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Alexis Burkhead
Brewery Vivant opened just outside of downtown Grand Rapid, near east town, in 2010. In 2010 there was not a strong emphasis for businesses to be sustainable, but Kris and Jason made it a priority when opening their business. Kris came and spoke to one of my classes about her business and what they do in order to be sustainable which is why this is the place I chose for my case study.One of the main things she talked about was how they wanted to purchase whatever they could locally. She explained how certain things you need for brewing, like hops, were outlawed or deemed useless during prohibition. There were also poor growing seasons in the areas where hops used to grow because of climate change. This makes it difficult for them to purchase hops in Michigan, so they end up purchasing most of that out of state but are hoping that more farmers start producing it in the state soon.
The business is a B-Corp certified business which is a type of certification that is reviewed by a third party that verifies that you are being conscious of how you are treating customers, the environment, and your employees. One of the things that goes along with being a B-Corp certified company is paying your employees a livable wage. She strongly believed that her employees should be treated with respect and understanding. Consumers have become more aware of their ability to purchase from companies that align with their same agenda. For instance, purchasing from a B-Corp certified company insures that they are being held accountable for the principles that the company says they hold whereas if they do not have this certification or another like it you cannot ensure they are being properly held accountable and practicing the principles.
Of the practices that the company makes a priority one is having the employees volunteer in the community. Over 450 hours between all employees were volunteered last year. Some of the numbers from the last year are a bit skewed though because they did open a second location. The second location did change some of the numbers to a lower overall percentage being as the business is so new. With everything that has happened this year due to the COVID-19 virus the numbers are expected to be skewed next year as well.
One of the things that the company does to ensure they are being as sustainable as possible is to purchase products with producing as little waste as possible in mind. They are also fortunate enough to have a full-sized composting dumpster so they can compost any organic materials. They are located in a history building but were still able to get the permits to be allowed to place solar panels on the top of the building. The solar panels are not pointed at the most ideal angle in order to preserve the look of the building, but they still manage to produce about 10% of the energy that is used yearly. Along with those accomplishments they have also managed to get their water to beer produced ratio down to three parts water to one-part beer. Normally the brewing process is at least a five parts water to one-part beer. One of the goals they are working towards is becoming fully zero waste. Opening another location puts a damper on that goal for this year.
While talking with Kris she mentioned how she wants drinking to be a social experience you enjoy but not an escape tactic. She never wants a person to be put into a situation where they may be put in harm's way. Which may include anything for drinking and driving to over drinking and making decisions you could regret.
Hadley Haas
The Green Well is a restaurant located in the East Hills neighborhood of Grand Rapids, MI. Since the gastropub’s opening in 2007, The Green Well boasts itself as a “green company” utilizing a variety of sustainability-based practices aimed at materializing the sustainability principles emphasized in the triple bottom line. The Green Well’s practices are aimed at enhancing the quality of the environment, the quality of community and economic vitality. In the restaurant industry, there are many areas where it can be easy to overlook environmental impacts in terms of waste, energy use, and community impact. The Green Well’s practices demonstrate a mindful attempt to minimize negative environmental impacts and create benefits in ways that are not seen in many other restaurants.In the area of enhancing the quality of the environment The Green Well utilizes multiple practices that are aimed at creating benefits for the surrounding community. One of these includes the installation of porous pavement. The restaurant’s parking lot is made of permeable material which helps absorb stormwater runoff and promotes a healthy watershed. Additionally, a cistern that collects rainwater on the roof of the building allows the business to achieve zero stormwater discharge through the collection and reuse of all rainwater and runoff. The collection of this water helps prevent flooding during large scale precipitation events. The restaurant building itself, which is LEED-CS certified, also serves to reduce emissions and enhance the quality of the surrounding environment. Emission reductions are also achieved through the use of energy-efficient equipment and rooftop solar panels. These minimize the need for traditional energy inputs and therefore reduce the emissions that result from such. To reduce waste, alternative paper sources are used and over 90% of waste generated by the restaurant is recycled or composted. The restaurant was also established as a brownfield redevelopment site. Building on land that was idled provides benefits in terms of land management for the area and is helpful in not expanding a new commercial site to a previously natural area.
To enhance the community, The Green Well is a member of Local First. This is an organization of people and businesses in West Michigan dedicated to participating in an economy that focuses on local ownership and builds social capital with respect to the environment and community. The restaurant also acts as a place where individuals can gather and interact, further bringing together the community. The restaurant interacts with the community of West Michigan itself by purchasing and using locally sourced produce whenever possible. The restaurant's efforts to support other local producers and companies creates a group of mindful individuals in the area while also strengthening the local economy. Keeping their cash flows in the local economy ultimately creates social and economic benefits for other community members. Additionally, it helps create more greenhouse gas emissions reductions by reducing food miles as produce doesn’t need to travel as far.
The practices discussed above are aimed at providing benefits to the environment, community, and economy surrounding The Green Well. While the business’ webpage discusses their environmental and sustainability based practices, numerical statistics and reporting about their practices are not openly available. A proper and well-developed reporting system could provide information that is willing provided to the public would help strengthen the validity of The Green Well’s current practices. Implementing such would also provide them with important indicators of sustainability so that they can further improve on their current practices to create more benefits in terms of waste and energy reduction. If they were also able to provide examples of monetary benefits from energy usage reductions, this information could persuade other restaurants and businesses to adopt similar practices that provide benefits to both themselves and the environment as well. Overall, The Green Well’s practices provide many benefits for the environment, community, and economy that are not commonly seen in the restaurant industry and they can be seen as an example of prioritizing environmental impact while also operating as a successful business.
Information from:
https://thegreenwell.com/about/green https://www.localfirst.com/about/why-local-first
Allison Matison Case Study Presentation.movAlison Matison
Please play the video for narrative.Vandrunen-Video.mp4Scott VanDrunen
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