Sustainability
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle:
This is a phrase we commonly hear regarding consumption and footprint reduction - but how does it work here at the brewery? The phrase itself is meant to act as a three step process, listed in order of importance. As only roughly 10% of products sent to a processing center are successfully recycled, it is an integral practice to lean into steps 1 and 2: Reduce and Reuse.
Reduce
For anyone who has spent time in Boundary Bay, one thing they may have noticed is our antiquated collection of chairs, many being of different styles. This is because all of our seating was acquired second hand - and is maintained on sight - reducing our demand for manufactured furniture, and helping the original owners of the chairs with their recycle effort. Reduction is a key focus of ours, and it has aided us in both reducing our consumption and embracing the historical feel at the brewpub. Here are some notable ways in which we work to reduce:
Most of our food is sourced as local as possible, greatly reducing the need for excess food packaging and transportation.
Through use of LED lights and timers, we reduce our electricity demand for lighting by 75% and they last 25x longer than the previous incandescent standard.
Our beer garden is built with a pervious design, allowing rain water to return to the earth. This eliminates our need to water the abundant flora that makes it such an enjoyable space.
By swapping out our old paper food boats in the beer garden for metal trays lined with minimal paper, we dramatically reduced waste generated at our events.
We send our spent grain from our brewing process to a local dairy farm to keep the cows fed and happy. In fact, for each pint of beer you drink you are contributing roughly 1/3 of a pound of grain to the cows!
Our wholesome food leftovers are donated to Sustainable Connections where they are distributed to those in need through their Food Recovery Program.
2. Reuse
The second most impactful in reducing footprint is the “reuse” phase. While we acquired our chairs second hand, we actually built our furniture from reclaimed flooring during Boundary Bay’s construction phase. Some other practices we do at the brewery to improve the reuse of products:
Clothing drives and exchanges are held with staff, keeping fabric out of the landfill. Did you know that it takes roughly 213 gallons of water to make a cotton t-shirt, and many fabrics take 200 or more years to decompose in a landfill?
Plastic buckets are donated to farmers and fishermen.
Do you drive a car that uses biodiesel? Swing by the brewery and ask for our spent fryer oil!
Vegetable waste from our prep kitchen goes to small family farmers to feed their chickens and pigs.
Have an old six-pack topper laying around? Make sure to drop it off at the brewpub next time you stop by. We’ll reuse it! Many other breweries around town accept them as well.
3. Recycle
Last, but not least: Recycle. This is the final and least impactful in terms of reducing our footprint - but it’s not without effect. With a proper practice of recycling, we can work to improve the amount of materials being recycled once they hit the facility. Currently, we are effectively recycling about 10% of what goes into the plants.
Our cardboard, paper, bottles, cans and glass are all cleaned and recycled.
Our takeout food containers are compostable as is our takeout flatware.
Plastic grain bags are separated from the aluminum they come with and then recycled. And we buy a lot of grain!
Since the beginning, we have donated our surplus proceeds to local nonprofits which aids the execution of their essential services provided.
Improper cleaning is one of the largest culprits of failed recycling efforts. Check out this article by the EPA to learn more about proper recycling, and remember to look up your local recycling guidelines to ensure you are sorting properly. Here are Bellingham’s guidelines. Together as a conscious community, we can reduce our footprint exponentially.
Have recommendations on how we can improve our sustainability practice? We would love to hear them! Reach out to us below.
Our Story: 25 Years of Community
Our story is more grassroots than it is one of premeditation. There’s an element of being in the right place at the right time, but it’s the support of the Bellingham community and our leadership’s creativity that brewed Boundary Bay Brewery into the philanthropic PNW craft beer pioneers we are today.
Watch this short film by Keaton Urling-Ehinger to learn more about Boundary Bay Brewery’s story, and what it’s like to celebrate your 25th year of business in the middle of a pandemic.
When Boundary Bay Brewery arrived on the scene in Bellingham back in 1995, no one expected the business to be what it is 25 years later. It was a simple business idea, with plans to develop a local brewery and restaurant in the heart of the city’s vibrant downtown. This was the concept that allowed us to establish ourselves, but it was the Community of people who came onto the scene to offer a helping hand that really allowed the business to blossom into what it is now. The story is more grassroots than it is one of premeditation, but before we can make sense of this and see the whole picture, we need to take a step back in time.
After earning his MBA from the University of Washington, Ed went on to earn his CPA license followed by many years of business consulting. At some point in his career as a consultant he yearned for something different, and figured he might be able to make something of his 10 years in wine-making as a hobbyist. One thing led to another, and in 1986 he found himself earning his Masters degree in Wine Chemistry at the nationally renowned UC Davis. During this time, he deeply embedded himself in their craft-brewing program - which happened to be the only program of its kind in the country at the time. Following his graduation, he traveled up and down the West Coast, taking note of successful breweries as he searched for a location he could call his own. By the time he stumbled upon Bellingham, he was well-equipped to hit the ground running with his business plan. His journey was far from over - in fact you could argue it had only just begun when he registered himself as the brewery’s general contractor, having had no previous experience. We like to think that this moment is a great marker of Ed’s confidence and will to succeed, and it is this spirit of commitment that has helped carry us forward through time.
Building the brewery was not an easy task, but the community took interest early on. Key players in building the business were folks who decided to walk in the door and ask if they could be of assistance. In fact, this is how Ed met his wife Janet Lightner, who operates as our General Manager. This organic team development and community excitement demonstrated to Ed that he had chosen the perfect place to start his business.
That’s not to say that the process was all fun and games. At the time, Boundary Bay was competing with two other breweries to be the first brewery to open in the city. This put us in a unique place, as we were the first brewery to file our business and receive our permits from the city, yet the third brewery to open up our doors to the public. This was all just fuel for the fire in Ed’s eyes, and he was willing to delay the building process in order to make the space exactly how he imagined it. Of the many big decisions he had to make, most notable was his decision to carefully remove 45 tons of asphalt and concrete flooring in order to expose the building’s original wood flooring from 1922.
As the TapTrails.com blog states, Boundary Bay is “..the first, the third, and the oldest craft brewery in Bellingham”. While we may have survived our original competitors, Bellingham’s craft beer scene began to take off back in 2008. We find it to be a unique challenge as PNW Craft Beer Pioneers to stay true to our roots while also learning to innovate as the industry continues to develop and diversify. While we are changing with the times, many of our core principles have remained the same. To learn more about our business philosophy, click “Philanthropic Philosophy” at the bottom right of this page.
Philanthropic Philosophy
Following their first fundraiser and the subsequent local fundraising opportunities that were presented to them, Ed and Janet began to make some serious philosophical connections. They saw the services provided by these nonprofits as integral to the quality of life of our community, and in turn, improving the well-being of Bellingham and its local economy.
From the very beginning, our founder Ed Bennett knew that he wanted a component of giving back to the community in his business - it was just a matter of determining how.
It started with a pint night fundraiser for Amnesty International. Soon after, the phones just started ringing.
Ed Bennett receiving the 2014 “Outstanding Philanthropic Small Business For Washington State” award from Recreation Northwest.
Following our inaugural fundraiser, we started hearing from all sorts of organizations around town who were looking to collaborate with this new and exciting business. Janet Lightner, our General Manager, chalks it up to being in the right place at the right time, and having a giving personality. Not only did she see an opportunity to make local philanthropy a focal point of Boundary Bay’s business model, but she was dead-set on making the act of philanthropy as enjoyable and collaborative as possible. It was this philosophy that led us to be awarded “Outstanding Philanthropic Small Business of Washington” in 2014.
“These are just sort of magical things that have happened here at Boundary - where we actually saw organizations and nonprofits be saved by the efforts of beer. It wasn't just writing checks. It was never like that at all. It's collaborative. The organizations come here and work with us. We get to know the executive directors and their mission. It becomes very relationship based - and I think that's what really took it to the next level as far as community went.” - Janet Lightner
It would be easy to chalk our business philosophy up to something along the lines of “support local business”, but that only addresses the “what”, and it’s a lot deeper than that.
Why? A Positive Feedback Loop of Reciprocity
Following their first fundraiser and the subsequent local fundraising opportunities that were presented to them, Ed and Janet began to make some serious philosophical connections. They saw the services provided by these nonprofits as integral to the quality of life of our community, and subsequently improving the well-being of Bellingham and its local economy.
A Feel Good Story
One of the earlier calls we received from a nonprofit was made by the Max Higbee Center - who provides community-based recreation programs for youth and adults with developmental disabilities. The circumstances of our first meeting with the Max Higbee Center were bleak, as they were experiencing difficulty in fundraising and felt they were approaching a dead end. In meeting with them, Janet only saw opportunity. Well aware that Bellingham had yet to establish a beer festival, she suggested they create one. Eager to take action, we assisted the Max Higbee Center in launching an annual beer festival that takes place in April, aptly named “April Brews Day”. To this day, it’s the largest beer festival in town, and it funds their entire capital campaign year over year. Time and time again, we see these things come full circle. We are grateful for our ability to help important local organizations stay on their feet - and through events like April Brews Day - watching the community show up year after year to support them is the greatest reward.
“They have the slogan ‘When you choose Boundary, you choose Community’ and I’m quite proud of that slogan because I think we do have a reputation. It gets to a point where it’s challenging to support as many institutions, charities and organizations that we do, but we do the best we can. We really are focused on giving back. I mean, we’re fortunate. We have a product - a very good product - and we can give that back, being parts of events, and being generous with what we have. I think that’s really helped as far as supporting the community the way we can.” -Ed Bennett
Our Bottom Line: Generosity
Donations
Our values are anchored in community and we jump at the opportunity to aid in a healthy Bellingham & Whatcom County. We were honored to receive Washington's 2014 Small Philanthropic Business of the Year Award.
With our values anchored in community, we made a commitment long ago to jump at any opportunity that allows us to contribute to a happy and healthy Bellingham & Whatcom County. When the people and organizations within our town are supported, this community flourishes into something beautiful and unique, and we try our best to turn these moments into an every day reality.
To ensure we are doing all that we can as one small part of this amazing community, we offer donations of all shapes and sizes in order to best fit the needs of those asking. Donations range anywhere from select merchandise, gift cards, the use of our beer garden with no rental fee, and even the beer that started it all way back in 1995. (If asking for a keg donation, please include what type of liquor license you will be using.)
We were honored to receive Washington's 2014 Small Philanthropic Business of the Year Award thanks to the nomination of our community partners and hope to continue providing our community with a sense of support and acceptance for years to come!
DONATION REQUESTS
With an ever-growing list of over 100 non-profits supported each year, we do our best to support the many donation requests that come through our door. Please fill out the form below, our donations team meets monthly.
Ed Bennett receiving the 2014 “Outstanding Philanthropic Small Business For Washington State” award from Recreation Northwest.
BLACK IS BEAUTIFUL BREW & SCHOLARSHIP DONATION
One unique donation we were very proud to make was our contribution to the “Black is Beautiful” national collaboration brew.
The Black is Beautiful initiative is a collaborative effort amongst the brewing community and its customers, in an attempt to bring awareness to the injustices that many people of color face daily.
Started by Weathered Souls Brewing Co., breweries and brewers far and wide across the U.S. were asked to "raise a glass with [Weathered Souls Brewing] in unison and participate in this collaboration". Their mission is to "bridge the gap that's been around for ages and provide a platform to show that the brewing community is an inclusive place for everyone of any color."
As a brewery that values choosing community first - no matter what it looks like - participating in this brew was a no-brainer for us. Pushing for the growth of diversity within our industry - here, and everywhere - is just one of the many steps we can take to encourage more equitable and just communities around the world.
In collaboration with our brewery neighbors, Gruff Brewing, our brewery team answered this call from Weathered Souls Brewing with a Chocolate Orange Stout, brewed and then released in August & September of 2020, respectively.
For the donation side of the “Black is Beautiful" initiative, we chose to donate 100% of proceeds from this brew to the Bill Reed Family Scholarship at Western Washington University, which provides support exclusively for African American undergraduate students who have been admitted to Western.
Learn more about the #BlackisBeautifulBeer movement here:
https://blackisbeautiful.beer/
An image of our “Black is Beautiful” stout brew, a Chocolate Orange Stout, being showered in Orange peels and cocoa nibs, placed directly in front of six cans with the national “Black is Beautiful” can design on them.
Nonprofit Events
Boundary Bay fosters a healthy Bellingham & Whatcom County by carving out additional community space to local agencies and their events. Whether for fundraising, meeting spaces, or other event ideas - we'd like to help make it happen.
Over the years, Boundary Bay Brewery has witnessed the amazing impact nonprofits have on our community. We understand that the efforts of these organizations build lasting connections, change lives, make waves of progress felt near and far, and so much more - and that they often achieve these impacts through hosting events! For this reason, as well as to continue fostering a healthy Bellingham & Whatcom County, we are carving out additional community space within our walls to local agencies to utilize this Spring, Summer & Fall. No matter the occasion, we'd like to help make your event happen!
Contact: alison@bbaybrewery.com for more information on both non profit and private events!
SPACES AVAILABLE FOR NONPROFIT EVENTS
From PTA fundraisers to charity dinners and board meetings to a local artist collective concerts, we sponsor a wide variety of events within our unique beer garden space. Collaboration and flexibility is key for us here at Boundary Bay, so we encourage you to start by reaching out to see if your event is a good fit and go from there!
THE BEER GARDEN AT BOUNDARY BAY
(May-September)
The Space: Tucked in the lower level of our outdoor dining area, the Beer Garden offers a space that is accessible to the public from both the restaurant and Railroad Ave, as well as able to be blocked off for private events.
Space Features: The area is a protected wetland that offers a well-maintained garden, stage and sound system, separate bar with six taps and plenty of seating for any occasion. Wheelchair accessible through the alley behind Boundary Bay. Dogs & kids welcome!
Cost: Rental fees in the Beer Garden are reduced or waived for nonprofit and community organizations in order to support them in giving back to our community. Ask us how it works!
NOTE: Contact alison@bbaybrewery.com for more information on booking events!
THE BELLINGHAM TRAVERSE - A 17-YEAR TRADITION
Video: Watch things come full circle as the Bellingham Traverse adventure race draws parallels with the annual journey of the salmon.
One of the many amazing nonprofit events we have been able to support through our event space offerings is the Bellingham Traverse Relay. From 2002 to 2019, we teamed up with the then-event sponsor Recreation Northwest, a local outdoor recreation nonprofit, to support this annual, all ages, multi-sport relay by providing a location for race registration, finish line & awards ceremony, as well as brewing the official race beer and more.
The event begins with Race Registration in the Beer Garden, where participants prepare for the day’s events ahead. After trekking the trails, pathways and Bellingham Bay on foot, bike and with a paddle, participants run across the Finish Line, located directly in front of Boundary Bay Brewery on Railroad Ave. The party continues with the official beer of the race, the Boundary Bay Traverse IPA.
A shot of the official race beer, Boundary Bay Traverse IPA, in the Taproom just a few days before the race that it was named after!
Each year we were amazed at the growth of this event and its ability to bring so many versatile communities together to celebrate both recreating outdoors and our beautiful, Pacific Northwest home. It is events like these that remind us why we continue to Choose Community in everything that we do!