Richmond Green Drinks sponsored by the Virginia League of Conservation Voters
Thursday, November 15th from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.
Hardywood West Creek, 820 Sanctuary Trail Drive, Richmond, VA 23238 (Goochland)
Founded in Richmond, Virginia, in 2011 by lifelong friends, Hardywood Park Craft Brewery strives to “Brew with Purpose.” Hardywood is a Virginia Green certified destination recognizing their commitment to sustainability, and their beers have earned international acclaim with medals at the World Beer Cup, Australian International Beer Awards, and Great American Beer Festival.
Hardywood will be highlighting their upcoming Envision award - they’ll be the first brewery ever to be honored with this sustainable development award. Envision was developed to encourage planners, engineers, and other infrastructure professionals to take into account the triple bottom line: the concept of impacts to the environment, the people, and the economy. Hardywood West Creek has been deliberate throughout the design and building of the brewery, as well as with their business practices, to better the community, and to run their business with sustainable business practices. Based on Hardywood’s commitment to sustainability, our Denise Nelson evaluated the design of the new brewery in the Envision rating system from the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI).
The project addressed Envision’s criteria by bringing new opportunities for development to the existing community, increasing regional productivity and community attractiveness for compatible businesses, collaborating with the University of Richmond on a beer brewer professional certificate to improve the local skill base, and creating a new venue with outdoor natural features and views. The owners and project team demonstrated that sustainability was a core value, provided for stakeholder involvement, and collaborated with local farmers to repurpose spent grain as feedstock.
Construction and operations of the brewery preserved resources by using low-maintenance and long-life materials, recycled content steel, reclaimed wood, local sourcing, efficient mechanical systems, LED and natural lighting, green power purchasing, and waterless urinals. Impacts to the site were minimized by avoiding development on steep slopes, selective tree removal and harvesting, and establishing low-maintenance native plantings to minimize the use of pesticides, fertilizers, and potable water for irrigation.
Join us at Hardywood West Creek Nov. 15 to learn more about Envision and sustainable development practices. Free event registration is available at: https://valcv.org/get-involved/events/november-richmond-green-drinks/. Can’t make it but want to hear more? Contact Denise directly (Denise@bgllc.net).