7 ways Schlafly Beer supports sustainability for Earth Day

The Saint Louis Brewery™ celebrates St. Louis Earth Day throughout the month of April

 Saturday marked the first day of April, and the start of Earth Month, an initiative to create awareness and appreciation of our planet. At Schlafly Beer, every month is Earth Month, but the largest, locally owned brewery in St. Louis celebrates sustainability in a big way during April. As the only beer company to support the St. Louis Earth Day Festival (April 22-23), the brewery will offer many ways for consumers to go green throughout the month.

CEO James Pendegraft explains, “We didn’t just jump on the bandwagon of pushing sustainable practices in brewing; it’s been a part of the fiber of our brewery since day one. From ‘upcycling’ the formerly abandoned buildings of our brewpubs to operating on 100% renewable energy, Schlafly Beer has been committed to sustainability for 25 years.”

In anticipation of the St. Louis Earth Day Festival, here are 7 ways that beer fans can help support Schlafly’s green efforts in April:

1. Join the Slow Roll on Sunday, April 23^rd: Celebrate Earth Day at either the Tap Room and Bottleworks by biking to the St. Louis Earth Day Festival grounds on Sunday, April 23. The groups will gather starting at 10:30 a.m. and depart for the event, as a group, at 12:30 p.m. All riders will enjoy live music at both brewpubs and receive a commemorative steel pint glass for discounted drafts at the Earth Day festival. Beers can be enjoyed in Schlafly’s new, at-festival Beer Garden.
2. Pick Up One of Schlafly’s 5,000 Wildflower Seed Packs: The brewery will be giving away 5,000 wildflower seed packets at both the Tap Room and Bottleworks brewpubs throughout the month of April, leading up to Earth Day. Wildflowers are great at attracting and sustaining beneficial wildlife, including bees!
3. Do Your Part and Have a Pint of Organic IPA:Schlafly brews the small batch beer with organic hops and grains, exclusively for the St. Louis Earth Day Festival. The beer will also be available at the Schlafly Tap Room on draft while supplies last, including at the Slow Roll on April 23.
4. Buy Schlafly 12-Packs: Every purchase of Schlafly’s Pale Ale, White Lager or Kölsch12-pack beer at any local grocer, retailer or the brewpubs will award consumers with a voucher for a reusable Schlafly farmers’ market bag. The vouchers can be redeemed by mail or at either brewpub location.
5. Shop Local Ingredients at Schlafly first Wednesday Farmers’ Market on April 12: The Wednesday evening farmers market returns to Schlafly Bottleworks (7260 Southwest Ave, Maplewood, MO) from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 12 with goods from up to 30 local farmers and artisans. The market is the only mid-week, evening market in St. Louis. It started in 2004 when farmers would stay–after dropping off the brewpub’s order of their local goods­–to sell leftovers to customers in the parking lot.
6. Collect Your Caps for a Pint: Consumer can collect the black “100% renewable energy” caps from any Schlafly bottle to be redeemed for a free pint at the Earth Day Festival. Schlafly fans must bring in 16 caps for a 16-oz. pint of their choosing.
7. Take a Garden Tour: Schlafly Bottleworks grows thousands of pounds of produce for its restaurants at their 1/7 of an acre garden, or Schlafly Gardenworks, located at the Bottleworks location. Schlafly Gardener Ally Kowalski will be giving “Garden Talks,” guided tours with tips on gardening from Gardenworks on the April Farmers’ Market nights at 5:30 p.m. Her fun, yet informative talks will include how to grow your own salad mix (April 12); tips for weed control and cultivation (April 19); and an introduction to summer gardening (April 26).

A few additional fun facts: Schlafly is a zero-landfill brewery and was one of the first to compost in St. Louis, receiving grants for its pilot composting project. Schlafly Bottleworks has 25kW photovoltaic solar array panels on the roof to help power the brewery. The brewery’s sustainability practices contributed to the Bottleworks’ community of Maplewood, MO receiving a recognition as the Green Power Community of the Year by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency). The brewery donates spent grain to local farmers to use for livestock. Schlafly makes an effort to do business with local companies. For example, they source the glass for their bottles from Pevely, Missouri which reduces the brewery’s carbon footprint.

For more about Schlafly Beer, visit www.schlafly.com. To learn more about Schlafly’s sustainable efforts, visit www.schlafly.com/green.