A Different Type of Green Beer this St. Patrick’s Day

On March 17, bars and restaurants across West Michigan will again break out the green beer as revelers celebrate the St. Patrick’s Day holiday.

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However, there’s one local microbrewery that observes a slightly different ‘green beer’ tradition around this time.

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Each year, Brewery Vivant publishes its ‘Beer the Change’ report, which highlights the company’s sustainability goals and the progress it has made toward reaching them over the past 365 days.

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“We want to be transparent about what we’re doing and also talk about the areas for improvement,” said Brewery Vivant co-owner Kris Spaulding. “We hope it can be a boilerplate for other businesses to follow.”

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The report outlines 14 goals surrounding sustainability and the social aspects of the business. For example, Vivant tries to make 90{6be771524f35e681d5eb1711abbe9ad08f29540a742404ae9fff00be7e8f65de} of all purchases from within a 250-mile radius. Over the past year, 63.5{6be771524f35e681d5eb1711abbe9ad08f29540a742404ae9fff00be7e8f65de} of the brewery’s purchases were made locally. The company also strives to achieve zero waste; since 2013, less than 1{6be771524f35e681d5eb1711abbe9ad08f29540a742404ae9fff00be7e8f65de} of Vivant’s waste goes to the Kent County incinerator.

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She has also set a goal of generating 10{6be771524f35e681d5eb1711abbe9ad08f29540a742404ae9fff00be7e8f65de} of their renewable energy on site. They hope to significantly surpass that percentage by installing solar array panels later this year across the entire barrel and chapel roofs of the facility.

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Sustainability has always been at the forefront of Brewery Vivant’s business plan since it was devised 8 years ago. “It’s something that we not only review internally, but post out in the community so that the public can also hold us accountable,” Spaulding says. “We welcome constructive feedback.”

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The emphasis on viability extends to the Spaulding home as well. The family is expanding their own garden to grow ingredients that will be used at the pub, and they’re also partnering with Well House to grow plants that will be cared for by residents there.

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Giving back to the community is also a major point of emphasis for Brewery Vivant. In 2015, they exceeded their goal of donating 1{6be771524f35e681d5eb1711abbe9ad08f29540a742404ae9fff00be7e8f65de} of sales back to the community (1.02{6be771524f35e681d5eb1711abbe9ad08f29540a742404ae9fff00be7e8f65de}), with nearly half of going to their own East Hills Neighborhood. For every kids meal sold at Vivant for $5, five sack suppers are donated to students at Congress Elementary across the street. Vivant’s recent 5th Anniversary party raised money for technology enhancements at the school.

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“We think the report gets to the “meat” behind our sustainability plan in an easy and fun way,” she says.

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To learn more about Brewery Vivant’s commitment to sustainability and read this year's Beer the Change report in its entirety, visit their website.