Heat's got Hops Prices Climbing!
Morgan Byres | Jun 20, 2017
Help our Climate, our Hops & our Beer with
Carbon Out!!
The Yakima Valley, where an arid climate combined with water reservoirs in the Cascade mountains create the ideal climate for hops farming. However, those reservoirs are depleting. The Cascade mountains have seen a 20% decrease in the size of its water reservoirs since the 1950's. This trend means that fewer and fewer varieties of hops are able to be farmed in the valley, forcing farmers to plant the varieties of hops that are more hearty. Crop prices have also seen a drastic climb in price. Inflation since 1995 has only been about 50% yet from 1995- 2005 hops prices have risen by 250%!
In the face of climate change, we must all do our part; “every craft brewer now that we work with direct, sends us a sustainability checklist,” says Eric Desmarais, a hops farmer in the Yakima Valley. “We don’t have to be 100 percent on every one, but they want to see progress”. These types of initiatives will bring us all together in making a difference in the battle against climate change. Climate change can’t be fought on one level, it needs to be addressed at all levels. We all need extra encouragement and initiative to battle climate change. In hops farming initiatives such as more efficient technology for drying hops or harvesting can help with the sustainability of our planet.
One initiative in the farming industry is the Tree-T-Pee, this product helps ensure that water stays at the roots of the tree and conserves water usage by ensuring that water gets directly to the plant instead of its surroundings.
Doing Our Part
Here at CPE we are ready to do our part! When you are buying a product from CPE you will now see an option to donate to Carbon Out. We will match our customers' donations one to one on all donations of $1 or greater. The Carbon Out mission provides participating stores with a system that gives customers the option to round up their subtotal with a small donation to the foundation. CPE would like to offer its customers with the option to donate even more! Every donation over $1 will be MATCHED by CPE Systems. Let's Help our Climate, Help our Hops and Help our Beer!
Your donation will be invested into one of three VSC (Verified Carbon Standard) approved environmental projects. Renewable power, landfill gas capture, and forest protection are the current focuses of Carbon Out.
One of their projects in landfill gasses is a development called the MP Greenwood Landfill Gas to Energy Project found in South Carolina. Landfills are the third largest source of human-related methane emissions in the US, but there is now a way to capture and convert these gasses into usable energy. This is just one of the projects that the Carbon Out mission is dedicated to building and supporting to create a more sustainable planet!
What are some other ways we can help the sustainability of our planet?
References:
https://www.climate.gov/news-features/climate-and/climate-beer
http://www.ceres.org/declaration/about/climate-declaration-campaigns/brewery
https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/wbcsd-sustainable-agriculture-beer-production