Napa Thrives Kicks Off June 7: A Six-Event Sustainability Symposium

June 7-23, Napa, CAย โ€“ This monthย Napa Greenย and community partners are hostingย Napa THRIVESย โ€“ a groundbreaking symposium with six half-day, tightly focused events organized around the six pillars of sustainable winegrowing leadership. Held live and in-person at Charles Krug Winery, the Napa THRIVES symposium is designed to accelerate sustainability and climate action in the wine industry. Guests will be encouraged to make commitments to action, and the THRIVES mentors and facilitators will follow-up and provide the resources and connections to turn these commitments to reality.

โ€œIt has never been a better time to be a wine drinker,โ€ saysย Dan Petroski, Winemaker and owner of Napa Valleyโ€™sย Massican. โ€œThe gradual change in climateย over the last 30 years has propelled wine-growing regions from all corners of the globe to produce their best wines from a quality and critical perspective. As we revel in this momentum, we have to shift our energy and focus for the next 30 years, proactively tackling the challenges and disruptions of climate change so grape growing and winemaking can survive into the future. Itโ€™s time for the Napa Valley to leverage its platform and set the bar for sustainable wine-growing leadership.ย Tuesday, June 7th at the Napa THRIVES symposium, our community will take a critical step toward accelerating leadership.โ€

Tomorrow, the first of the events launches with a focus on Water Savings & Efficiency, an essential topic given Californiaโ€™s current 1200-year drought, and all of the costs of transporting, heating, and treating water. The lineup of experts includesย Eric Asimov, Wine Critic with theย New York Times,ย Tod Mostero, Director of Viticulture & Winemaking atย Dominus Estate, andย Nathalie Jure, Director of Viticulture atย Opus One Winery. June 9 will move to Energy Savings & Efficiency, the quickest and most effective way to reduce the bottom line, and will include a marquee address from world-renowned climate expertย Bill McKibben,ย co-founder ofย Third Act andย 350.org.

During the June 14 event on Waste Prevention & Green Purchasing,ย Jancis Robinsonย MW, voted the worldโ€™s most influential wine critic in 2018, and founder of the wine knowledge platformย JancisRobinson.com, will virtually share thoughts from London on the movement to โ€œlighten-upโ€ glass weight and the carbon footprint of glass and other packaging. โ€œThere are still so many โ€“ producers, marketers, consumers โ€“ who donโ€™t realize that wineโ€™s biggest contribution to carbon emissions is shipping unnecessarily heavy bottles,โ€ observes Robinson. โ€œIโ€™m looking forward to presenting the evidence and trying to change purchasing decisions.โ€

As part of the June 21 event on Social Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, Napa THRIVES will welcomeย Marquee speakerย Nikki Silvestri,ย Founder and CEO ofย Soil and Shadow. She has spoken at the White House, negotiated with the Environmental Protection Agency and received OxFam Americaโ€™s โ€œAct Local, Think Globalโ€ Award. Silvestri shares, โ€œWhat I look forward to the most in my visit to speak at Napa THRIVES is being with all of the incredible practitioners that make the wine industry tick. Itโ€™s an ancient practice that gets to the root of who we are as a species โ€“ communion with the earth and one another. Vintners are keepers of our joy.โ€

โ€œThe Napa THRIVES symposium has been a year in the making,โ€ says Anna Brittain, Executive Director ofย Napa Greenย and co-founder ofย Napa THRIVES. โ€œYou truly donโ€™t want to miss this groundbreaking and action-oriented lineup of expert speakers and leaders. Each day ends with lunch and wine so you can genuinely connect with the speakers and other guests.โ€

Additional Marquee Speakers

Kayalin Akens-Irby,ย Chief of Staff atย Planet FWD;ย Kelly Mulville,ย Vineyard Director atย Paicines Ranch;ย Kimberly Nicholas,ย Sustainability Scientist,ย Lund University, and Author,ย Under the Sky We Make;ย Jonathan Foley,ย Executive Director,ย Project Drawdown;ย Birgit Cameron, Co-Founder and Head ofย Patagonia Provisions.

Six Industry Mentors

Tod Mostero,ย Director of Viticulture & Winemaking atย Dominus Estateย (Dry Farming),ย Juan Moreno,ย Facility Manager atย Rutherford Hill Wineryย (Saving Energy and $$),ย Molly Sheppard, Educational Winemaker,ย Spottswoode Estatesย (TRUE Zero Waste);ย Erik Dodd, Vineyard Manager,ย Wight Vineyard Managementย (Sustainable Pest Management),ย Philana Bouvier, President,ย Demeine Estatesย (Growing Diversity & Social Impact);ย Jim Duane, Winemaker,ย Seavey Vineyardย (Regenerative Carbon Farming).

Eight Leading Moderators

Esther Mobley, Senior Wine Critic,ย San Francisco Chronicle;ย Taylor Kate Brown, Newsletter Editor,ย San Francisco Chronicle;ย Andrea Robinson,ย MS;ย Katherine Cole, Wine Writer & The Four Top podcast;ย Dr. Liz Thach, MW, Wine Writer, Educator, and Consultant;ย Dr. Andrew Isaacs, UC Berkeley Climate Scientist;ย Peter Marks, MW, Napa Valley Wine Academy;ย Kelli White, Sommelier and authorย Napa Valley, Then & Now.

Napa THRIVES Co-Founders:ย Anna Brittainย &ย Martin Reyes MW

Learn More and Get Your Tickets Now atย https://napathrives.org/

About napa green

About Napa Green: The Napa Green 501c3 is a global leader in sustainable winegrowing, setting the highest bar for sustainability and climate action in the wine industry. Napa Green facilitates whole system soil to bottle certification for wineries and vineyards, and provides the expertise, boots-on-the-ground support, and resources to continually improve. Learn more atย https://napagreen.org/participating-members/.

Anna Brittain
Napa Green
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