Official Announcement:
The Molson Coors Brewing Co. has been named the official ethanol provider for the 2008 Democratic National Convention, to be held in Denver Aug. 25-28. Molson Coors will fuel DNC vehicles with ethanol from waste beer.
Unless it was backwash, or beer that was left out, open so that it got warm and flat, I’ve never had the term “waste beer” enter my vocabulary. In those instances, it was more like, “What a waste of good beer.”
Convention organizers aim to make the event “the greenest convention possible.” Other sustainable initiatives, in addition to using ethanol, include mitigating carbon emissions and cutting down on waste through recycling to a preference for organic food served at convention events.
While I’m at it, I just want to mention that certain terms have been used so much in preparation for the political farce that is the DNC, I just want to scream. “Green” is the biggest offender, followed closely by “carbon footprint,” “zero-waste,” and “carbon neutral.” The planners have gone absolutely nuts trying to prove that Denver is the greenest city in the US, by requiring all vendors to follow a rediculously strict list of rules that they would never follow under normal circumstances.
The latest example of the extent to which the DNC planners will take this lunacy is the list of requirements for food vendors. A short exerpt:
Fried foods are forbidden at the committee’s 22 or so events, as is liquid served in individual plastic containers. Plates must be reusable, like china, recyclable or compostable. The food should be local, organic or both. (Uh, here in Colorado, with our short growing season, local doesn’t necessarily cut it. And, the organic requirement will send costs through the roof. Will the DNC pay, or will vendors lose, just for the opportunity to participate? Get your money up front, folks.)
And caterers must provide foods in “at least three of the following five colors: red, green, yellow, blue/purple, and white,” garnishes not included, according to a Request for Proposals, or RFP, distributed last week.
It’s not about saving the planet. It’s about perception and political posturing. August 29 will not come soon enough.
