MillerCoors is launching a month-long volunteer effort to protect beer’s most important ingredient: water. The brewer has designated September “Great Water Month,” when thousands of MillerCoors employees will be participating in over a dozen volunteer projects nationwide.

In Albany, employees will volunteer with Flint Riverkeeper 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Friday to remove trash and contribute to the overall health of the Flint River.

Great Water Month is one way that MillerCoors demonstrates its commitment to water stewardship.

Last week, the brewer released its 2013 Sustainability Report Brewing for Good, announcing that the company cut water usage across all locations by 6.1 percent last year, dropping the water-to-beer ratio to just 3.82:1 in 2012 — well below the industry average.