In August of this year we were thrilled to receive the news that Montanya Distillers was awarded a Silver Environmental Achievement Award through Colorado’s Environmental Leadership Program (ELP). The award came in recognition of our efforts to become zero waste and our creativity in processing organic waste from the bar and restaurant with a biodigester.

We also heard that the review team appreciated our Impact Report, introduced in 2020 to share our efforts and challenges related to environmental sustainability, community stewardship, company diversity and employment practices.

It’s always amazing to have our achievements recognized, but we’re especially excited about this award because of what it represents for the future. We first joined the ELP in 2020, and in 2021 applied to move from the bronze level to silver. While bronze (or entry level) applications are based on the merits of past accomplishments, moving to silver also requires a commitment to future action: to implement a formal Environmental Management System (the gold standard for managing and reducing a company’s environmental footprint) and/or meet the ELP Gold Level Criteria within three years.

We saw the bronze level as a chance to get familiar with the program and it took no time at all to realize that moving to Silver (and eventually Gold) is a no brainer. The process will take time and require commitment and hard work. But experience has taught us that when it comes to managing your environmental footprint, perfection is hard to come by. You make progress, experience setbacks, find new solutions, replace old ones—it’s ever-evolving.

The structure of the ELP program is invaluable because it reinforces the efforts we have underway and helps us continue to prioritize them and improve. If you’ve ever worked in a startup or a fast paced environment with a lot of change, then you know how many things vie for your attention—and how valuable this kind of structure and external accountability can be.

We’re also grateful to the ELP for connecting us to Colorado State University’s Impact MBA program and sustainability fellow Meredith Burke during the summer of 2021. Meredith spent the summer developing a new system to track our environmental footprint as we grow. While spreadsheets and carbon calculations aren’t as novel as biodigesters, they’re such an important part of staying the course in environmental sustainability.

The data Meredith helped us collect will support our work through the ELP, make our recertification process for B Corp smoother (something Meredith is staying on to help us complete), and ensure that we continue to have accurate information to share with the public. It’s also a great way to identify new areas of improvement, and if you’ve followed us for a while, you know we’re not satisfied with the status quo.

Next up, a representative from the ELP will visit Montanya to see our practices in action. We look forward to the chance to connect in person, and grow our community. It’s great to be in the company of others committed to caring for the planet and its people.