It takes 5 gallons of water to brew 1 gallon of beer. And in the Arizona desert, our water supply must be used wisely.
Patrick Ware and Jonathan Buford at Arizona Wilderness are two small business owners who are committed to sustainability efforts that help protect our planet and its natural resources—even during a pandemic.
Arizona Wilderness is also taking part in the newest cohort of SCALE UP program business owners working to implement cost-effective sustainability goals throughout their business.
The seven-week virtual workshop series hosted by Local First Arizona helps local businesses and nonprofits in the metro Phoenix and Tucson areas create personalized sustainability goals aimed to help them build back better during an ongoing climate crisis and beyond.
Take a look at how Arizona Wilderness has committed to its environmental values, and learn more about the SCALE UP program at www.localfirstaz.com/scale-up.
How have you kept up with sustainability efforts in the age of disposable masks and takeout?
We have maintained our values by sticking to compostable to-go boxes, and silverware with messaging attached to encourage our customers to sign up for Recycled City, a full-circle service in Phoenix that makes it easy to turn your food waste back into farmland. Recycled City is returning nutrients to the soil and using it to grow fresh, local, chemical-free produce. In this manner, we are building farmland, reducing landfill waste, reducing transportation and spoilage, and strengthening the local food economy.
We have also printed re-washable branded masks which are for sale at both of our retail locations.
What is something on the sustainability front that excites you about Arizona beer?
The micro-movement of using local malted barley as the base for brewing beer. Sinagua Malt, located in Camp Verde, works with local farmers to shift from a traditional summer crop, such as corn or alfalfa, to a late winter/spring crop, such as malt barley. This shift to a crop that provides equivalent revenue at a different time of year results in less irrigation water diverted from the river during the high-demand, low-streamflow summer period. The result is more water in rivers for people and wildlife, and a profitable crop for local farmers. Sinagua Malt is 100% of our base two-row barley used at Arizona Wilderness.
Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co. has Gilbert and Downtown Phoenix locations open for dine-in, pickup, and delivery. You can follow Ware and Buford’s adventures on Instagram at @thewildernesshumanlife and learn more about Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co at www.azwbeer.com.
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