In welcoming the New Year, the most important story of our time continues to be climate change. A Special Report released in October by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) revealed that basically everything the world agreed upon in the United Nations Paris Climate Agreement in 2015 to curb global warming is not enough. The Trump administration concurred with the scientific evidence of this study, and with commitments necessary to mitigate global warming. Thus, the question of whether climate change is being caused by human activity is no longer a political issue, it’s scientific fact.
The wine industry is a great place to look for positive news of companies taking initiative and gaining international recognition with environmental sustainability. Let’s begin with Fetzer Vineyards. Celebrating 50 years of pioneering roots in Mendocino County, Fetzer was founded on a deep commitment to preserve the land. It is the largest winery in the world certified as a B Corporation, and last year received recognition as a 2018 Best for the World: Changemaker from the non-profit B Lab.
Legally recognized as a Benefit Corporation since 2017, the well being of Fetzer Vineyards’ staff, community and environment carry equal importance to profits. When it makes a decision about anything, including where or how to sell its product or with whom to do business, its core values of caring for the land, and the people and community who support it, are considered equal with the bottom line in assessing decisions. With this pledge, Fetzer is legally bound to leverage the power of business as a force for good.
Headquarters in Hopland are solar-powered in an effort to use 100 percent green power and reduce its carbon footprint. Through years of tracking and reducing waste and energy use, it is the first winery in the world to achieve true zero-waste certification. By 2020, Fetzer Vineyards aims to divert 99.9 percent of every material they use out of the world’s landfills.
Fetzer Vineyards is one of many forward-thinking and courageous Northern California frontrunners inspiring business throughout the world.Â
Another is Jackson Family Wines (JFW). Helping my son, Julien Gervreau, fulfill one of his New Year’s resolutions by cleaning his garage over the weekend, one topic led to another. He began speaking of his recent experience of kicking off a three-day summit for Berkshire-Hathaway, a company with multi-national holdings.
As vice president of sustainability for JFW, he was invited to Omaha to give the keynote address for this summit focused on building a best-in-class sustainability program that accounts for the triple bottom line principles of people, planet and profit.
Proud momma, I took a double take. Amazing that Warren Buffet’s company sought guidance from our own Sonoma County-based Jackson Family Wines on how to successfully embed sustainability throughout its business operations.
As the largest generator of renewable energy in the U.S. wine industry, Jackson Family Wines generates the equivalent annual consumption of more than 1,400 homes worth of renewable energy each year. They use less than 4 gallons of water to produce a gallon of wine, making them one of the most water efficient wineries in California. Since 2015, JFW has reduced its greenhouse gas emission intensity by over 33 percent, which is the equivalent of taking 5,522 cars off the road each year. And, the wineries of JFW have a 98 percent or higher solid waste diversion rate.
Preserving biodiversity and protecting natural habitat are among the greatest concerns of any agricultural business. It’s impressive, therefore, that the Jackson family leaves more than half of its acreage unplanted and in its native state.
Moving from the private to the public sector, the city of Healdsburg is another inspiring business. Healdsburg recently announced that they are moving municipal electric accounts to the Healdsburg Green Rate, which uses 100 percent clean, renewable energy from the Geysers.
I am proud to be living in a community that takes a leadership role in combating climate change. The companies mentioned above are merely a sprinkling of businesses taking the lead. We need to look no further than our devastating recurring firestorms to realize that action must now be taken by all of us.
My New Year’s hope is that we reevaluate what it means to a live a more eco-friendly lifestyle. Become educated on the numerous ways you can take action. The following are small changes that can eventually make a big difference if practiced by many to reduce emissions that cause global warming.
- Eat less meat
- Use less paper and recycle
- Use canvas bags
- Start a compost pile or bin
- Purchase the right light bulbs
- Cut down on energy in homes and businesses
- Reduce water waste
Cheers to a healthy, fire free new year in which we respect Mother Nature in all that we do.Â
