Being Green Takes Effort On Marina
By Kerry Miller
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Del.icio.usStriving to do the right thing is the motto by which Mattson Davis runs his business, and because of it his Kona Brewing Company earned a “Green Award” from Hawaii Home + Remodeling this year.
The award was presented at the summer inaugural event, “Who’s Keeping Hawaii Green,” at Moanalua Gardens.
Though the company is based in Kona on the Big Island, Davis’ practices are instilled at all locations, including its Koko Marina Pub in Hawaii Kai.
“We were recognized by the Kona Chamber of Commerce for our way of doing business in our actions through recycling, reduction, reusing,” Davis said. “We’ve been recycling glass and cardboard for a long, long time. We use converted boat grain benches in the waiting area (made of recycled plastic bottles), we have used chairs from Wendy’s restaurants for our seating, used old electrical spools as tables in the lanai, and we give spent grain to a local farmer.”
The executive, who came to Kona Brewing Co. in 1997, recently gave a power point to a group in Honolulu, outlining all of Kona Brewing’s green practices. They include donating old computers and printers to recycling drives, using recycled paper for printing, supporting efforts to change state policies on environmental education and preservation and creating the Kona Brewers Festival to raise money for educational/environmental awareness.
With the company’s electric costs among the highest in the nation, Davis said he’s “pretty passionate” about sticking to his “do the right thing” motto, which means setting an example for others.“To me sustainability means our community, our ohana. As a leader in our category I believe in spending a little more so that others may come to follow. It’s like leading by example.” For instance, if they push their food supplier to use eco-friendly packaging - and they do - perhaps competing companies will notice and follow suit.
Kona Brewing Co. also reclaims water from its air handling unit to irrigate its landscaping, all departments recycle shipping boxes and packing materials, and it’s looking into installing a high output photo-voltaic system for the Kona property that would provide 400,000 kilowatts, or two-thirds of the company’s power consumption.
Koko Marina Pub buys 80 percent local and organic produce, recycles HI-5 items, donates to the Friends of Hanauma Bay and Maunalua Bay. In fact, the pub itself is composed of reclaimed building materials.
The brewhouse at the Kona brewery uses biodegradable cleaners, energy-efficient light bulbs, heat exchangers (that reuse thermal energy to heat the water for beer brewing) and it adheres to several other environmentally friendly practices.
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