Chris Benz | Napa Valley Register
Napa Climate NOW!, a grassroots climate advocacy group, has just named its fifth annual Climate Champions, including Napa Green, a sustainability certification program for Napa County vineyards, and Yvonne Baginski, a local environmental activist, in the โcommunity group or agencyโ and โcommunity activistโ categories. (Champions in three remaining categories will be featured in upcoming columns.)
Napa Green and Baginski made their marks by working to enhance and protect Napa Countyโs natural and working lands, reinforcing carbon dioxide sequestration and supporting climate resiliency.
Napa Green introduced its Napa Green Vineyard certification program in 2022, replacing the former Napa Green Land program. This program works with growers to achieve carbon neutrality or better within six to nine years. Over 100 requirements are grouped under six core elements: carbon farming and regenerative soil practices; irrigation assessments and water use efficiency; tree and forest preservation; adherence to a prohibited and restricted pesticides list; use of conservation/low-smoke burning or alternatives; and social justice, diversity and inclusion.
Emphasizing climate action, growers adopt custom โcarbon farm plansโ to increase carbon sequestration on their property through practices like compost addition, cover crops, reduced tillage, and other regenerative practices. So-called โconservation burnsโ reduce emissions of black carbon, a potent climate and air pollutant, compared to typical burning of agricultural wastes, and can produce biochar, a carbon-storing charcoal-like material that can be added to soil to increase water and nutrient retention.
To increase social responsibility, the program includes implicit bias training for leadership, performance reviews and understanding career goals, and sustainability โtailgateโ trainings aimed at empowering staff to identify water conservation opportunities.
โWeโre already seeing the social equity requirements drive growers and vineyard management companies to establish new practices for employee engagement and communication,โ said executive director Anna Brittain.
Fourteen growers have been certified so far, and 40 more are in progress.
Tod Mostero, director of viticulture and winemaking for Dominus Estate, noted, โthe process led Dominus Estate to measure our environmental impact and, since we can only change what we measure, has strengthened our methods for interacting with our siteโs vital resources: soils, water, flora, fauna, and people. Ultimately, this certification improves the growerโs relationship to the land and deeply informs farming decisions.โ
Yvonne Baginski, who is passionate about preserving Napa Countyโs open spaces, was recognized for leading the โNo on Measure Jโ campaign.
Measure J was aimed at expanding American Canyonโs city limits to include the 157-acre Green Island Vineyard property, located on the edge of tidal wetlands along the Napa River, and allowing it to be rezoned from agricultural land to industrial.
The Napa Valley Vintners, Napa Valley Grapegrowers, Winegrowers and the Farm Bureau opposed this rezoning because it would set a โdangerous precedentโ placing industrial development above farmland preservation.
Baginski focused on the environmental and climate impacts that would result from industrial development on this land. She and her small team โ Eve Kahn, Gary Margadent, and Bev Saxon Leonard โ educated voters, going door-to-door and talking with walkers they met on the wetlands trails.
Baginski also alerted regional environmental and climate organizations to the potential loss of open space and wildlife habitat along the wetlands trail.
One climate concern, pointed out by Napa Climate NOW!, was that modeling of sea level rise by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) projects significant sea level intrusion on the property beginning at a rise of just two feet.
โThe property borders a regional estuary that is important for the entire Bay Area,โ Baginski said. โSea level rise will force birds and animals that depend on this habitat to move inland. We need to protect agricultural land on the border and to restore it as marshland.โ
The defeat of Measure J showed that Baginskiโs efforts paid off. The community was not ready to turn agricultural land, with its carbon sequestration and wildlife habitat benefits, into warehouses.
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
+1 805-636-3329
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โญ๏ธ Steal this itinerary!
Cheers to Climate Smart Wines Month is back this July and we couldnโt be more excited!
We have built some truly fabulous and sustainable experiences which you can find on www.napagreen.org and this year we have included hotels as well!
Tag us in your posts when you visit our amazing Napa Green Certified wineries so we can share your Green adventures!
Team Green is thoroughly enjoying visiting a few of our Napa Green Certified wineries today! ๐ฑ
Pictured here are the STUNNING new Sky Lofts at @rutherfordhillwinery. We strongly recommend a visit, itโs spectacular!
Wondering what this sign hung outside of the winery that you work at means? Want to be able to talk more about what it means to be @napagreen certified??
Join the Napa Green Ambassador training at Clos du Val on Wednesday, June 25 from 9-11 am to learn the answers and more.
Tickets are free but space is limited so reserve your spot from the Workshops & Events link in our bio.
#climateaction #napagreen #napagreencertified #climatesmartwinery #regenerativeag #regenerativefarming
๐ Do you want to learn more about what it means to be a Napa Green Certified Vineyard or Winery?
๐ Do you have new team members who still arenโt sure what that Napa Green Certified sign hanging out front actually means?
๐ Are you curious about this term thatโs suddenly popping up everywhere โ regenerative?
๐ Want to know what exactly does it mean to be climate smart?
Join us Wednesday, June 25, 2025 @closduval to learn how to talk about being @napapagreen certified.
Use the event link in our bio to register.
#climateaction #wineindustry #wineindustryleadership #climatesmart #sustainablewine #sustainablewinery #regenerativevineyard #regenerativeag
๐ข Attn Wineries!! Today is last day to sign up for the Cheers to Climate Smart Wines this July!
Email winery@napagreen.org to sign up today!
Thank you all for making RISE Climate & Wine Symposium a success! We 70 powerful speakers and 650 guests across the six events, dozens of commitments to action, and a flood of positive, heartfelt feedback.
Letโs keep the momentum going!
๐ธ: @briana_marie
Congratulations to Napa Green Certified @cliffamily for winning the RISE Leadership Award for Supply Chain & Waste Management Excellence!
Clif Family attended our first conference & committed to reducing their bottle weight and waste. They set upon an inspiring journey to change their packaging based on their outdoors loving and mountaineering inspired founders. They were able to..
โข lighten the weight of a case of their wine by almost 8 lbs!
โข reduce their carbon output by 42 metric tons!
โข institute fully recyclable, bio based shippers that keep wine cool!
โข eliminate all foils!
โข eliminate all plastic & metal moving fully to renewable cork enclosures!
Their customers responded with absolute enthusiasm.
โThis story is not just about wine packaging or supply chain decisions. Itโs about how we do business. Itโs leading with values. Itโs about remembering that the best way to climb higher.. is to carry less.โ - Sarah Richmond, Clif Family Winery.
Take action this Earth Month with Napa Green. Our team of experts is ready to assist you in achieving your climate action goals for both your vineyard and winery, no matter where you are in your sustainability journey.
๐ฅ @robot_productions
#earthday #earthdayeveryday #earthmonth #climateaction #sustainabilty #climatesmart #regenerativeag
๐ดWednesday April, 23rd is the day NOT to miss lunch at @cliffamily!!
Come enjoy delicious food while supporting Napa Green! See you there.
Uniquely, Napa Green isnโt just a roadmap of leading practices. Napa Green provides an expert, boots-on-the-ground consulting team that develops:
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Regenerative Carbon Farm Plans (to enhance soil health, biodiversity, resilience, and carbon storage)
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Irrigation Distribution Uniformity Assessments (to maximize water efficiency)
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Integrated Resource Assessments (to reduce energy, water, waste and emissions in production)
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Action Plans for continuing improvement (tailored to the opportunities and goals of each vineyard or winery)
Additionally, we support soil sampling and analysis, provide resource assistance, run practical training and education workshops throughout the year, and provide valuable, hands-on guidance in meeting your climate action goals.
โ
Napa Green members implement over 120 best practices in both the Vineyard and Winery. This Earth Month, learn about 21 of them with โ21 Days, 21 Waysโ counting down to Earth Day.
๐ท @buddsocial
๐ @tressabores
#21days21ways #earthmonth #earthday #climateaction #regenerativevineyard #climatesmart #sustainablewine #regenerativeag #environmentalleadership #wineindustry #winebusiness
Napa Greenโs vineyard team is trained to develop regenerative, whole-farm Carbon Farm Plans (CFPs). These plans review all of the current beneficial practices that are increasing soil and ecosystem health and storing carbon, and identify additional opportunities to regenerate the soil and vineyard ecosystem and simultaneously maximize carbon capture in a given property. Each vineyardโs goal is to become carbon neutral (or negative) and increase the resilience of vineyards, businesses, and our community.
โ
Napa Green members implement over 120 best practices in both the Vineyard and Winery. This Earth Month, learn about 21 of them with โ21 Days, 21 Waysโ counting down to Earth Day.
๐ท @soilrainandhope
๐ @tressabores
#21days21ways #earthmonth #earthday #climateaction #regenerativevineyard #climatesmart #sustainablewine #regenerativeag #environmentalleadership #wineindustry #winebusiness
Clear pathways for employee advancement are essential for a thriving workforce and driving success. They boost retention, job satisfaction, productivity, and attract top talent. Napa Green Certified members develop pathways for growth, discussing career goals and progress with employees during reviews.
โ
Napa Green members implement over 120 best practices in both the Vineyard and Winery. This Earth Month, learn about 21 of them with โ21 Days, 21 Waysโ counting down to Earth Day.
๐ท @briana_marie
๐ @dominusestatewinery
#21days21ways #earthmonth #earthday #climateaction #regenerativevineyard #climatesmart #sustainablewine #regenerativeag #environmentalleadership #wineindustry #winebusiness
Forests are not only our largest terrestrial carbon sink, they are also home to 80% of the worldโs on-land diversity. We need healthy forests, which means a balanced density of native trees and plants. Healthy forests experience lower intensity fires with less tree mortality, meaning higher carbon retention and ecosystem function.
โ
Napa Green members implement over 120 best practices in both the Vineyard and Winery. This Earth Month, learn about 21 of them with โ21 Days, 21 Waysโ counting down to Earth Day.
๐ท @abrittain
๐ @seaveyvineyard
#21days21ways #earthmonth #earthday #climateaction #regenerativevineyard #climatesmart #sustainablewine #regenerativeag #environmentalleadership #wineindustry #winebusiness
Napa Green Certified Wineries benefit from an on-site Integrated Resource Assessment (IRA) led by our experienced engineers and winemakers. This IRA evaluates resource metrics, monitors progress, and identifies areas for improvement to increase efficiency and save $$$.
โ
Napa Green members implement over 120 best practices in both the Vineyard and Winery. This Earth Month, learn about 21 of them with โ21 Days, 21 Waysโ counting down to Earth Day.
๐ @materrawines
#21days21ways #earthmonth #earthday #climateaction #climatesmart #sustainablewine #regenerativeag #environmentalleadership #wineindustry #winebusiness
All of our members are committed to using at least 60% renewable energy, whether through on-site solar and other renewable sources or by working with @mcecleanenergy to access clean power through the grid. The impact? Over 1.2 million pounds of CO2e saved by wineries and vineyards in just one year. To put that into perspective itโs the equivalent to offsetting the emissions from driving over 1.5 million miles in a typical gas-powered car!
โ
Napa Green members implement over 120 best practices in both the Vineyard and Winery. This Earth Month, learn about 21 of them with โ21 Days, 21 Waysโ counting down to Earth Day.
๐ท @love.dream.breathe
๐ @corisonwinery
#21days21ways #earthmonth #earthday #climateaction #regenerativevineyard #climatesmart #sustainablewine #regenerativeag #environmentalleadership #wineindustry #winebusiness #renewableenergy #greenpower #greenenergy
As part of their commitment to sustainability, Napa Green Certified Winery members collaborate with key suppliers and utilize their purchasing power to support eco-friendly practices. In the same way, we can make a difference at home by choosing materials made from post-consumer recycled materials, and selecting reusable, recyclable, compostable, biodegradable, and non-toxic products.
โ
Napa Green members implement over 120 best practices in both the Vineyard and Winery. This Earth Month, learn about 21 of them with โ21 Days, 21 Waysโ counting down to Earth Day.
#21days21ways #earthmonth #earthday #climateaction #regenerativevineyard #climatesmart #sustainablewine #regenerativeag #environmentalleadership #wineindustry #winebusiness #greenpurchasing #supplychain
