Mother Earth Brewing

Mother Earth is part of our name, so we better live up to her high standards. I thought I’d take a minute to let you know what we’ve been up to. I also asked around the brewery today and everyone provided me with a “Green” tip to share with you. Here’s what they came up with…

Pete (Cellarman)
Support Local Farmers
“I try to buy local whenever possible- local produce tastes better, it’s often less expensive, you’re helping our local economy and supporting a farmer,,,, AND helping limit pollution that results from the 1,000+ miles most produce travels before it reaches us here in NC. A few websites I often visit are NC Farm Fresh, Local Harvest, and the Facebook page of Slow Food Down East. These are great sites that do everything short of picking you up and driving you to their farm fresh produce, meat and dairy.”

Stephen (Owner)
Check out your fridge and freezer temps
“There are many things we try to do at home- one that few people think about is regulating the temperature of their refrigerator and freezer. Your refrigerator/freezer likely consumes the greatest amount of electricity in your home. Keep the controls set at 37°F and 0°F respectively- and you’ll maximize its efficiency and minimize your electric bill.”

Josh (Head Brewer)
Use CFLs every chance you get
You've heard it over and over,,, now do it. CFLs consume roughly 75 percent less electricity than incandescent bulbs and last up to 10 times longer (10,000 hours as opposed to 1,500). Josh added “I once read that you could replace one 75-watt incandescent bulb with a 25-watt CFL and save nearly $85 over the life of the bulb. -That’s pretty sweet. I've been using them for years now, and they have become much more affordable- making them an even better bargain. We use CFLs throughout the brewery, offices, and the Taproom.”

Travis (Taproom Manager & Local Account Rep)
Pay attention to packaging
“Our 6pk holders are printed in recycled paper… and we’re proud of that. Personally, when I am shopping I try to take a look at the packaging used and if possible, I buy the product with the least amount of packaging waste. All that fancy packaging material has to be disposed of, and I read that every American produces over 4 pounds of garbage a day—that really got me thinking about avoiding products that use ‘over packaging’ and also being really conscientious about recycling.”
“On a side note, I want everyone to know that we power the Taproom with solar energy- and we’ll soon be surrounding the exterior with lots of good for the environment greenery- you’ll be amazed at how this place will transform.”

Greg (Assistant Brewer)
Save energy: Unplug it!
Greg admits it is one of his pet-peeves… “when I see an electronic that has a LED (light emitting diode) plugged in for days, weeks, or months without even being used, I cringe… items that have LED- like your TV, computer printer- basically anything that glows even after it is turned off will STILL draw power—it is just a total waste.” He continued “last week I read that if you consistently unplug these items when not in use, you could save a few hundred dollars a year.”

What’s Mother Earth Brewing doing…?

• Revitalized old building in historic downtown Kinston
• Re-used all old brick, wood, metal, and steel from the existing structure
• 100% recycled blue jean insulation in interior walls
• Soy based spray foam in overhead ceilings
• 3 kilowatt solar array powers the Tap Room
• Low VOC Paint throughout
• Eco Friendly 100% recyclable carpet, Eco-friendly Tile in Lobby
• Eco Flush valves on all toilets and Eco faucets in bathrooms save water
• Tankless hot water heaters
• Spent grain used to feed local cattle and used to make dog biscuits & homemade soap
• Mother Earth has their own organic hop farm with hopes of brewing a special release NC grown hop beer
• Glycol chiller chills walk- in as well as tanks instead of having two chillers
• Organic malt used in beers whenever possible

Don't forget that Taproom will open at 4p today... what a great day to raise a pint to honor Mother Earth.

Cheers.

Peace, Love and Beer........................................TM