Molson Coors donates beer fuel to Democratic convention
The search for alternative fuels is taking a crazy turn. Molson Coors is donating fuel made mostly out of beer waste to the Democratic National Convention to be held in Denver from 25 to 28 August at the Pepsi Center.
According to the organisers, the convention will bring as many as 50,000 guests to the region including delegates, politicians and an influx of media and political enthusiasts from around the nation. A partial breakdown includes 15,000 members of the media; 6,000 delegates; and 14,000 party members, elected officials and others. The run smoothly, the convention will require about 10,000 volunteers. To date, more than 20,000 have applied.
The Denver 2008 Host Committee appears committed to saving the planet. That’s why it follows a policy of utilising renewable energy; reducing waste while maximising recycling; providing green transportation options, conserving water and mitigating carbon emissions.
In an effort to shunt delegates around in an environmentally-friendly way, the organisers have secured support from Molson Coors to supply all the ethanol-gasoline fuel blend the convention’s fleet of flex-fuel vehicles will need.
The fuel, known as E85, is 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline. The ethanol is made from beer lost during packaging or rejected for quality reasons at the company’s brewery in Golden. The Denver company began converting waste beer to ethanol in 1996 and today produces about 3 million gallons of ethanol per year.
Just as well Molson Coors will also provide beer for some events during the convention, or delegates might be led to believe that the U.S. number two brewer (following its joint venture with SABMiller which awaits approval) has undergone a change in core business.
Being a donor to the Democratic National Convention is a shrewd move by Molson Coors to dilute Coors’ right-wing image. It will be remembered that Pete Coors in 2004 ran for the Senate on a Republican ticket. Moreover, the Coors family has served as the cornerstone of the right-wing movement known as the New Right. In the 1970s and 1980s Coors was famously boycotted by gays and lesbians for its support for attacks on gay rights.
Who thought that donating E85 to the Democratic National Convention was such a big deal?
