How we helped save the world by drinking beer

Walking into a local bodega last night, I spied a sign with the logo for my favorite beer. I was so happy. Probably too happy, really, but sometimes beer does that to a person. See, prior to this week, the nearest pint of Fat Tire Amber Ale was 520 miles south across the Mason-Dixon line. Fat Tire’s brewer, New Belgium, began expanding its reach into the Northeast just this week after opening a production facility in Asheville, NC.

Maybe I was pawing over my six-pack a little too lovingly, but an emblem on the packaging caught my eye. It read 1% For The Planet, indicating that New Belgium is among an alliance of businesses “financially committed to creating a healthy planet.” By its 10^th anniversary in 2002, 1% For The Planet had surpassed $100 million in giving toward environmental preservation. Member companies — there are over 1100 of them, spanning 48 countries and dozens of industries — contribute at least one percent of their sales to nonprofits focused on sustainability.

Isn’t it great when a brand you like shows its colors — and you respect what you see? The experience deepens connections and commitment. On the consumer-facing side of a business, this is the reward for being an upstanding corporate citizen.

After noting that New Belgium is a 1% co., I dug a little deeper and learned that the brewer is employee-owned, and that it’s a B corp to boot. My loyalty ticked upward the same way it did this week for Game of Thrones after actors from the series appeared in a PSA to benefit refugees. I felt the same way about Foo Fighters after Dave Grohl kicked some jerk out of a show. As in any relationship, loyalty and respect are earned through positive action.

“Businesses have a responsibility to the planet. We all do,” says the perennially awesome Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia, who launched 1% For The Planet with Craig Mathews. “The best way to do it is to just dig into your pockets and give the money away to people who are willing to do the good work.”

Look for the 1% For The Planet logo when you’re shopping. Better yet, search the Member Directory, since you can do that with a Fat Tire in your hand. Cheers.

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Photo: A stretch of the Madison River in Montana, where 1% For The Planet secured a 12,000-acre conservation easement.