Guilt-free G&T
It’s been all success over at Four Pillars gin distillery, winning the award for World’s Best Signature Botanical Gin at the 2021 World Gin Awards for its Olive Leaf Gin, and unveiling its new 65.88 kW rooftop solar farm.
Four Pillars’ solar rooftop, on its Healesville distillery, was designed by Cherry Energy Solutions and funded by an Environmental Upgrade Agreement. It is expected to reduce Four Pillars’ carbon emissions by 1600 tCO2-e over its projected life, so now our G&T can be guilt-free.
Co-founder Cameron McKenzie said the new solar system isn’t just about the cost savings. “Environmentally it’s 100 per cent the right thing to do and we get great feedback from customers who walk through the door.”
This is the first step on a planned $6 million Four Pillars gin hub created with Breathe Architecture. Plans for the hub include more solar power and waste reduction initiatives.
The EUA that funded the rooftop is the seventh in the Yarra Ranges Council Area and funded by the Sustainable Australia Fund. “It’s an absolute ‘win-win’ for the businesses that have jumped on board,” said Cr Fiona McAllister, Mayor of Yarra Ranges Council.
“Environmental Upgrade Finance just makes so much sense for local business. They get to cut their carbon emissions without having to outlay any costs whatsoever, and they even improve the value of their building.”
More sustainable social libations
Four Pillars is by no means the first susty food or drink brand. There’s Young Henrys, of course, Dog Point Vineyard in New Zealand is turning out a nice drop and Brew Dogs claims to actively sequester carbon in its beer.
If soft drinks are more your thing, then Wallaby Water is on the case. And even the humble glass of milk has been improved by Greenlister, Dan The Man who has replaced single-use plastic milk bottles in his supply chain with reusable milk churns.
You’ll have read our January roundup of sustainable vittles’, which mentioned Greenlisters Retub and BioPack. They are complemented by Gobelet cups which is eliminating single-use plastic one event and corporate office at a time.
How to do it yourself
If reading about these businesses has inspired you to make some improvements in 2021, you’ll love Sara Redmond-Neal’s, “15 experts’ tips to make your business more sustainable in 2021” [Link TBA]. Sara is CEO of Small Mighty CSR and she rounded up advice from every speaker at last months’s Grow with Purpose Summit, and packaged it into one article for your easy reading.
