Friday, July 24, 2009

Green Wine Before St. Patty's Day!


Most of the U.S. thinks all of the wine action in California happens in Napa.
Can't blame them, even Central Coasters don't know that our wine region (3rd largest in the WORLD) leads the nation in sustainable vineyard practices.

Be that as it may there was what the press called, "a groundbreaking summit on green agricultural and business practices" up in Santa Rosa at the end of '08.


This event drew
capacity crowds. The summit provided a comprehensive look at the wine industry's leadership in green practices and opportunities for continuing evolution in best practices in the future.

Congressman Mike Thompson's (D-CA) keynote address explored how the election outcome is likely to change the future outlook for the environment.

"The wine industry has been leading the way in developing cleaner, greener practices to combat climate change and promote sustainable business models," said Congressman Thompson. "We can't afford not to follow their lead in creating a new green economy. Our country faces great challenges, and by investing in new energy technologies we can create good green jobs and develop the infrastructure we need to rebuild our economy."

With more than 50 well respected speakers, the Green Wine Summit was a who's who of green leaders in the wine industry and beyond. Green wine champions including Chris Benziger, Jean-Charles Boisset, Paul Dolan, Peter Mondavi, Jr., Karen Ross, Ann Thrupp and John Williams, among others, covered the latest in sustainable topics.

"We founded the Green Wine Summit because we recognized the wine industry's historic foundation in social responsibility, farming with the long view and future generations in mind and care for the environment. Today, the combination of these is at the heart of sustainability. We saw a need for a forum to explore and share," said Lesley Berglund, Summit Co-Chair.


Looking beyond the world of wine, attendees explored relevant lessons with real take home value from companies like National Geographic's Green Guide, SPG Solar, and Whole Foods, as well as from the Dairy Industry.


The 2009 Green Wine Summit will take place December 1st and 2nd at the Hyatt Vineyard Creek in Santa Rosa, CA. Potential speakers and sponsors are encouraged to emailCo-Chair Lesley Berglund, or (707) 246-6827.
For more information on the Green Wine Summit, please visit www.greenwinesummit.com.