From a news release issued by Kolbe Windows and Doors:
Wausau, Wis. (July 2011) – Located in Wausau, Wis., Red Eye Brewing Company produces and sells craft beers complimented by dishes made from home-grown ingredients. The owners’ preference for locally-sourced, environmentally-responsible materials, their attention to detail and their appreciation for quality, contributed to their selection of Kolbe’s windows and doors.
“Red Eye truly believes that our success as a business is measured through our commitment to the community and the environment, paired with sound economic practices,” says co-owner Brett Danke. . . .
Bringing this systematic, sustainable, whole building design to life, S.D. Ellenbecker served as a hands-on general contractor, including the installation of Kolbe’s windows and doors. Opened in 2008, the 6,000-square-foot space’s other green building features include:
- location is a quick walk for downtown shoppers, near a designated bike route and one block from the bus terminal;
- reclaimed Redwood fence, planed by hand, and re-used as wood trim;
- waterless urinals, which save a combined 90,000 gallons of water per year;
- spent grain from the brewing process is provided to a local farmer, which he uses as a supplement for his cattle, eliminating it from the landfill;
- wood burning oven is fired with locally-sourced hardwoods, a renewable source of energy, which avoids the consumption of natural gas and electricity for primary cooking needs;
- solar water heat, which further reduces the consumption of natural gas and electrical power, equating to nearly 35 years of “free hot water” for use in the brewery and its restaurant.