Have you ever wondered how your favorite drink impacts the environment? In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, we took a look at two of our favorites: beer and whiskey. It turns out that whiskey is our winner on a per-drink basis, but order a double and the race gets tight. Most of the carbon footprint comes from the brewing and distillation process, but there are other factors like how the beverages are bottled and how far they travel before they hit your lips.
If beer is your drink of choice, don’t feel bad about passing up the whiskey. You can still keep your beverage impact low by choosing locally brewed beer served on tap. It’s all about balance after all. We recommend balancing your whiskey or beer with equal parts water, and balancing your carbon footprint—beverage or otherwise—by supporting emission reduction projects.
Whatever you’re drinking, enjoy responsibly! Happy St. Patrick’s Day from the Terrapass team.
Sources: Research on the Carbon Footprint of Spirits report by the Beverage Industry Environmental Roundtable (BIER) via grist.org’s That’s the spirit: A guide to sustainable liquor and How Bad Are Bananas? The Carbon Footprint of Everything by Mike Berners-Lee.
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