With the devastating wildfires ravaging the West amid record drought conditions, it is hard to imagine there are those who still believe the climate change is not real. The evidence is overwhelming. And, as frustrating as it is that there are those who refuse to take this seriously, it is refreshing and heartening to know that some companies are making real strides to reduce the production of greenhouse gases. I came across one such story about the Glenfiddich distillery in Scotland. I thought today was a good day to post a ‘happy’ story. I thought this was pretty cool.
“Whiskey is a potent potable that’s fueled many things—rebellion, imagination, and even some pretty epic hangovers. But until recently, it’s never fueled (or “fuelled” in Brit-speak) a truck.
While drinking and driving definitely do not mix when the alcohol’s in the driver, thanks to a partnership between Scotland’s Glenfiddich Whisky distillery and IVECO, a sustainable natural powered transportation company, a fleet of low-carbon trucks powered by bio-methane derived from the dregs of whiskey production is about to hit the road.
The process seems deceptively simple: Distillery waste materials are run through an anaerobic digester.
As they break down, gases are emitted and harvested. After a final cleaning process, the resulting product is a low-carbon, low-particulate biofuel.
“It has taken more than a decade for Glenfiddich to become the first distillery to process 100% of its waste residues on its own site, then to be the first to process those residues into biogas fuels to power its trucks, and finally to be the first to install a biogas truck fuelling station supplied by our on-site renewable energy facility,” Kirsty Dagnan, site leader at the distillery’s Dufftown facility said in a statement.
It’s estimated that each green and white “Fuelled by Glenfiddich” truck will displace up to 250 tonnes of CO2e each year.
In addition to producing eco-friendly fuel, the distillery has gone one step further toward reducing its carbon footprint—by using leftover solids from biofuel production to fertilize the barley fields of its farming partners.
As an added bonus, not only do these twice-over leftovers enrich the soil, they actually draw CO2 away from the atmosphere.
According to figures forecast by Glenfiddich’s parent company, William Grant & Sons, when compared to diesel and other fossil fuel alternatives, their innovative “closed-loop system” is set to cut annual greenhouse gas emissions by up to 99%—an equivalent environmental impact of planting 4,000 trees every year.
And who wouldn’t drink to that? Cheers!”