In 2007, a group of progressive Oregon wineries made a bold commitment to address climate change by working together with Oregon Governor Kulongoski’s office, the Oregon Environmental Council (OEC) and the Oregon Wine Board to develop the Carbon Neutral Challenge, an initiative for Oregon wineries and vineyards to assess and reduce their carbon footprint.
“Ecos is proud to be a partner in this initiative. The Carbon Neutral Challenge represents an impressive commitment by Oregon wineries to be leaders in the fight against climate change,” said Brad Ouderkirk, director of Business Solutions. “The participating wineries should be applauded, along with the strong environmental leadership from the Oregon Environmental Council, the Governor, and the Oregon Wine Board.”
The Carbon Neutral Challenge gives wineries the tools and support they need to measure and reduce carbon emissions. The first step is to assess resource use and calculate each participating winery’s greenhouse gas footprint. Next, the winery mitigates its environmental impact by focusing on cost-effective strategies to reduce energy use and the associated carbon emissions. Ecos was instrumental in developing the necessary tools and environmental solutions that are tailored to Oregon wineries.
“This initiative is unique in that it is a voluntary and collective effort amongst industry leaders to get out ahead of the curve and demonstrate leadership to reduce their carbon footprint,” said Andrea Durbin, executive director of Oregon Environmental Council. “While the wine industry may not be major carbon emitters in the state, they are certainly impacted by climate change and are showing the importance of taking positive action.”
This year, the initiative was awarded two grants – from the EcoWorks Foundation and Bullitt Foundation – to help move the initiative forward. With these new resources, Ecos is positioned to lead implementation and further development of the program with guidance from the steering committee.
“The steering committee includes Ecos, OEC, the Oregon Wine Board and selected winery owners,” said Ouderkirk. “Whatever plans and initiatives we put forth, we also need to ensure they will work effectively within the context of day-to-day winery operations.”
For the rest of this year, Ecos’ role in the initiative is to help wineries compile individual greenhouse gas inventories, assist wineries in implementing impact mitigation strategies, and consult on inventory registration with The Climate Registry and carbon offset purchases to help make the participants carbon neutral.
Globally, only a handful of wineries and vineyards have become carbon neutral, but most Oregon wineries – many of which already operate sustainably – recognize that if climate change is not addressed, it could have a significant impact on their production and the entire industry.
“Other energy-intensive industries are taking note, and we are confident that this work will lead to similar initiatives in other industries,” added Ouderkirk.
