This is the holiday where people celebrate the green. Why can’t we also celebrate the eco-friendly? So before you down your Guinness and chow down on organic St. Paddy’s Day eats, take a moment to think about the ways you can green up your St. Patrick’s Day alcohol consumption. Need some help? Check out our green tips!

First, pick up an organic beer. Want to know just how green your beer is? Trip the light greentastic this St. Patrick’s Day by checking out Greenopia’s guide to sustainable and some organic beers. Greenopia reports that organic beers are preferable for the environment because they decrease environmental impacts associated with eutrophication and other water pollution indicators. Plus all the barley, hops and wheats found in non-organic beers are often heavily laden with insecticides, fungicides, pesticides and chemical fertilizers. Who wants to drink all that down on St. Paddy’s Day, let alone think about what it’s doing to the earth?

Where to find an organic beer? One of our favorites is the New Belgium Brewery, which gets four out of four leaves.  New Belgium, who also owns the Fat Tire brand, is one of the few breweries to make an organic beer. New Belgium is also very resource efficient requiring only 3.9 liters of water per liter of beer. This is much lower than the industry average of around seven liters or water needed. New Belgium sources its packaging materials locally (which cuts down on its transportation impact) and is in the process of researching new packaging types. Its employees even ride bikes to work. Just don’t forget to recycle your empties!

You can also buy a local beer. The Brewers Association offers a great database for locating a local beer maker in your area. Buying local decreases energy and transportation emissions – and who doesn’t think a beer is a bit tastier with a lesser carbon footprint? And for the ultimate local beer, you can always brew your own beer with this handy green guide.

Finally, want literal green beer? Pick up a 12 ounce bottle of sunshine wheat beer from the New Belgium Brewery. Add one drop of yellow natural, vegan food coloring and one drop of blue natural, vegan food coloring. Yes, food-coloring has come a long way since red M&Ms were eliminated in 1976 because of fears of FD&C Red #2.