(UNI) The University of Northern Iowa will use a $175,000 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to train others who want to follow in the Iowa Waste Reduction Center’s footsteps and develop plans to help breweries become more environmentally friendly.
UNI received a ceremonial check from the EPA Wednesday representing a $175,159 grant to the university’s Iowa Waste Reduction Center through the EPA’s Pollution Prevention Grant Program. The center will train technical assistance providers at universities in Nebraska, Missouri and Kansas to develop programs aimed at helping breweries reduce waste and use sustainable practices, based on the work the center has been doing for years through its Iowa Green Brewery Certification Program.
Joe Bolick, director of the Iowa Waste Reduction Center, said there are also possibilities of partnering with programs across the U.S. to help provide resources and training. According to a UNI news release, the center will develop videos and case studies to provide to grant partners, as well as webinars and other resources.
“It’s something that we’re really proud of, what we’ve done for the last seven or eight years here in Iowa, and this is going to give us an opportunity to really expand that beyond Iowa’s border,” Bolick said.
Founded in 1987 through the Groundwater Protection Act, Bolick said the goal of the Iowa Waste Reduction Center is to aid local businesses in identifying more environmentally friendly practices and implementing them, in areas like energy efficiency, water quality and conservation and environmental management.
Bolick said the center has worked with businesses in all 99 counties, the bulk of them being manufacturers located in rural areas. In 2016, center staff were looking at new ways to serve the state and landed on craft brewing, which is a growing industry that also could have impacts on the environment.
At the time, Bolick said there were around 40 breweries in the state. Now, there are more than 120. The center developed the Iowa Green Brewery Certification program to help breweries evaluate where they’re at in terms of environmental impact and sustainable practices, and to help them improve if they so wish.
The center conducts an initial audit of the breweries they work with, using a checklist and scoring system they developed to provide a report showing the business’ status and what certification that score would earn them. From there the brewery and center work together to plan how to bump their certification up if the business wishes, developing a plan to change materials or practices to lessen their environmental impact while not decreasing their revenue.
“We work with the breweries to help them identify areas of improvement, and every single one of these things ends up having a positive impact on their bottom line,” Bolick said. “So what this grant is going to allow us to do is kind of take what we’ve developed and had success with here in Iowa and package it in a way for other organizations similar to ours to create a program in their states.”
DeAndré Singletary, director of the EPA Region 7 land, chemical and redevelopment division, said Wednesday in remarks at UNI that between 2011 and 2021, the EPA Pollution Prevention Program has provided 500 grants totaling more than $54 million, which have led to the elimination of 19.8 metric tons of greenhouse gases, as well as businesses and organizations saving 52 billion gallons of water, reducing 1 billion pounds of hazardous materials and saved more than $2.2 billion for businesses.
“The work of our regional awardees demonstrates a proactive spirit that is necessary to tackle today’s climate crisis,” Singletary said. “Each project has the potential to not only reduce pollution but also inspire the next generation of environmental advocates.”
