Announcing The Great Lakes Water Conservation Workshop

Back in November I had the opportunity and honor to attend as well as give a presentation at the Great Lakes and Craft Brewers Water Conservation Conference in Milwaukee, WI. The conference has resulted in a tremendous momentum towards water conservation and sustainability in the craft beer industry. I’m very pleased and excited to announce that a second water conservation event has been organized by the one and only Lucy Saunders.

The official press release is below:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE –Milwaukee, WI – The Great Lakes Water
Conservation Workshop is proud to announce that Alfa Laval USA will be the
Silver Sponsor for the one-day event, to be held at the Rochester Museum &
Science Center in downtown Rochester, NY.

The one-day workshop will be held on Friday, March 26, 2010, 8:30-4:30 at
the Rochester Museum & Science Center, 657 East Avenue in Rochester, NY,
and focuses on best practices in water conservation for small and
medium-sized craft brewers and cheese companies. This is the first
independent workshop designed to bring together craft brewers,
cheesemakers, policy makers and nonprofit organizations for education and
discussion about water conservation. Registration is $55 for the full day
of sessions, including a buffet lunch, until March 1, and $75 per person
thereafter; details available online at [http://conserve-greatlakes.com/]
conserve-greatlakes.com.

“We are thrilled to have the support of Alfa Laval USA,” says Lucy
Saunders, workshop organizer. John Berardino, Brewery Manager, and Linda A.
Rastani, Tank Equipment Manager, Alfa Laval USA, will share their expertise
in cleaning-in-place (CIP) solutions for water savings and safety, with
case histories drawn from both the brewing and cheesemaking industries.

Participating brewers include Patrick Conway, president of the Great
Lakes Brewing Co. of Cleveland, OH, who will speak on the sustainable use
of water in brewery and brewpub operations; and Jason Fox, brewmaster of
Custom BrewCrafters, Honeoye Falls, NY, who will discuss wastewater
treatment systems.

A panel discussion on the true cost of water, and pricing, includes G.
William Page, PhD., AICP, is a Professor in the Department of Urban &
Regional Planning, University of Buffalo, SUNY; Michael Wolkoff, deputy
chair of Economics at the University of Rochester, and  Sammis White,
Professor of Urban Planning at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM)
and an active participant in the Milwaukee Water Council, an
industry/university partnership to solve water problems and create jobs.

Special to this workshop is a discussion of hydrofracturing and risks to
water quality, featuring Walter Hang, president of Toxics Targeting, Inc.,
an environmental database firm in Ithaca, NY. He has worked for more than
30 years as an advocate for environmental health protection. Mr. Hang will
be joined by Andrew Byers, a botanist and member of the Shaleshock Action
Alliance, and Ron Bishop, a lecturer in chemistry and biochemistry at SUNY
Oneonta, who will discuss hydrofracturing practices and how water
contamination can occur during the gas drilling process.

Workshop details and registration are available online, at:
[http://www.conserve-greatlakes.com/] http://www.conserve- greatlakes.com

Schedule (speakers and times subject to change)
Friday, March 26, 2010

Morning Sessions:
Introduction by Lucy Saunders

Patrick Conway, president and co-founder, Great Lakes Brewing Co., Cleveland, OH, presents sustainable water use in brewery and brewpub operations.

Jason Fox, Brewmaster, Custom BrewCrafters, discusses design and ROI of wastewater treatment for small to medium-sized brewhouses.

Session on water auditing

12:00 LUNCH

Afternoon Sessions:

John Berardino, Brewery Manager, and Linda A. Rastani, Tank Equipment Manager, Alfa Laval USA, Panel discussion with brewer and cheesemaker on CIP processes

Walter Hang, president, Toxics Targeting, Andrew Byers, botanist and member, Shaleshock Action Alliance, Ron Bishop, lecturer in chemistry, SUNY Oneonta Panel presentation on hydrofracturing and other risks to water quality in the Great Lakes

Sammis White, professor of Urban Planning, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Michael Wolkoff, research economist, University of Rochester, G. William Page, professor of Urban Planning, University of Buffalo, Panel presentation on water pricing and public policy in the Great Lakes

A craft beer and cheese tasting, limited number of tickets available to the public, will be offered from 5-7pm.