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Chris Benz | Napa Valley Register
The changing climate is a major threat to Napa Valleyโs wine industry. Atmospheric rivers can flood vineyards, damage budding vines, and erode soils. Fewer winter frosts can encourage the spread of pests. Extreme heat can shrivel crops and push the acids in the fruit out of balance. Wildfire smoke can taint the grapes and leave them unsaleable. These factors not only drive up the price of production, but ultimately could affect the viability of grape production itself.
In response, grape growers and winemakers are increasingly seeking to explore and deploy new strategies for resilience. To support these efforts, Napa Green, a local nonprofit that promotes and certifies environmentally sound wine production in the county, is hosting the Napa RISE Climate and Wine Symposium. RISE stands for Resilience, Innovation, Sustainability, Empowerment.
The symposium (www.RiseGreen.org), open to the public, will take place at the Charles Krug Winery Carriage House, spanning six half-days over three weeks, starting April 5. Morning sessions will cover a wide range of sustainability topics: energy efficiency, water efficiency, waste prevention, supply chains, proactive farming, soil health and biodiversity, social justice, diversity and inclusion, climate resilience and regenerative farming.
Napa Green, winner of Napa Climate NOW!โs 2022 Climate Champion award in the community organization category, has planned the symposium as a place for growers and vintners to get inspired, connect with mentors and identify actionable resources on best practices and technologies.
Anna Brittain, executive director for Napa Green and co-founder of RISE, said, โWhen Martin Reyes, MW, and I were conceptualizing the inaugural 2022 event, then called THRIVES, we wanted a new type of changemaking symposium โ moving past education and inspiration to provide the tools and incentives to take action and make impact.
โWe have mentors and mentees who will be working together well after the events. Show-and-Tell workshops will provide tangible, cutting-edge tools and practices for near-term implementation, not to mention the sustainability leadership roadmap provided by Napa Green Winery and Vineyard certifications.โ
RISE will kick off with a keynote by Jancis Robinson, MW, an international wine writer and author of โThe World Atlas of Wine.โ Robinson, an advocate for ambitious climate action in the industry, said, โRISE aims to provide real, practical help.โ
The line-up will include more than 60 speakers. Some headliners include Mimi Casteel (Hope Well Wine), Maryam Ahmed (Diversity in Wine Leadership Forum), and Michael Silacci (Opus One Winery). Nikki Silvestri of Soil and Shadow will join Tod Mostero of Dominus Estate in conversation about how to cultivate diversity and inclusion.
โWe have a powerful leadership platform in Napa County,โ said Brittain. โWe make arguably the premier agricultural product. The standard we set can galvanize aspirational climate action in the global wine industry and beyond.โ
Attendees on most days will choose from two options: an off-site mentorship workshop or an onsite โShow & Tellโ workshop, where they will learn practical methods for building climate smart, resilient businesses.
Topics will include establishing combined solar and battery microgrids; implementing precision irrigation; using sheep in the vineyard as natural lawnmowers and fertilizers; and using wine kegs and closed-loop refillable bottles to reduce packaging and carbon footprints.
โLast year, thanks to the Energy Efficiency event, I learned about several thousand dollars of rebates we could access from MCE for our EV charger installation project,โ said Molly Burroughs, assistant winemaker and environmental manager at Spottswoode Estate.
โThis year I will be mentoring another vintner on how transitioning to lighter-weight wine bottles can reduce a wineryโs supply, shipping and distribution costs, and simultaneously reduce emissions.โ
Find tickets atย www.eventcreate.com/e/naparise.
Actions you can take:
Other local climate-focused events
โย April 17, 5:30 p.m.: Democrats of Napa Valley Club zoom, โNapa County Moving Forward on Climate Action,โ free. Register atย napavalleydems.org/.
โย April 19, 5 p.m.: Napa County League of Women Voters, โ2023 Local Climate Priorities,โ free, at the Napa County Library, 580 Coombs St., Napa.
โย April 23, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Napa Earth Day Celebration, Oxbow Commons, FREE.ย https://napaenvironmentaled.org/earth-day/
Contributor Chris Benz is a retired winemaker and co-founder of Napa Climate NOW!
Napa Climate NOW! is a local non-profit citizensโ group advocating for smart climate solutions based on the latest climate science, part of 350 Bay Area. Info,ย napa.350bayarea.org
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
email us here
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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:
โ
Regenerative Carbon Farm Plans (to enhance soil health, biodiversity, resilience, and carbon storage)
โ
Irrigation Distribution Uniformity Assessments (to maximize water efficiency)
โ
Integrated Resource Assessments (to reduce energy, water, waste and emissions in production)
โ
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
