T H E E X A M I N ER38 SU N DAY, J U LY 26, 2009
GREEN SCENE
Nonprofit to recycle
old thermostats
EAST LANSING, MICH. � Michigan
is working with a nonprofit
group to establish sites across
the state where thermostats
can be recycled free, helping
keep mercury out of landfills
and incinerators.
The state Department of
Environmental Quality says it
is awarding a $50,000 grant to
East Lansing company Urban
Options to establish collection
sites for home and commercial
mercury thermostats.
Many older thermostats
contain mercury switches
and are being replaced with
programmable thermostats to
save energy and reduce heating
costs. � AP
N.M. county looks at
using cattails as fuel
ALAMOGORDO,N.M.�Otero County
is spending up to $20,000 to
study whether it's feasible to
turn cattails into fuel.
County commissioners last
week authorized the county
manager to sign the profes-
sional services agreement
with Sustainable Technology
Systems Inc. to test stands of
cattails as biomass fuel.
Sustainable Technology
says the cattails, in beds by
wastewater treatment sites,
are expected to improve waste-
water and produce abundant
starches and sugars that can
be made into ethanol.
During an earlier work
session, commission Chair-
man Ronny Rardin suggested
growingcattailsnearthewaste-
water treatment facilities in
Alamogordo and Tularosa. He
says the plantings in Tularosa
also could clean up a nitrogen
problem. � AP
Animals help to keep
Miami zoo green
MIAMI � The animals at Miami's
Metrozoo are doing their part
to help reduce the park's eco-
logical footprint.
Theexcrementsofelephants,
giraffes, rhinos and other herbi-
vores are being recycled every
day to save landfill space. The
poop is used as a fertilizer
and even to decorate the zoo
grounds.
The project began last year
in an effort to become more
eco-friendly and has saved the
park more than $20,000.
Tom Trump, Metrozoo's
horticulture supervisor, says
it made sense to recycle and
reuse whatever the zoo could.
The five elephants at the zoo
produce 1,400 pounds of poop
per day. Nine rhinoceroses
deposit 750 pounds daily. And
five giraffes discharge about
500 pounds of dung. � AP
GREEN BRIEFS
ECO SIMPLE with Robin Tierney
Brew pub's green
transition lesson:
Eco-friendly is about
more than organic
By Robin Tierney
Special to The Examiner
I
n most places, green beer
means St. Patrick's Day. In the
foodie paradise of Ann Arbor,
Mich., it means Earth-friendly
microbrews.
Downtown, Arbor Brewing Co.
has won awards for microbrews as
well as environmental responsibil-
ity. Matt and Ren� Greff's company
opened in 1995 following Matt's
"beer epiphany": All-natural brews
had fuller flavors.
Though perfecting an organic
beer, the Greffs say their current
beers can't be labeled organic.
Although the malt is organically
grown, most of the hops aren't.
Controversies about the label
"organic" have made recent head-
lines, but organic is not the only way
to go green.
"We try to make the brewing
process as eco-friendly as possible,"
Ren� Greff said. Instead of sending
spent grain to a landfill, they give it
to local farmers for use as livestock
feed and compost. How much? "Over
3,000 pounds a week."
A water recovery system routes
water used to cool beer after boil-
ing to a holding tank. As it cools the
beer, the water gets hot-- ideal for
cleaning equipment and for making
the next batch of beer.
Having gone "local, natural and
sustainable" at home long ago, the
Greffs began applying that ethos in
2007 at their brew pub/restaurant.
The Greffs met with a chef from
Zingerman's, Ann Arbor's made-
from-scratch emporium, to learn
about sourcing local food, from
tortilla chips to multigrain buns to
fresh-baked cherry pies. The tran-
sition required finding suppliers,
reducing packaging waste, rework-
ing recipes, changing the menu
-- and explaining to customers when
some foods weren't available.
"When selecting farmers, we look
for sustainable growing practices
-- crop rotation, proper soil mainte-
nance, no petrochemical fertilizers
or pesticides," Ren� Greff said. "We
look for humane and environmen-
tally sustainable animal husbandry
-- feeding cows grass instead of
corn, feeding chickens a natural diet,
raising animals on open ranges."
Purging high-fructose corn syrup
and monosodium glutamate meant
goodbye to packaged condiments.
Switching to grass-fed beef changed
the taste of their popular burgers.
Some ingredients and items, such
as compostable carryout contain-
ers, cost more. Some cost less, and
making more dishes from scratch
saves money. Greff estimates prices
increased 10 percent.
"The response has been over-
whelmingly positive," she said,
noting double-digit growth over the
past 18 months amid the economic
downtown.
She said they had not gone "all-
organic" because small farmers
often find it hard to obtain organic
certification.
By buying local, the Greffs can
visit farms to see how they treat
their fields, animals and workers.
Greff said they aspired to "beer with
integrity" and "a right livelihood" --
making a living in a way that betters
the planet and its inhabitants.
Reach Robin Tierney at
robintierney@gmail.com.
Searching for green beer
Ann Arbor: A model
for acting locally
� The local food movement runs
deep in Ann Arbor. The Greffs
are founding members of Think
Local First, which promotes
business/community sustain-
ability, and the People's Co-op, a
daily farmers market with 6,000
member-owners. Visit thinklocal
first.net.
� With the creation of Food
Gatherers in 1988, Zingerman's
was the first for-profit to run
an organization that gathered
surplus food and distributed it
through hunger relief organiza-
tions. Visit foodgatherers.org.
� In September, the University
of Michigan's Matthaei Botanical
Gardens will introduce "The
Local Table," free and low-cost
workshops including "The Edible
Estate" and "Food Unincorpo-
rated." Visit mbgna.umich.edu.
Eco-friendly and
healthy eating tips
� sustainlane.com
� care2.com
� localharvest.org/csa
� thedailygreen.com
COURTESY ROBIN TIERNEY
Ren� Greff at the tap at Arbor Brewing
Co., which has won awards for its beer
and environmental responsibility from
its county government.
Name: Examiner House Ads; Width: 34p8.4; Depth: 6.5 in; Color: Black plus
three; File Name: 135832-0; Comment: energy section; Zone: PCaa
Who Is Fueling
Our Future?

Page 1Page 2Page 3Page 4Page 5Page 6Page 7Page 8Page 9Page 10Page 11Page 12Page 13Page 14Page 15Page 16Page 17Page 18Page 19Page 20Page 21Page 22Page 23Page 24Page 25Page 26Page 27Page 28Page 29Page 30Page 31Page 32Page 33Page 34Page 35Page 36Page 37Page 38Page 39Page 40Page 41Page 42Page 43Page 44Page 45Page 46Page 47Page 48Page 49Page 50Page 51Page 52Page 53Page 54Page 55Page 56 Produced by PageSuite