Breweries are Working to Make Super Bowl Sunday Greener in Massachusetts

Beer Me: Breweries in New England are Leading the Charge on Sustainability

Boston, Ma. (February 10, 2022)... Breweries across New England are stepping up to help fight climate change, and this weekend is no different. Super Bowl Sunday is not just a day for football in America; it’s one of the days that Americans consume the most beer - approximately 325 million gallons. Yet, all that beer creates a lot of waste that gets sent to landfills or dumped down the drain. Vanguard Renewables in Massachusetts believes that waste is only waste if you waste it - they can recycle that waste and harness it to make renewable energy.

“We work with some of New England's top micro-breweries to recycle their waste - like the spent grains and liquids that are produced from the brewing process,” said Neil H. Smith, CEO of Vanguard Renewables. “The demand for beer on this singular weekend is not new; however, with many brewers choosing to be more sustainable, we provide them with the circular solution they need to recycle their waste. Instead of sending waste byproducts to landfills or incinerators, we help them recycle the material by capturing the methane they emit as they break down and turn that into renewable energy.”

The company has been working with small and large breweries across the region to help Vanguard's Farm Powered mission to turn food waste and dairy cow manure into renewable energy. The company provides a circular solution for these breweries - from farm to kettle to keg, and back to one of New England’s family farms to help create pipeline-quality renewable natural gas that goes on to power our farms, colleges, businesses, and towns across the region.

Noah Bogoff from Berkshire Brewing Company said: “Our family brewery is committed to sustainability, and recycling our waste to create renewable energy is one of the ways that we reach that goal. We are proud to be part of the Vanguard Renewables Farm Powered movement, so much so that we put the Farm Powered logo on every can we distribute. It’s an important way that we demonstrate to our customers that we are committed to doing our part.” 

The waste from Vanguard’s partner breweries is collected and brought to one of their six anaerobic digestion facilities in Massachusetts and Vermont, where it's then added to a state-of-the-art hydrolyzer before entering the anaerobic digestion process to create renewable energy. The waste supplied by brewery partners not only helps to produce renewable natural gas, but the byproducts of the anaerobic digestion process also make high-quality bedding for farm animals and a low-carbon and nearly odorless liquid fertilizer to use on their fields.

Nate Lanier, the Co-founder and Head Brewer of Tree House Brewing Company, said: “Working with Vanguard has enabled us to abide by our ethos of environmental responsibility while bringing a benefit to local farmers - it was a no-brainer for us to work with them. They are passionate about what they do, and it shows.”

Vanguard Renewables not only works with Tree House Brewing Company and Berkshire Brewing Company but also with Wachusett Brewing Company to take their organic waste. By collecting the brewer’s spent grains and other byproducts, Vanguard Renewables collaborates with their partners to help reduce their CO2 emissions and help keep the region’s family farmers in business.

Breweries are thinking more and more about what they can do to make a change to be sustainable, reduce their CO2 emissions, and dispose of their spent waste in a way that is good for the environment and keeps that waste out of our landfills and waterways.

Last spring, researchers at  Virginia Polytechnic and State University (Virginia Tech) submitted a research paper to the American Chemical Society that shed light on the growing need for beer companies to explore sustainability options. They shared their findings on separating beer waste into proteins for foods and fiber for biofuels.

The paper noted that due to the high demand for craft brewing in the U.S. market, there had been a significant increase in waste byproducts from breweries. They further shared that this waste comprises 85% spent grains, up to 30% protein, and up to 70% fiber.

“Craft breweries care deeply about their communities, environment and supporting our local farmers. Beer is an agricultural product. There’s no beer without farms. Anything that we can do to lessen waste, protect our planet and aid our farmers is a win-win,” says Katie Stinchon, executive director of the Mass Brewers Guild.

New England is no stranger to the craft beer industry, with small and large breweries opening up across the region. The Brewers Association For Small and Independent Craft Brewers noted that in 2020 there were nearly 700 craft breweries in operation in the New England region alone, and there are more still opening every year. That’s a lot of waste being created.

Smith continued: “Companies across all sectors are becoming motivated to move towards sustainable practices, and the commercial brewing industry is no different. It’s been exciting to see how local New England breweries are leading the way in recycling their organic waste and other materials as part of their long-range sustainability goals.”

Vanguard Renewables’ brewery partners are not just doing good for the environment, but they are helping the region's family farmers save money on fertilizers, energy, and bedding. It’s a win for all. 

About Vanguard Renewables
Vanguard Renewables is a national leader in developing food and dairy waste-to-renewable energy projects. The Company is committed to advancing decarbonization by reducing greenhouse gas emissions from farms and food waste and supporting regenerative agriculture on partner farms. Vanguard co-founded the industry-leading Farm Powered Strategic Alliance (FPSA) alongside food industry leaders Dairy Farmers of America, Unilever, and Starbucks to develop a circular solution for food waste reduction and recycling and decarbonization of manufacturing and the supply chain. The Company owns and operates six on-farm anaerobic digester facilities in the northeast and plans to expand to more than 100 sites nationwide by 2025. Established relationships and renewable natural gas offtake agreements with national utilities including Dominion Energy, Enbridge, ONE Gas, National Grid, and Eversource, and its strategic alliance with Dairy Farmers of America, position the Company to significantly increase U.S. production and delivery of renewable natural gas to commercial and residential customers across the country. To learn more about Vanguard Renewables, FarmPowered organic waste solutions, the FPSA and its members, and Vanguard’s numerous awards and recognitions, visit the website.

Vanguard Renewables Media Room
https://vanguardrenewables.com/vanguard-renewables-media-room

Vanguard Renewables Media Contacts
Billy Kepner 
bkepner@vanguardrenewables.com 
(607) 331-9806

David Darr Joins Vanguard Renewables as Chief Sustainability Officer

BOSTON, Ma. (January 21, 2022) – Vanguard Renewables, a U.S. leader in farm-derived renewable natural gas, announces the recent appointment of David Darr as its Chief Sustainability Officer. Darr joins Vanguard Renewables from Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) in Kansas City, KS. 

“For more than twenty years, David has worked to enhance sustainable and regenerative farming practices across the United States. At this time of expansive growth for Vanguard Renewables, it is a tremendous opportunity to bring David to our team,” said Neil H. Smith, Chief Executive Officer of Vanguard Renewables. “David’s knowledge, expertise, and energy will be instrumental in guiding our sustainability initiatives and solutions internally and for our farm and food industry partners.”

Before joining Vanguard Renewables, Mr. Darr served as Senior Vice President, Chief Strategy and Sustainability Officer at Dairy Farmers of America. Dairy Farmers of America is a farmer-owned cooperative with more than 12,500 members producing ingredients for cheese, butter, ice cream, fluid milk and more under well-known, quality national and regional brands. 

Mr. Darr provided leadership and strategic direction for DFA, and many of its customers. He worked alongside farms to develop viable, sustainable, and cost-effective processes to enhance income streams and herd health and production. At Vanguard Renewables, Darr will work across all areas of the business to lead internal and partner sustainability initiatives to meet the needs that the climate crisis demands.

“I've been passionate about sustainability, food, and farming my whole life. Joining Vanguard is an opportunity to even more deeply ‘talk the talk and walk the walk’ expanding sustainable initiatives for agriculture and the food industry, and producing renewable energy,” Darr said. “Developing projects and establishing partnerships and relationships that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and support local farmers and their communities is incredibly important at this moment in time.”

Mr. Darr holds both a BS and MS in Agricultural Economics from Ohio State University and an MBA from Rockhurst University. Darr assumed the role of Chief Sustainability Officer at Vanguard Renewables on January 4, 2022.

Please visit our media room for Mr. Darr’s photo. You can find the link below.

About Vanguard Renewables
Vanguard Renewables is a national leader in the development of food and dairy waste-to-renewable energy projects. The Company, based in Wellesley, Massachusetts, is committed to advancing decarbonization by reducing greenhouse gas emissions from farms and food waste and supporting regenerative agriculture best practices on partner farms. Vanguard founded the Farm Powered Strategic Alliance alongside food industry leaders Dairy Farmers of America, Unilever, and Starbucks; the Alliance now includes Cabot Creamery, Stonyfield Organic, and Smithfield Foods. The Alliance commits to developing a circular solution for food waste reduction and recycling and decarbonization of manufacturing and the supply chain. Vanguard Renewables owns and operates six on-farm anaerobic digester facilities in the northeast and plans to expand to more than 100 sites nationwide by 2025. Vanguard’s established relationships and renewable natural gas offtake agreements with national utilities including Dominion Energy, Enbridge, ONE Gas, National Grid, and Eversource, and its strategic alliance with 12,500-dairy member cooperative Dairy Farmers of America, position the Company to significantly increase U.S. production and delivery of renewable natural gas to commercial and residential customers across the country. Vanguard is a 2020 Energy Vision Leadership Award recipient and its Farm Powered anaerobic digester at Goodrich Farm in Salisbury, Vermont earned the 2021 Outstanding Dairy Sustainability Award from the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy. Please visit https://vanguardrenewables.com/ to learn more.

Vanguard Renewables Media Room
https://vanguardrenewables.com/vanguard-renewables-media-room
Vanguard Renewables Media Contacts
Billy Kepner 
bkepner@vanguardrenewables.com 
(607) 331-9806

Impacts of COVID-19 causing millions of kegs to go out of code

Vanguard Renewables Offers Solution 

The out of code beer challenge is real for many Massachusetts brewers due to the closure of restaurants, bars, and supply chains. With the MWRA and other wastewater treatment plants without capacity to handle the volumes of beer needing disposal or recycling, finding an alternative solution is critical at this challenging time.  

In response to the need, the MA DEP, the Massachusetts Brewers Guild, and a few individual breweries recently contacted Vanguard Renewables regarding the recycling of the stale/out of code beer from kegs. Vanguard collects brewery waste as well as inedible or unused food and food scraps, then utilizes these energy sources to generate renewable energy at five Massachusetts dairy farms. We are the largest recycler of organics in the Northeast and we are also Massachusetts Brewers Guild members.

Because the Commonwealth knows us well and we are already working with a couple of brewers on this, we were asked to explore how we could expand what we’re currently doing with breweries and do so as reasonably as possible. To help, we are offering to accept this beer for recycling at an operating cost disposal rate, which is considerably less than the standard pricing for organic waste recycled at our farm-based facilities. 

When the beer arrives at one of our Farm Powered anaerobic digesters, we will combine it with manure from the farm and the other organic waste we receive in a large sealed tank called an anaerobic digester, where microorganisms naturally found in the manure convert it to biogas. The biogas is then processed to create renewable electricity. Other byproducts of the process are heat for the family farm, a chemical-free fertilizer to increase crop yields, and lowered greenhouse gas emissions. It’s a closed-loop system that benefits the individual farms, builds community resiliency, and positively impacts the environment as well. 

We hope this can help you. Here’s how Vanguard Renewables and Massachusetts breweries might work together in the coming weeks and months:

1)      Finding a temporary storage tank for your stale/out of code beer – There are many different size options ranging from small IBC totes to large poly or Frac tanks. Renting or purchasing a tank are both options and we can help with both. 

2)      Transportation and removing your stale/out of code beer – Vanguard doesn't make any money on the transportation or storage. We want to keep those costs as low as possible for you, and that feels like an important job given the current economic climate. Vanguard has an extensive network of tanker truck companies that we do business with regularly. We want to help find the lowest cost hauler in your area, and if there’s a few breweries nearby that also have stale beer, we would coordinate a truck pick up from each of you on the same day, thus reducing the overall transportation costs.

3)      End site/Disposal site – This is what Vanguard does best. We have five anaerobic digesters located directly on dairy farms throughout Massachusetts. Combined, our digesters can process more than 100,000 gallons of brewery and food waste per day. This can power more than 10,000 average homes, all year long, and it helps to financially sustain the farms as well. Given this, there is also a potential for getting some positive media coverage for your brewery during this time as well.  

Feel free to reach out directly to Ryan Harb at rharb@vanguardrenewables.com or 978-314-1176 to discuss your situation.  Our website is https://www.foodwaste.com/. We want to find ways to minimize your costs and get through this difficult situation together.