Green Monkeys of Louisiana Abita Education

Green Monkeys of Louisiana take Abita Environmental Tour

The green monkeys of louisiana took their august service trip to an amazing place. Attending were, Johnny Miller of New Iberia, John Pastor of Lafayette, Kent Labrey of Abbeyville, Leah Abshire of Lafayette, Philippe Treguier of Normandy France, Tony Smith of Lafayette. The trip was schedueled as a combination event as with and educational and exploratory stay at tickfaw state park.

Tickfaw is an amazing green and lush getaway for anyone who likes nature and water. Cabins at tickfaw are extreemly comfortable and inexpensive. Kitchens come stocked with pots and utinsils and towels in the bathrooms as well as sheets for the beds. Cable television and even a working fireplace. There are two rooms, one is a master suite which is perfect for "mom and dad" while the other is a perfect "kids"room with two sets of bunk beds. There is also a pull out couch. The cabins can comfortably sleep 8. What suprised me was how clean and well kept they were. Fire pits outside and the guy that lives right outside the entrance to the park that sells 26 pieces of wood for 10 dollars. (good luck understanding him though). Cabins rent for 90 a night.

The first trip was an amazing success. We had called a month in advance to advise that we were going to be taking the tour and writing an article in hopes that we might be able to educate the public about the truth of abita brewing and their striving for green friendliness. When we arrived august 28th at 10am we ran in with an awesome group of other environmentalists and of coarse made a new group of friends! Based out of Baton Rouge, Jason E. Jones was a extreemly friendly and welcoming person. He and his group represent the U.S. Green Buliding Council Chapter. Emerging Green Builders-Br (USGBC - Louisiana Chapter). Thier group represents a baton rouge group of young professionals that are interested in preserving nature through better building and architecture. Another interesting fellow we met was Chris Schlechte. He works with fusion architecture out of baton rouge. We discussed all the possibilites of joint trips and further colaboration opportunities.

Jason E Jones EGBBatonRouge@gmail.com 225*229*4854

Chris Schlechte (aia,ncarb,apc) Chris@fusionarchitecture.com 225*235*6305

The beginning of the tour started with an educational video which was interesting and extreemly informative. Abita is a Green Brewing Plant, and thats why we came. Green brewing means that Abita is committed to preserving the environment through conservation of resources, energy efficiency and corporate social responsibility. The brewery is located in the beautiful piney woods north of New Orleans. They draw the clean, pure water from the natural artesian well to make our great tasting beer. Protecting and improving the environment is a responsibility to take very seriously. Conserving energy and water, reusing by-products and waste, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, driving greener vehicles and using recycled materials are some of the ways the Abita Brewing Company is working to keep our part of the world green and clean.
The abita brewing company also makes great strides to help the community around them by donating to community service projects and charitable organizations. They are pleased to donate products and merchandise to non-profit groups to aid in their fundraising efforts whenever possible. They have a very easy form to fill out online that they would be happy for you to know about (http://abita.com/donate/donation_requestform.php) Due to the heavy volume of inquiries, please allow up to 4 weeks for a response to your request.

We learned much about the difference between brewing and "green brewing."

1. Abita was the first brewery in North America to install the energy efficient Merlin Brewhouse. The Merlin system reduces boiling time and carbon dioxide emissions and actually improves the brewing process. This new technology uses 70% less energy than traditional brewing methods. A vapor condenser also captures and reuses steam from the process. Its a really cool cone looking heating device that is applied directly to the bottom instead of just boiling a pot.

2. The Abita Brewing Company also operates its own industrial wastewater treatment plant. They use wastewater to generate its own energy. A Bio-Energy Recovery System (BERS) anerobically, (meaning treated in the absence of air), treats the wastewater reducing its strength and volume, while creating a renewable "bio-gas" that we use to fuel the boilers.
　
3.The glass bottles used by Abita Beer are endlessly recyclable and use less glass than traditional long-neck beer bottles. The Abita Brewing sales force drives gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles. Every 18-wheeler in the Abita delivery fleet is equipped with an energy saving Auxillary Power Unit (APU) that takes over engine operation when a truck is parked. The APUs decrease engine emissions and time spent idling.

4.Even the spent grain and hops from the brewing process don’t go to waste. Local farmers use the end products of the brewing process as feed for their cattle.
Everyone at the Abita Brewing Company is committed to preserving the environment. In fact, our most recent television commercial, "Recycle & Renew", features only brewery employees, the real people who work hard to make Abita Beer. We think beer tastes better when the world is clean. We’re proud to be a good neighbor…a good neighbor who makes great Abita Beer.

Written By: John Pastor of Lafayette Louisiana. Cheezpastor@hotamil.com 337*349*8528