Through longstanding grant program, A-B and KAB will put $60,000 toward local environmental programs in six craft brewery home markets
New York, NY – In celebration of Earth Day, Anheuser-Busch is announcing a series of community restoration and clean-up initiatives being led by craft breweries across the country in partnership with Keep America Beautiful®. The events are being funded by six individual $10,000 grants from the Anheuser-Busch Foundation, which has been working with Keep America Beautiful since its founding as part of its commitment to supporting organizations that help individuals and communities thrive.
“We are excited to build on the amazing work our craft breweries are already doing to support their communities through this long-standing partnership with Keep America Beautiful,” said Marcelo “Mika” Michaelis, President, A-B’s Brewers Collective. “These local clean-up events and restoration efforts represent just some of the ways that we’re committed to empowering our breweries to make an even larger impact in places they call home.”
Highlights of the community restoration efforts, which kicked off Saturday, April 17th and will run throughout the summer and fall, include:
- 10 Barrel Brewing Co. – Bend, OR: Continuing its partnership with the Deschutes Trail Coalition, 10 Barrel employees will participate in a series of trail restoration efforts throughout the summer, with the first event scheduled to take place May 19th in support of the Central Oregon Trail Alliance.
- Devils Backbone Brewing Co. – Lexington, VA: Devils Backbone is partnering with Keep Virginia Beautiful to launch a major recycling campaign at outdoor music events taking place throughout the summer. Details on the music events will be posted on the Devils Backbone website here.
- Four Peaks Brewing Co. – Tempe, AZ: On April 17, Four Peaks employees partnered with Keep Phoenix Beautiful for the first of several restoration and conservation projects in the Rio Salado area this year. Four Peaks is planning additional events, with consumers, in the fall.
- Goose Island Beer Co. – Chicago, IL: Goose Island teammates will be rolling up their sleeves with Keep Chicago Beautiful and Urban Rivers to host a cleanup event along the Chicago River in June.
- Platform Beer Co. – Cleveland, OH: Platform Beer is planning a neighborhood cleanup and local mural project in early June in partnership with the Metro West Community Development Organization and Keep Ohio Beautiful.
- Wicked Weed Brewing – Asheville, NC: In partnership with Keep North Carolina Beautiful and the Southern Appalachia Highlands Conservancy, Wicked Weed is hosting multiple volunteer tree planting events, with the first event scheduled to take place in May.
“These beautification projects serve as an example of the Keep America Beautiful tri-sector partnership in which we work with business partners to support clean and healthy communities,” said Helen Lowman, PhD, Keep America Beautiful President and CEO. “We’re thrilled to engage our strong network of local community affiliates to create lasting change with these impactful brewery partners.
This year’s restoration efforts are being planned with the health and safety of brewery teammates, partners, and community members in mind. More information on any events open to the public — including relevant social distancing and safety protocols — will be shared on each brewery’s social channels and websites.
Anheuser-Busch is one of the founding corporate partners of Keep America Beautiful through its trade association – the United States Brewers Association. Anheuser-Busch was instrumental to the Keep America Beautiful founding in 1953 and has donated $5.2 million for partnerships since the early 1980s. In 2018, A-B launched ambitious sustainability goals focused on: renewable electricity and carbon reduction, water stewardship, smart agriculture, and circular packaging.
Keep America Beautiful has a network of 700 affiliates across the country that carry out the organization’s shared mission at the state, county, and municipal levels. Over the past decade, the Keep America Beautiful network has planted millions of trees and flowers; collected more than 750 million pounds of litter and recyclables; and mobilized tens of millions of volunteers and participants.
About Anheuser-Busch
For more than 165 years, Anheuser-Busch has carried on a legacy of brewing great-tasting, high-quality beers that have satisfied beer drinkers for generations. Today, we own and operate more than 100 facilities, including breweries, wholesaler distribution centers, agricultural facilities and packaging plants, and have more than 18,000 colleagues across the United States. We are home to several of America’s most recognizable beer brands, including Budweiser, Bud Light, Michelob ULTRA and Stella Artois, as well as a number of regional brands that provide beer drinkers with a choice of the best-tasting craft beers in the industry. From responsible drinking programs and emergency drinking water donations to industry-leading sustainability efforts, we are guided by our unwavering commitment to supporting the communities we call home. For more information, visit www.anheuser-busch.com or follow Anheuser-Busch on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
About the Anheuser-Busch Foundation
Established in 1975, the Anheuser-Busch Foundation focuses on supporting organizations that help individuals and communities thrive. The Foundation contributes to countless community organizations every year in support of disaster preparedness and relief, economic development, education, environmental sustainability, military personnel and responsible drinking. Anheuser-Busch and its foundation are united by an unwavering commitment to supporting the communities that they call home and over the last 30 years, Anheuser-Busch and the Anheuser-Busch Foundation have donated more than $600 million to charitable organizations across the country. For more information, visit www.anheuser-busch.com.
About Keep America Beautiful
Keep America Beautiful, the nation’s leading community improvement nonprofit organization, inspires and educates people to take action every day to improve and beautify their community environment. Established in 1953, Keep America Beautiful strives to End Littering, Improve Recycling and Beautify America’s Communities. We believe everyone has a right to live in a clean, green, and beautiful community, and shares a responsibility to contribute to that vision.?The organization is driven by the work and passion of nearly 700 Keep America Beautiful affiliates, millions of volunteers, and the collaborative support of corporate partners, social and civic service organizations, academia, municipalities, elected officials, and individuals.?Join us on Facebook,?Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. Donate and take action at kab.org.
For more information: https://www.anheuser-busch.com/newsroom/2021/04/anheuser-busch-craft-breweries-partner-with-keep-america-beautif.html