ST. LOUIS. May 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Budweiser is asking adult men across America to help save one million gallons of water by not shaving in the days and weeks leading up to World Environment Day (June 5).  As part of Budweiser's ongoing commitment to water conservation, the Grow One. Save a Million. program allows consumers to get involved and save roughly 5 gallons of water for each shave they skip.*

Consumers 21 years of age and older can visit Budweiser's Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/Budweiser) to make a pledge and share the program with Facebook friends.  Participants can commit to a range of options, from a few days to multiple weeks.  Ladies can get involved by recruiting male friends or family members.  The page also features a daily tracker of the gallons saved to date.

"Water is a key ingredient in the brewing of Budweiser and all our beers, which is why water conservation is a priority both inside and outside our breweries," said Kathy Casso, vice president of Corporate Social Responsibility at Anheuser-Busch.  "In the past three years alone, our 12 U.S. breweries have reduced water use by 34 percent.  Additionally, our employees and their families take action by volunteering to participate in local river cleanup projects in communities across the country."

In 2010, more than 1,200 employees from Budweiser brewer Anheuser-Busch skipped shaving for one week prior to World Environment Day, helping to save about 42,000 gallons of water.  This year, Budweiser is expanding the effort by inviting suppliers, partners, wholesalers, retailers and consumers to join the effort.  

"Every gallon of water that we save makes a difference to our communities, so when thousands of people get together for one common cause, great things can happen," said Chad Pregracke, founder of Living Lands & Waters and the face of the program on Budweiser's Facebook page.  "By pledging to skip shaving and 'grow one,' guys can literally wear their commitment to conserving our most valuable natural resource."  

In 1998, Pregracke founded Living Lands & Waters, a not-for-profit organization based in East Moline, Ill., dedicated to cleaning up and preserving our nation's rivers.  Today, the organization has grown to include 10 full-time employees.  Pregracke's crew travels and works in an average of 9 states a year along the Mississippi, Illinois, Ohio, Missouri and Potomac Rivers, as well as many of their tributaries.  Since the organization's inception, over 60,000 volunteers have helped remove more than 6 million pounds of debris from our nation's greatest rivers.   For his efforts, Pregracke has received numerous national awards.  Most recently, he was honored at the Points of Light Institute's Celebration of Service in Washington, D.C. where all four former presidents were in attendance to celebrate the power of voluntary action.  

As part of its annual recognition of World Environment Day, Anheuser-Busch and its Budweiser brand will again donate $150,000 to River Network to help support the organization watershed conservation projects in each of the company's 12 U.S. brewery cities.  These projects will include stream/river cleanups, education programs, tree plantings and various activities that support the environment and provide employees and local wholesalers the opportunity to volunteer in their communities.

World Environment Day is a day set aside by the United Nations to create awareness of the environment and encourage participation in sustainability programs.  Anheuser-Busch and its parent company, Anheuser-Busch InBev, annually recognize this day and engage employees around the world to take action and get involved in projects that are beneficial to the environment and their local communities.  

About River Network

For 20 years, River Network has provided organizational, technical and networking assistance to people working for watershed protection at the local, state and regional levels.  In addition, River Network serves as a catalyst and coordinator for major projects, such as this one, that require national leadership and collaboration among widely separated organizations and agencies.  With more than 700 partner groups in all 50 states and beyond, River Network is helping build a powerful new watershed protection movement in the United States.  To learn more about River Network, visit www.rivernetwork.org.

About Living Lands & Waters

Living Lands & Waters is a 501(c)(3) environmental organization established in 1998 and headquartered in East Moline, Illinois.  Beyond Community River Cleanups such as the "Great Mississippi River Cleanup", LL&W conducts Big River Educational Workshops, the Million Trees Project, the Riverbottom Forest Restoration and the Adopt-a-River Mile program on both the Mississippi River and the Illinois River.  For more information about Living Lands & Waters, visit www.livinglandsandwaters.org.

About Anheuser-Busch

Anheuser-Busch and its employees build on a legacy of corporate social responsibility by focusing on three key areas: promoting alcohol responsibility, preserving and protecting the environment and supporting local communities.  In the past three decades, Anheuser-Busch and its wholesalers have committed more than $875 million in national advertising campaigns and community-based programs to encourage responsible drinking and prevent underage drinking and drunk driving.  Anheuser-Busch reduced total water use at its breweries by 34 percent in the last three years and the company has been a leading aluminum recycler for more than 30 years.  Since 1997, Anheuser-Busch and its Foundation have invested in local communities through donations of nearly $475 million to charitable organizations.  The company also has provided more than 69 million cans of drinking water to people impacted by natural and other disasters since 1988.  Based in St. Louis, Anheuser-Busch, the leading American brewer, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev, the leading global brewer, and continues to operate under the Anheuser-Busch name and logo.  For more information, visit www.anheuser-busch.com.

*The average shave uses 3-10 gallons of water.  

SOURCE Anheuser-Busch