As a brewery that relies on clean water—for our beer and for our community’s way of life—in 2019, we made a pledge to donate back for every barrel of beer we brew to keep our water source clean.
The water source we draw from is Sebago Lake, which supplies drinking water to one in six Mainers. The water in Sebago Lake also happens to be so pure that it’s one of only 50 public surface water supplies in the entire country that doesn’t require filtration before treatment.
Why is it so clean? In large part thanks to the forests around the lake that naturally filter the water that runs into it. 84% of the 234,000-acre Sebago watershed is covered by forests. And keeping those forests healthy means our water remains safer, less expensive, and tasting better than if the lake’s quality went down and we had to filter it artificially.
As part of its efforts to protect Maine waterways, Sebago Clean Waters’ partner Lakes Environmental Association regularly tests the water quality in Maine ponds, lakes, rivers and streams.
One of the collectives working to preserve that land around Sebago Lake is Sebago Clean Waters. As a collaborative of eight organizations, as well as a regional water utility service, Sebago Clean Waters puts their efforts and expertise toward voluntary forestland conservation. And for every barrel of beer we brew, we donate ten cents to their mission. In 2020, that amounted to a donation of nearly $10,000 for the year.
Their most recent victory was the result of hard work by Loon Echo Land Trust and The Trust for Public Land, both members of Sebago Clean waters. They were able to purchase and protect the Tiger Hill Community Forest, an area of forestland in the town of Sebago that covers over 1,400 acres. Not only is that good news for clean water, it’s good news for lovers of the outdoors, as that land is now permanently conserved for hiking, fishing, hunting, mountain biking, canoeing and more.
Because our donation is tied to the amount we brew, our contributions to the conservation of clean water will grow as we do. As a Certified B Corp, it’s one of the many ways that we’re trying to use our beer as a force for good.
