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The Napa Valley Vintners (NVV) and the Napa Green program were recently presented the prestigious 2018 Governor’s Environmental and Economic Leadership Award (GEELA) in Sacramento. The award recognizes individuals and organizations that have demonstrated exceptional leadership and made notable, voluntary contributions in conserving California’s precious resources, protecting and enhancing California’s environment, building public-private partnerships and strengthening the state’s economy.
Vintner Bruce Cakebread traveled with the NVV team to attend the awards ceremony and has participated in the Napa Green program since it was founded over a decade ago. “I think the Napa Green program is one of the best green certification programs because it encourages continual improvement in your green efforts. Napa Green is third-party inspected and certified which ensures accountability of the participants and with the number of acres in Napa Green Land and the number of wineries Napa Green winery certified. Napa Green makes a positive impact on the whole Napa Valley,” said Cakebread.
Conceived as a collaboration between industry leaders, environmental groups and government agencies, the Napa Green Program encompasses both sustainable vineyard and sustainable winery practices. Since its inception in the early 2000s, more than half of all vineyard acreage in Napa County (25,000 acres) has been certified and more than 80 Napa wineries have enrolled-accounting for 40% of all sustainable winery certifications statewide.
Other notable facts about the program include:
In 2015 the NVV Board of Directors set an ambitious goal: for 100% of its members to participate in the program by 2020; currently more than 70% of eligible members are involved. Today, nearly 50 NVV members have dual certifications in the Napa Green Land and Winery programs.
The Napa Green environmental certification program for vineyards and wineries in Napa County is one of the most comprehensive environmental accreditations in the wine industry. The program takes a soil to bottle approach, integrating sustainable management practices at every step of the winemaking process. Napa Green Land and Winery owners are independently certified by third-party entities.
The Napa Green Land program works with Napa Valley property owners to assess their entire parcel and develop a custom farm plan. Each plan must meet and exceed environmental compliance requirements, reduce soil loss and preserve and restore sensitive habitats. The Napa Green Winery program works with producers to help them understand their water and energy use and waste management. Each participant receives an audit and detailed report to help them optimize facility resource use. Learn more at napagreen.org.
The Napa Valley Vintners nonprofit trade association has been cultivating excellence since 1944 by inspiring its 550 winery members to consistently produce wines of the highest quality and to care for the extraordinary place they call home. Learn more at napavintners.com.
Making the commitment to third party certification takes time and effort, but it is worth it to demonstrate our commitment to the community and to protect our watershed, our land and the air we breathe.