well.”
He thanked brewers in attendance at the summit for being intentional about sustainability and especially CO2—like understanding where it comes from, how it’s transported and how it can be recaptured.
CO2 recapturing systems, solar panels and other sustainable practices might be difficult for smaller businesses, said Lovelady, who is also the legislative chairperson for the Nevada Craft Brewers Association.
But “baby steps” exist for brewery owners to take and still make a difference, she said, and events like the summit give them an idea of how to get started.
“There are always little things that you can do, and then you start to look for, ‘OK, we did this, this and this,’” Lovelady said. “‘What’s the next thing we can do?’”