Abacela completes Carbon Neutral Challenge

Roseburg, OR – April 27, 2010: In 2007 the Oregon Environmental Council and the Oregon Wine Board joined together to lead an initiative for Oregon wineries and vineyards to assess and reduce their carbon footprint, with the ultimate goal of becoming carbon neutral. Fourteen Oregon wineries participating in the Carbon Neutral Challenge have completed their first year of the carbon neutral program.

This is a unique effort of businesses working voluntarily to reduce their carbon footprint, and the largest effort within the wine industry in the United States. Oregon wineries and vineyards – many of which have already adopted sustainable agricultural practices into their operations – recognize that climate change will have a significant impact on their ability to grow grapes and produce quality wines.

While the state’s wine industry is not a major emitter of greenhouse gas emissions, it is directly impacted by climate change. The wine industry is the “canary in the coal mine” for climate change. By completing the first year of the initiative, these wine industry leaders are demonstrating the important role businesses play in reducing carbon emissions and providing leadership within the wine industry and beyond.

Fourteen wineries and vineyards have completed the carbon neutral program for 2009 and invested in a regional, verifiable offset. These are: Abacela , Adelsheim Vineyard, A to Z Wineworks/REX HILL, Chehalem , Cooper Mountain Vineyards, King Estate Winery, Left Coast Cellars, Lemelson Vineyards, Mahonia Vineyards, Sokol Blosser Winery, Soter Vineyards, Stoller Vineyards, Willamette Valley Vineyards, and Winderlea Wine Company. http://industry.oregonwine.org/