For the third year in a row, Anheuser-Busch, the maker of Budweiser, is asking everyone to skip shaving, to “Grow One. Save a Million”, for World Environment Day on Tuesday, June 5.

Anheuser-Busch claims that its breweries have reduced water use by 37% in the last four years and that the “Grow One. Save a Million” campaign is one way to highlight the Company’s commitment to water conservation. In addition, Budweiser is donating $150,000 to River Network to help support watershed conservation projects in each of the company’s US brewery cities.

The Company claims that the average shave uses 3 to 10 US gallons of water, with a typical usage of 5 gallons. It is seeking to save a million gallons of water through urging its customers, employees, and others to stop shaving in the days leading up to World Environment Day. Pledges for participation can be registered at http://www.facebook.com/Budweiser  (free Facebook registration required for access).

Labatt, maker of Budweiser in Canada, does not appear to be participating in the water conservation promotion of its parent AB InBev but AB InBev does state in its social responsibility report that water use is being reduced “in every facility”.  In 2011, AB InBev claims that “the company’s average water use was 3.71 hectoliters per hectoliter of production, which represents an 8.2% reduction versus 2010, and a 13.7% reduction against its 2009 baseline or of the equivalent of some 9,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools”.

Note that women are not excluded from the “Grow One. Save a Million” campaign. Women can get involved by asking a guy to Grow One on their behalf.  Both men and women can take additional pledges to shorten their showers and/or turn off the faucet while brushing their teeth.

Source: PR Newswire (http://s.tt/1cLSV)

Source: PR Newswire (http://s.tt/1cLSV) and http://www.ab-inbev.com/go/social_responsibility/environment/water_use.cfm