Five O'Clock Tea Party by Mary Cassat

    A series of interviews with businesses, municipalities and other organizations in Colorado to share the best sustainable practices and challenges. The opinions expressed here are the views of the interviewees and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the interviewee’s company. All the information is subject to copyright and cannot be reproduced without a written permission from Coforse.com

   Today we are welcoming Shane Basinger, Mothership Regulator,  New Belgium Brewing Company. 

1) Shane, could you tell us about your background and your journey to this position?

 

I came to New Belgium five years ago from a restaurant in town where my friend had worked. He was hired here and told me “You gotta get a job at New Belgium!” I said “No kidding.” I’ve never thought I could. Plus, I was comfortable where I was. He said that I definitely should check it out. Next time when a position became available he came over and told me to apply. So, I did but didn’t get it. They’d already hired somebody. But then a month later there was an opening for exactly the same job. They interviewed me and I got it.

I was working in our Liquid Center, doing reception, answering phones, emails then moving to doing tours and tastings. I did that for about two years. Then a job opening came up in the Human Resources. My boss said “I think you’d be great for that job. I think you should go for it!” I think he was just trying to get rid of me [Laughing] I am glad that he’s steered me in this direction, otherwise, I’d be lifting kegs right now.

 

So, you started from an entry position and grew into this…

 

From the very bottom…

 

2) What was the reason for you to get involved with the Sustainability projects? I know for the last couple of years you’ve done a lot of research, many projects in this area.

 

Well, the core values of New Belgium Brewing Company were originally created in 1991 when our company was started. Our founders went to the mountains and discussed what vision they had for the company and they created these Ten Commandments, I guess, of our core values and beliefs:

 

1.                          Remembering that we are incredibly lucky to create something fine that enhances people’s lives while surpassing our consumers’ expectations.

2.                          Producing world-class beers.

3.                          Promoting beer culture and the responsible enjoyment of beer.

4.                          Kindling social, environmental and cultural change as a business role model.

5.                          Environmental stewardship: Honoring nature at every turn of the business.

6.                          Cultivating potential through learning, high involvement culture, and the pursuit of opportunities.

7.                          Balancing the myriad needs of the company, our coworkers and their families.

8.                          Trusting each other and committing to authentic relationships and communications.

9.                          Continuous, innovative quality and efficiency improvements.

10.                      Having Fun.  

 

These values haven’t really changed since then. And, as you can see, one of them is “to obtain the sustainable business model”. This company has started with the idea of being a sustainable company way back then.

 

3) What do you think is the largest achievement of New Belgium in the sustainable initiatives so far?

 

I think it is still to come. We have a grant from the DOE, and we are putting the solar panels on the roof of our Packaging Hall. That’s really exciting. Right now we utilize wind power. We also have a co-generator that utilizes the methane from our water treatment plant to create energy. I believe it creates about 4- 6 hours of energy per day.

 

4) Shane, you think that the largest achievement is coming in the future, so where do you see the company in five-ten years with the Sustainable Programs? Ideally…

 

We are thinking about adding a new brewery somewhere else, building it from the ground up, the way we see it. I hope it’ll be on the East Coast, because right now it takes too much time, money and energy to transport the beer there, with all the trucks and the refrigeration. If we had a brewery in that region, we would significantly reduce our transportation costs and the carbon footprint. So, hopefully in five-ten years, we’ll have it. If not, we’d probably just use an existing building, do a partnership with somebody. But the main issue is to find a way to cut the footprint from the shipping.

 

5) In your opinion, what are the challenges of implementing the sustainable initiatives at New Belgium?

 

Well, one of them is to find the right people. We have a great Sustainability Team in place that is always looking for new ideas, innovative ways to move our programs forward. We are in a great position because employees support the ideas, the region supports it. But at the same time, being a leader in this area also means that sometimes we are under a microscope of the community and that can be overwhelming.

Also, I think the state needs to add the “Bottle Law” to the legislation. Unfortunately, Colorado is not set up for bottle recycling right now. We are trying the best we can, but the legislation should be there.

This year when I went to Belgium, we visited a brewery, and they accepted bottles from anybody, cleaned them up, sanitized them and recycled.

 

6) Shane, you’ve been involved in purchasing of green products for some time. How hard was it for you to find the “green” vendors?

 

At first it was pretty hard. These days it’s much easier. But if you look at something that is totally “green” but costs an arm and a leg vs. something with less or even minimal recycled content for significantly better price, you have to decide about the right thing to do.

“Green” is not always sustainable…

 

Yes. And you also have to look at where these “green” products come from. We got these recyclable erasers but they’ve come from France… You learn every day…

 

7) For the companies who are just starting sustainable initiatives or are not sure how to move them forward, what would your advise?

 

You have to get the support of the people, who will help to spread the word. I also think one should do it for the right reasons not just “green washing”.

 

What would be the easiest way for a company to start with? Like Step # 1?

Give employees recycle bins; put community bins in the common areas and individual ones for the offices. What can be easier?

 

To learn more about Sustainable initiatives at the New Belgium Brewing Company please visit their website www.newbelgium.com

 

(We liked the company so much that we came back for another interview, that we are going to post next week).

 

Come back soon and spread the word!

 

Till then,

Julia and the Coforse Team

Your email:

 

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