Napa, CA – During the month of June, Napa Green and community partners will host Napa THRIVES – a groundbreaking series of six half-day, tightly focused events organized around the six pillars of sustainable winegrowing leadership. Unfolding at the historic Charles Krug Winery, participants will learn about water efficiency, energy efficiency, waste prevention and green purchasing, integrated pest management and pesticide phaseout, social equity and diversity, all of which folds into climate action and regenerative farming.
One innovative aspect of the Napa THRIVES symposium is the mentorship program. At the start of each event, an offsite workshop option will be offered, during which up to 40 guests can participate in the launch of a mentorship process between an industry expert and another leading grower or vintner. On June 7, this will kick off with Tod Mostero, Director of Viticulture & Winemaking at Dominus Estate, in conversation with Pine Ridge Vineyards about transitioning their Dos Olivos vineyard to dry farming.
On June 9, guests can join mentor Juan Moreno, Facility Manager at Rutherford Hill Winery, sharing steps anyone in the industry can take to steadily reduce energy use and maximize the use of solar renewable energy. The emphasis will be on cutting the bottom line – wineries can save tens of thousands annually by improving efficiency, and slash emissions at the same time.
As a part of this “Saving Energy and Energy Efficiency” event, Napa THRIVES is excited to welcome marquee speaker Bill McKibben, Co-Founder of Third Act and 350.org, who earlier this year penned a thought-piece in The New Yorker, entitled “In a World on Fire, Stop Burning Things.”
McKibben shares, “Napa has been ground zero for climate destruction, but also climate action. I look forward to strategizing about how we make big changes, fast.”
Having authored more than a dozen books, including the bestsellers Falter, Deep Economy, and The End of Nature, McKibben is the Schumann Distinguished Scholar in Environmental Studies at Middlebury College and the winner of the Gandhi Prize, the Thomas Merton Prize, and the Right Livelihood Prize, sometimes called “the alternate Nobel.”
Later in the symposium, on June 21 the “Social Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion” event will launch with Philana Bouvier, President, Demeine Estates, kicking off her mentorship on recruiting and increasing diversity. “Not only is this topic something very personal to me, it matters deeply to Demeine Estates,” says Bouvier. “If we are building long-term resilience, we must truly understand what these essential concepts mean – Diversity, Equity, Inclusion. For instance—equity in opportunity does not mean equity of outcome. This journey matters: I recognize we must bear this journey with everyone inside and outside our organization. I look forward to learning collectively during our interactive workshop.“
That same morning Napa THRIVES is thrilled to welcome marquee speaker Nikki Silvestri, Founder and CEO of Soil and Shadow. Silvestri has spoken at the White House, negotiated with the Environmental Protection Agency and received OxFam America’s “Act Local, Think Global” Award. She has appeared on MSNBC’s All in with Chris Hayes, and her writing has appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle and BET Magazine.
Additional Marquee Speakers: Eric Asimov, Wine Critic at the New York Times, Kayalin Akens-Irby, Chief of Staff at Planet FWD; Kelly Mulville, Vineyard Director at Paicines Ranch; Kimberly Nicholas, Sustainability Scientist, Lund University, and Author, Under the Sky We Make; Jonathan Foley, Executive Director, Project Drawdown; Birgit Cameron, Co-Founder and Head of Patagonia Provisions.
Additional Mentors: Molly Sheppard, Educational Winemaker, Spottswoode Estates (TRUE Zero Waste); Erik Dodd, Vineyard Manager, Wight Vineyard Management (Going Roundup Free); Jim Duane, Winemaker, Seavey Vineyard (Regenerative Carbon Farming).
Eight Leading Moderators: Esther Mobley, Senior Wine Critic, San Francisco Chronicle; Taylor Kate Brown, Newsletter Editor, San Francisco Chronicle; Andrea Robinson, Master Sommelier; Katherine Cole, Wine Writer & The Four Top podcast; Dr. Liz Thach, MW, Wine Writer, Educator, and Consultant; Dr. Andrew Isaacs, UC Berkeley Climate Scientist; Peter Marks, MW, Napa Valley Wine Academy; Kelli White, Sommelier and author Napa Valley, Then & Now.
To learn more about Napa THRIVES, to purchase tickets, or to become a sponsor, please visit https://napathrives.org/
Students may purchase tickets at a 50% discount. Reach out to Sara Gow, office@reyes.wine, for the Promo Code.
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.
- Susan Boswell, Chateau Boswell Winery
🌿 Did you know that less than 3% of philanthropic donations go to environmental work?
Please consider donating to Napa Green this giving season with one of several ways at any level!
Head to the link in our bio for details!
With gratitude and joy, we wish you a beautiful day & start to the holiday season from all of us at Team Green!
- Ben, Meghan, Anna, Marissa, Sierra & Megan
‘If not here, where? If not now, when?’
“The onus is on us as a world class wine growing region to be leaders in sustainability & climate action.”
- Executive Director of Napa Green, Anna Brittain
It’s been a big week at Napa Green and we want to take a moment to raise a glass to salute you all.
We are overjoyed to see so much support and invigorated interest in our mission towards sustainable practices and regenerative agriculture in the wine industry.
We have many more details, paired with educational & financial resources that are already up and rolling on our website. We will continue to share them all, one by one and in great detail here on socials as well.
For now please plan on joining us at our upcoming Town Hall meeting on Dec 7th at @stsupery. You can find more details at napagreen.org.
Cheers and Happy Friday Napa Valley. We are so proud to be a part of this amazing community!
⚠️ Important Announcement
Napa Green becomes the first sustainable wine growing certification to require the phaseout of Round Up.
Please find the link in our bio for the full press release and full suite of info & grower resources.
Join us on December 7th for our Napa Green Town Hall at @stsupery.
You’re invited to join us for a very special day at @dominusestatewinery on November 30th.
We’ll be briefly interviewing our speaker @nikki_silvestri right here on Instagram today at 2:00pm PST to hear more about what to expect at this event. See you then.
Curious to learn more? Join us at @dominusestatewinery on November 30th for a rare event and luncheon. Link in bio for details.
GREEN is the new black this season!!
Head to the link in our bio now and get your shirts, help a good cause and be an honorary part of Team Green this season! 💚
Let’s hear it for our Executive Director of Napa Green, the incomparable Anna Brittain for being named a 2023 Wine Industry Leader by @winebusinessmonthly!!
In their Sustainability Stewards section (which we love to see) we find Anna named in good company with inspired fellow leaders!
Head to our stories or the link in our bio for free access to the full November issue.
Cheers to the great work of our visionary Director Anna Brittain!!
Join us for the Soil & Shadow Implicit Bias Training on Thursday, November 30th at Dominus Estate with @nikki_silvestri.
‘Exploring what Regenerative Farming Systems can teach us about Regenerative Social Systems.’
This is a rarely-available, full-day leadership opportunity. For anyone who joined us for our 2022 & 2023 THRIVES/RISE Climate & Wine Symposiums and heard Nikki Silvestri speak our guess is that for you, like us, 60-minutes wasn’t enough.
Soil and Shadow works with C-Suite executives, leaders and teams to build the relational and professional development skills for high performance, diversity, equity and inclusion.
One of the elements that makes the Soil and Shadow expertise so relevant and valuable for Napa Green leaders is that their frameworks use living systems to model healthy social systems.
Napa Green will be covering half the cost of the tickets to this event. Register asap at the link in our bio.
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📸: Laine Kuehn
Congratulations to Napa Green Certified @boeschenvineyards on being featured in @pressdemo as a first to offer hazard pay and disaster insurance to seasonal agricultural workers! Read on for more and find the link in our bio to the full story..
“To Boeschen, committing to this small safety net in times of emergency isn’t just the right thing to do. It’s the way labor relations are headed in the wine business.
When vineyard crews showed up for this year’s harvest at Boeschen Vineyards, a small winery that operates largely out of a cave dug into a pretty hillside off Silverado Trail just north of St. Helena, they were asked to listen to a three-minute presentation.
Doug Boeschen, the business’ owner, informed these seasonal agricultural workers, among the most economically vulnerable in the North Bay, that the winery was now offering them a combination of hazard pay and disaster insurance.
Boeschen will provide an option to its workers — including the seasonal labor that pours into the region’s renowned vineyards for just a few days or weeks at a time. If the Air Quality Index climbs above 150, Boeschen’s workers will be able to choose between receiving time-and-a-half to remain on the job, or to take paid time off.
Boeschen will also pay its laborers if they are forced to leave a worksite under an evacuation order.”
This article also features other notable efforts on behalf of larger companies and regions working towards the same end. We highly recommend you read the full article!
Sierra is our Soil & Climate Specialist at Napa Green and her ask this year is that everyone consider donating to our small but mighty Team Green for Giving Season!
Here is more from @regenwithsierra:
“🎃 Happy Halloween Eve everyone! Today is my birthday, and I would be beyond thrilled if you would consider a donation to @napagreen to support a nonprofit focused on climate action in the wine industry 🍷🍾
@napagreen has the leading set of standards for sustainable practices, from soil to bottle. I am most proud of the work we do with winegrape growers to adopt regenerative agricultural practices in their vineyards.
Please consider supporting us in our mission! Click the link in bio for more! “
Thank you for having us @visitnapavalley! We had a great time talking to visitors about the many sustainability practices our Napa Green wineries and vineyards employ!
Stop into the Visit Napa Valley Visitor Center in Napa to learn more!