Q4 Newsletter 2020 – Napa Green

NAPA GREEN NEWS

NAPA GREEN NEWSLETTER |
November 2, 2020

Over the past month there are times I’ve felt powerless – both against the forces of nature and how to help all of those impacted. I wish Napa Green could do more to help our community, our industry, and our members as we recover from these fires. It has been a challenging time personally, as my mother’s home burned down in Deer Park (photo below), and she also lost a home in the 2017 Tubbs Fire.

At the same time it is inspiring to see our community band together and push forward. Napa Valley wines continue to be made even where fire damage extends right up to the doorstep, and amidst all of the uncertainty of smoke taint. I am reminded that as our Napa Green members take climate action and build climate resilience it doesn’t just benefit our businesses and region, it sets an example for the broader wine and beverage industry. This is part of why we are looking forward to rolling out our new Napa Green Vineyard certification standards early next year, focused on climate action, regenerative agriculture and social equity.

This newsletter includes services you may want to take advantage of in the coming weeks and months – free irrigation efficiency assessments from the RCD, Irrigation Hose and Hazardous Waste collection days, solar cleaning if your panels are covered in soot and ash.

This newsletter also highlights an important change for our Napa Green Winery program. To support the work of ensuring the Napa Valley wine industry operates as sustainably as possible and provide you with the resources to meet your stewardship goals, the Winery program is evolving. As you know, in January 2020 Napa Green became an independent nonprofit. When Napa Green was under the umbrella of the NVV all certification services were offered free of charge, but with this important organizational shift Napa Green needs to adopt a certification fee structure comparable to other sustainable winegrowing programs. These fees will cover a portion of the staff time that goes into facilitating certification, annual desk audits, re-certification and interim assistance. We will be rolling out annual fees in April 2021, with discounts for existing members and those directly impacted by the fires.

We are grateful for your continued support and participation as we work to help make Napa County more sustainable and resilient. This call to action is ever more critical as the impacts of climate change are becoming all too real.

Sincerely,

Anna Brittain, Executive Director, Napa Green

Napa Green Winery Certification Fees

While our work continues to be supported in part by industry partners, a Napa Green Winery Certification Fee is necessary to ensure the continued longevity of Napa Green.

We hope you see the value and benefits of the services that we offer. Over the past five years Napa Green has identified more than $1.8 million in energy savings opportunities for winery members, helping them save more than $900,000 on electricity costs alone. Napa Green wineries have saved more than 12,500,000 gallons of water and 1,900,000 kilowatt hours of electricity.

In developing our Napa Green Winery Certification Fees we looked closely at the costs of the three other U.S. sustainable winegrowing programs that offer winery certification – California Certified Sustainable Winegrowing; Sustainability in Practice (SIP), and LIVE (in OR and WA). The new Napa Green Winery costs will be comparable to these other programs.

As of April 2021, new enrollees will pay a one-time application fee of $100-300, and all members will pay annual licensing fees based on production. Every three years there is the additional investment for the full (years 1, 6, 12) or Abbreviated (years 3, 9, 15) Resource Audit, which identifies efficiency and cost-savings opportunities.

Discounts for current Napa Green Members:

10% discount on first year’s fees, and comprehensively certified members (Winery and Land) receive an additional 5% discount.
Members who own more than one Napa Green Certified Winery will receive a stair-stepped 3% discount on licensing fees for each additional winery that is certified. This will apply to the fees for all wineries.
In 2021, wineries directly impacted by the 2020 fires will receive an additional 5% discount.

Free Irrigation Efficiency Assessments

Our partners at the Napa County Resource Conservation District have underwriting to offer free irrigation assessments for vineyards, a $2,000 value. Results from the irrigation evaluation help growers easily identify opportunities to improve water use efficiency and performance of their irrigation systems and vines. Interested growers only need to provide 2-4 hours of field assistance to complete the evaluation.

Working closely with the Napa RCD and developing custom drip uniformity protocols has enabled Renteria Vineyard Management to accurately and efficiently irrigate specifically designed precision farming zones with confidence. With these capabilities, we’ve increased yields and quality.

- Rob Whyte, Director of Operations at Renteria Vineyard Management

If interested reach out to Miguel Garcia, Sustainable Agriculture Program Manager, at miguel@naparcd.org or 707- 690-3122.

Drip Irrigation Hose & Hazardous Waste Collection Events

Do you have any drip irrigation hose or hazardous waste for disposal? Collection days are coming up on Nov. 6 and 13^th.

Drip Irrigation Hose Collection (see guidelines above):

Friday, November 6 from 9 am to 2 pm

Drop off: Enter at Pestoni Family Winery, 1673 Highway 29

For more information call Upper Valley Disposal & Recycling, 707-963-7988

Hazardous Waste Disposal

Friday, November 13 from 1 pm to 4 pm

APPOINTMENTS REQUIRED and there is a fee for disposal

Drop off: Napa County Fairgrounds, 1401 N. Oak St., Calistoga | Enter at Boys & Girls Club parking lot

For more information call or email Upper Valley Waste Management at 707-259-8330 or upvalleyrecycles@countyofnapa.org

Post-Fire Solar Cleaning

Do you need your solar array cleaned after the fires, or want to set up an ongoing maintenance plan? Pura Vida Solar Company can handle jobs of all sizes. They have recently provided solar cleaning services at the Napa Valley Vintners, Circle R Ranch, and Shifflett Estate.

This company has great reviews, and there is also another reason to support them. Pura Vida provides life changing employment to individuals in recovery from addiction, applying the principles of hard work, patience, and dedication. Employees are held to the highest standards of conduct.

Cleaning your solar panels is personal for us. We hope that we can help you maximize the efficiency of your system and we hope that you will help us to continue to provide purpose and direction to our community members who need it most.

- Alex Wignall, Pura Vida Solar Company

To learn more and get a quote contact owner Alex Wignall at 707-968-1555 or admin@pvsolarcoa.com.

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.