Sierra Nevada Brewing, one of the oldest and most respected craft breweries in the United States, was just recently awarded for reasons that, once again, demonstrate the brewery’s commitment to much more than bottom- line profits.
Sierra Nevada opened its Mills River, North Carolina brewing facility in 2014 and the new brewery has been a huge hit with beer tourists and others looking for a place to drink delicious craft beer in a friendly setting. Now, this new brewery has been recognized for excellence by others, receiving the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum award- the highest recognition possible- for its commitment to the environment.
Achieving recognition like this is no easy feat. LEED takes many factors into account, ranging from efficiency to lighting control to thermal settings. Sierra Nevada constructed the Mills River brewing facility with LEED guidelines in mind, making sure to adhere to specific standards, so the veteran brewery was already on track for recognition. But it still feels great when an award is formally acknowledged and Sierra Nevada founder Ken Grossman was quick to express his gratitude.
“We’re very honored and humbled by this certification”, said Grossman. “We’ve tried to be good stewards of the environment since our earliest days as brewers and building a second brewery gave us the chance to start with sustainability in mind. Every day, we look at all that we do and we try to find something to improve no matter how small. Little by little they add up to something we can be very proud of.”
Sierra Nevada Sustainability Manager Cheri Chastain says LEED recognition was always in mind when the new brewery was in the planning stages, but stresses that environmental sustainability is consistently at the forefront with Sierra Nevada.
“As we established roots on the East Coast, it was important for us to live up to our commitment to responsible growth, so early on we decided that we would pursue LEED certification for our new brewery” said Chastain. “Our design and construction innovations helped with LEED certification, but most of them were things we would have done anyway simply because they were the right things to do. Earning this LEED Platinum certification reinforces those decisions and validates the time our team put into this project, but the real reward is a more sustainable brewery for generations to come.”
Sierra Nevada’s Mills River Brewery is already in active use, but there are still several changes/enhancements in process. Sierra Nevada Brewing plans to construct hiking and biking trails in the surrounding area, open French Broad River access, and build an indoor music and events space for visitors to enjoy. It will make an already great facility that much better and again demonstrates Sierra Nevada’s commitment to a higher purpose.
Congratulations to the folks at Sierra Nevada Brewing for the LEED award and thank you for all the amazing work you do every day!
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