Water is pretty damn important to us all. Water is in our name and in our DNA, and our brewers know that quality upstream water makes quality downstream beer.
That’s why we partner with awesome folks like Waterkeeper Alliance. Their great work has made them the largest and fastest growing nonprofit solely focused on clean water, working to preserve and protect water by connecting over 300 local Waterkeeper groups worldwide. Since 1999, they’ve collectively protected 2.5 million square miles of waterways, including the Chattahoochee River, which we use to brew our heady beers.
About the Project
This summer, Waterkeeper Alliance is partnering with the lab Cyclopure to provide PFAS test kits for all participating U.S. Waterkeepers. Each participating Waterkeeper will take an upstream and downstream sample in their watershed and then ship their samples to the lab for analysis. Once the lab receives and analyzes samples, Cyclopure will provide a comprehensive report of the results later this year.
Current science suggests that most – if not all – of these samples will show PFAS in the waterways surveyed around the country. If results are as we expect, Waterkeepers across the country will continue to push public officials to address the critical need for cleaner water.
SCORE THIS TEE & SCORE ONE FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
All proceeds will go to supporting Waterkeeper Alliance!
100% of the profits from our new custom t-shirt will support Waterkeeper Alliance’s Clean Water Act initiatives all summer long!
Buy this Rad Shirt
What the hell are PFAS?
- PFAS are a class of more than 7,000 toxic chemicals invented by accident in the 1930s by chemists at DuPont and 3M.
- These chemicals are used on waterproof jackets, food wrappers, carpets, non-stick cookware, and more.
- Water soluble and found in our water, our fish, and our bloodstream, PFAS are linked to cancer, liver and kidney disease, immunological problems, and reproductive and developmental harm.
- Though no standard science-based limit for or ban on PFAS currently exists, brands are beginning to remove PFAS from their products and some states are enacting an inconsistent patchwork of regulatory limits. Congress is also working on federal legislation that would designate some of these chemicals as hazardous substances, as well as require limits for the toxins under the Clean Water Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act.
50th Anniversary of the Clean Water Act
Back in the 1960s, waterways across the United States were dying. Rivers – like the Cuyahoga River in Ohio – were literally on fire. In 1972, Congress overrode President Nixon’s veto to pass the Clean Water Act, a law designed to reduce or eliminate pollution in our nation’s waterways. On October 18, 2022, the 1972 Clean Water Act will celebrate its 50th anniversary. This legislation is the cornerstone of Waterkeeper Alliance’s work to protect our right to clean water. For half a century, our Waterkeepers have deployed the Clean Water Act with great success to protect their community’s right to clean water.
While the list of Clean Water Act successes is long, much more work remains to be done. Many of our waterways remain severely polluted due to deregulation and a lack of government enforcement, and our pollution problem is increasing. Data from EPA shows that water pollution now impairs 588,173 miles of rivers and streams, 13,208,917 acres of lakes and reservoirs, and 39,230 square miles of open waters of the Great Lakes.
We need to strengthen the Clean Water Act and ensure that it is enforced. Waterkeeper Alliance is celebrating this milestone 50th anniversary by highlighting successes of the Clean Water Act and rallying people around how to make it even stronger.
