Water And Beer: Great Lakes Water Conservation Conference In Grand Rapids October 21-23
Craft brewers meet in Grand Rapids, MI, next month for the sixth Great Lakes Water Conservation Conference, Oct. 21-22, with Tuesday evening tours at Founders Brewing Co., presentations Wednesday at Eberhard Center, Grand Valley State University Downtown Campus, and (limited availability) Thursday tours to Bell’s Brewery in Galesburg, MI. Online registration is available through Oct. 1, and prices increase thereafter.
Panels and presentations begin on Wednesday, October 22, with a welcome address by Grand Rapids Mayor George Heartwell, a city honored as “Beer City USA” and as a leader in water sustainability.
Conference speakers include Marc Smith of the National Wildlife Federation with an update on the Great Lakes Compact; a panel with Dave Engbers of Founders Brewing Co., with Kent County Water Conservation and Clean Water Action; Karl Ockert, technical director of the Master Brewers Association of the Americas, discussing emergency preparedness and water quality; Chuck Skypeck of the Brewers Association discussing sustainability case histories with Ian Hughes of Goose Island Brewing Co.; Walker Modic of Bell’s Brewery discussing waste water treatment and energy efficiency; Jaime Jurado of The Abita Brewing Co. discussing biogas/biofuel conversion; waste to energy solutions with Sun King Brewing and Shorts Brewing Co., and Jason Spaulding of Brewery Vivant and Garry Boyd of BarFly Ventures discussing sustainable on-premise and kitchen operations. View samples of past presentations and speaker bios at www.conserve-greatlakes.com.
Tours for registered attendees are planned for Tuesday evening, Oct. 21, 2014, at Founders Brewing Co. and (limited availability) to Bell’s Brewery and HopHead Farms on Thursday, Oct. 23, 2014. Conference sponsors include Briggs of Burton, Inc., The Antea Group, Enerco, Shorts Brewing Co., Williams Creek Consulting, with in-kind donations from S. S. Steiner, Inc. and the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board. Additional sponsorships are available and will help underwrite hospitality and tours.
“Why participate?” says Lucy Saunders, conference organizer. “Water policy in the Great Lakes region – the source of 20 percent of the world’s supply of available freshwater – is changing rapidly. The Great Lakes Compact requires all water-intensive businesses within the watershed to implement water conservation practices. This conference offers case histories and practical solutions for water and energy efficiency.”
