It only seems fitting that on a day like St. Patrick's Day, when the beer flows green, we get the announce that Lark Brewing Company has something else green to share - a green certification, as in sustainability.

The Waterloo brewery is now officially an Iowa Green Brewery Certified establishment and has received the silver level status. “You'd be hard-pressed to find a person more passionate about making beer in an environmentally responsible way than Sean [Christensen], he and his team have been fantastic to work with,” said Joe Bolick, project manager for the certification.

Sean Christensen, Captain and Co-Founder of Lark Brewing Company, officially opened the brewery’s doors in October 2016 in the lower level of Beck’s Taproom Grill at 3295 University Avenue in Waterloo. He worked with IWRC staff on the brewery’s energy efficiency, water conservation, waste generation/diversion and overall environmental management.

Lark Brewing Company achieved this certification through implementing a variety of environmental efforts including; the installation of all LED lighting, diverting their spent grain by giving it to farmers for animal feed, and other projects.   

"It's really exciting to be able to work with craft brewers through this project. They already have an understanding of their environmental impact and regulations that affect their business, plus they're invested in their communities. They want to become more sustainable so through the certification program, we're able to work with them to get them to achieve their environmental goals which result in less of an environmental footprint in their community," explains Bolick.

Congratulations to Lark Brewing! Visit larkbrewing.com for more information about them.

Learn more about the Iowa Green Brewery Certification here.

About the Author
Lea Hensel
Communications and Marketing Coordinator
Iowa Waste Reduction Center, Business and Community Services