NAPA GREEN NEWS

Spring showers and sun, flowering trees in bloom – it is officially Earth Month! Of course, we’re working hard on sustainability & climate action all year round, but April is a spotlight month to share your sustainability stories. Data shows that customers want to buy values-driven, climate smart products. But data also shows customers are struggling to identify these products without quick queues like certification logos and other strategic communications.

We are partnering with the Napa Valley Vintners on a #30days30ways Earth Month campaign, providing a platform to share fun, beautiful and engaging stories across all Six Pillars of Sustainable Winegrowing Leadership. Be sure to tag @napagreen in all of your posts so we can help spotlight your stories.

On this same note, see the information below on adding the Napa Green logos to your certified wine labels. We took a field trip to see the rosé bottling at Rutherford Hill, where they’ve been adding the Napa Green logos to their estate wine labels.

I also hope you’ll join us at one of our Napa Green events later this month. Stop by our booth at Earth Day Napa, where we’ll be pouring exclusively Napa Green Certified wines, and then on April 26th join us for All Things Bottle Sustainability, with an incredible lineup of speakers and some show and tell.

If you know anyone who is curious about Napa Green Vineyard or Winery certification email vineyard@napagreen.org or winery@napagreen.org and our team will be in touch.

Happy Spring! Anna Brittain Executive Director
Bud Break

UP TO $6,000 MATCHING GRANTS FOR CLIMATE SMART PRACTICES!

In March we completed our first round of matching grants, awarding more than $18,000 for member climate action projects. Members received grants to:

Grants are also available for winery-side projects, such as greening packaging. We have over $40,000 remaining and we are reopening a second round of grant applications, due May 3. We’ve made the application process as simple and non-time consuming as possible.

  • Maximum award amount is $6,000. Grant proposals of between $1,000 and $6,000 will be accepted. 
  • Successful proposals must include an applicant cost match of at least 33% of the total award amount.
  • Applicants must be certified as Napa Green Vineyard and/or Napa Green Winery, or at the Action Plan stage of the certification process.
  • Projects will be evaluated by the degree that they advance Napa Green’s Mission and make a positive impact across one or more of the Six Pillars of Sustainable Winegrowing Leadership.
  • Round II Deadline – May 3, 2024

*Note: We also have $300 available per Vineyard member to support soil sampling analysis.

See the full GRANT GUIDELINES HERE, and apply via this GOOGLE FORM by MAY 3, 2024.

Balloon reservoir

UPCOMING BOTTLE & WATER EVENTS

April 26 | All Things Bottle Sustainability
Pine Ridge Winery | 9-12:15 pm
Learn more, review the agenda, and register.

May 23 | The Future of Water
Silver Oak Napa Valley | 9-12:15 pm
Keynotes from Peter Gleick and Mimi Casteel. All guests will receive a signed copy of Gleick’s “The Three Ages of Water”
Learn more, review the agenda, and register.

INTIMATE NAPA GREEN BENEFIT DINNERS

The Napa Green nonprofit (501c3) is operating on incredibly lean finances, and currently dependent on finite grants for 40% of our operating budget. We both want and need to broaden our community of engaged supporters.

We are working with champions to host intimate, 20-person fundraising dinners where guests will have the chance to meaningfully connect with wine and climate action leaders and changemakers, including international water expert Peter Gleick, viticulturist and forest ecologist Mimi Casteel, and wine writer and educator Karen MacNeil. We hope you or someone you know might be interested in joining us for one of these special dinners, and supporting Napa Green’s climate action leadership. Tickets are $2,000-2,500 and are tax deductible.

April 26 Benefit Dinner – Private South Stag’s Leap Residence

Kia Behnia and Tracy Borman, owners of Neotempo Wines, are hosting dinner alongside their infinity pool overlooking their organic vineyard. Guests will enjoy Cristal Louis Roederer Champagne and spectacular Neotempo wines, enticing dishes prepared by award-winning Chef Dave Cruz, and incredible views of the Vaca Mountains. Special guest Karen MacNeil will share some insights on “All Things Bottle Sustainability.”

May 23 Benefit Dinner – Opus One Winery

Winemaker Michael Silacci is hosting dinner on the rotunda overlooking Opus One’s estate vineyards. Guests will enjoy Barons de Rothschild Champagne and Opus One wines, enticing dishes prepared by award-winning Chef Sarah Heller, with sunset on the horizon. Special guest Peter Gleick will share some insights on “The Future of Water.”

Please join us for one of these truly special and unforgettable dinners. 

Logo on Bottle

WE NEED YOU! TO PUT THE LOGO ON YOUR LABEL

The Sustainable Market Share Index shows that consumer packaged goods marketed as sustainable are growing TWO TIMES faster than their conventional counterparts. Carbon labeled products now account for $3.4B in sales, doubling from $1.7B in 2020. But studies also show that we are underselling sustainability, with consumers struggling to identify products with quick queues that they are certified sustainable and climate smart.

Rutherford Hill Winery recently added the Napa Green logos on over 300,000 bottles. All members should leverage this opportunity to share their validated sustainability commitments on qualifying wines.

To use the Napa Green Certified Vineyard mark on your labels you must submit an application validating that the wine is made from 85% or more Napa Valley AVA grapes grown on certified vineyard properties. To use the Napa Green Certified Winery mark you must submit an application validating that the wine is made from 85% or more Napa Valley AVA grapes and produced 100% in a certified production facility. The logo use guidelines and applications are available here: https://napagreen.org/member-resources/

Cork Tree

NEW STEWARDSHIP SPONSOR

We are excited to announce a new Napa Green Stewardship Sponsor, Cork Supply. Natural cork is the most sustainable closure in every way. The cork forests sequester carbon, provide unique habitat, and skilled, well-paid jobs. Natural cork is also up-cycleable and biodegradable.

If you are interested in being a Napa Green sponsor, please see our Sponsorship Deck.

Napa Green Sponsors

Napa Green is grateful to our sponsors, who help fund our expanding operations and programs. If you are interested in becoming a Napa Green Sponsor please reach out to Napa Green Executive Director, Anna Brittain.

Climate Action & Regenerative Agriculture! Our sixth pillar that encompasses all that we do at Napa Green. 🌼
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Hear from Winery Program Manager @love.dream.breathe about Energy Efficiency & Savings, one of our pillars of sustainable winegrowing leadership
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We want to sincerely thank everyone who donated either space, time or proceeds of bottles/food sold to Napa Green during Earth Month! We are a small non-profit that greatly relies on donations of these kinds and we’re so grateful for our supportive community. 

Let’s hear it for: 

📍@trefethenfamily 
📍@pineridgewine 
📍@cliffamily 
📍@neotempowines
📖 @karenmacneilco
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Social Justice, Equity & Inclusion. Perhaps our most important pillar of our six pillars of sustainability leadership. 

Thank you for the beautiful description @growresiliently!
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Register now at the link in our profile! 💦

May 23, 2024
Silver Oak Winery, Oakville
9:00 am - 12:15 pm

One of the most critical agricultural concerns with our changing climate, and more frequent & intense weather extremes, is precipitation and water availability. The good news is opportunities abound to optimize irrigation efficiency, and implement regenerative practices that improve soil health, water infiltration, and retention. 

Join us for The Future of Water, with highlights including a keynote from Peter Gleick, one of the world’s leading water experts, and Mimi Casteel, not only a viticulturist and winemaker, but also a forest ecologist with a vision for water resiliency.
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Join us for The Future of Water Workshop, to explore our water future, with highlights including a keynote from Peter Gleick, one of the world’s leading water experts (all guests will receive a copy of Peter’s most recent book, The Three Ages of Water) and Mimi Casteel, not only a viticulturist and winemaker, but also a forest ecologist with a vision for water resiliency.

Wine grape quality is closely tied to the right amount of water, at the right time. One of the most critical agricultural concerns with our changing climate, and more frequent & intense weather extremes, is precipitation and water availability. We’ve swung from historic drought to atmospheric rivers. Our community has huge swaths of unmanaged, unhealthy forests full of non-natives and overrun by firs, amplifying fire risk and undermining one of the most critical systems for groundwater recharge.

The good news is opportunities abound to optimize irrigation efficiency, and implement regenerative practices that improve soil health, water infiltration, and retention. A watershed coalition has also formed in Napa County to pilot and model creek & forest restoration for localized water resiliency and climate cooling. 

Come learn more on Thursday, May 23rd at 9:00am at @silveroakcellars.
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Sustainably sourced ingredients with Chef Sarah Heller 🌱 Purchase your tax deductible ticket to our Opus One x Napa Green dinner at the link in our profile!
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You’re invited.. 

Full details may be found at the link in our profile. Cheers!
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As we wrap up an amazing Earth Month, we want to thank you all for the support & for coming to see us at our events! 

Let’s keep the momentum going and remember that Earth Day is Every Day! 🌎
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Hear from @marisataylorwines about the importance of  water efficiency & savings and what we can all do to conserve this precious resource.
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Join us for a not to be missed dinner experience at @opusonewinery while supporting philanthropic efforts on behalf of climate action. 

An intimate group of 20 guests will be in attendance on the rotunda overlooking the estate vineyards. Chef Sarah Heller will prepare a four-course, locally-sourced dinner paired with Champagne Barons de Rothschild, Opalie de Château Coutet, and three vintages of Opus One wines. 

You will have the chance to share transformative conversations and form deep connections with industry leaders and change makers. 

Please find full invitation details at the link in our profile.
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Happy Earth Day Napa Valley! It’s an incredible joy to work with you all and see the forward progress being made all over this gorgeous place we call home. Thank you for caring, thank you for stepping up and thank you for making a difference!! 🌎💚
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Thanks to everyone who came out to @earthdaynapa and visited us at the @napagreen wine booth! 

 Cheers to @amici_cellars @cakebreadcellars @domainecarneros @handwrittenwines @robertmondavi and @whiterockvineyards for donating the certified sustainable wines to raise money for the Environmental Education Coalition of Napa County and helping make it a great event!
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We’re pouring some stellar Napa Green wines tomorrow at @earthdaynapa to include: 

@cakebreadcellars, @domainecarneros, @whiterockvineyards, @handwrittenwines, @amici_cellars & @robertmondavi!

Come by the booth! 🍷🌎
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What you can do in the vineyard & what you can do at home! 🌼🦋

#happyearthday #earthmonth #sustainability #biodiversity #pollinators #herbicidefree #napa #napavalley #cheers
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Come on by to @cliffamily! 💚🍴
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