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GRAPEGROWING CARBON REDUCTION CHALLENGE How green is Willamette Valley? BY Neal D. Hulkower G oing carbon neutral was the challenge accepted by 30 wineries in Oregon's Willamette Valley. The wine industry was the first in Oregon to respond to House Bill 3543, signed into law Aug. 6, 2007, by then-Gov. Ted Kulongoski. The legislation set ambitious goals: a) By 2010, arrest the growth of Oregon's greenhouse gas emissions and begin to reduce those emissions; b) By 2020, achieve greenhouse gas levels that are 10% below 1990 levels; c) By 2050, achieve greenhouse gas levels that are at least 75% below 1990 levels. In April 2010, 14 of 30 wineries declared partial victory by announcing that they had "completed a rigorous process to measure and reduce greenhouse gases." No one actually achieved carbon neutral- 145 Jordan Street • ity. It turned out to be virtually impossible to assess, let alone achieve. "There was not a good system of metrics to count things of significance such as airline travel and shipping," says Chehalem winery founder, Harry Peterson-Nedry. Winemaker/daughter Wynne Peterson-Nedry notes that she sees ongoing improvements with how travel and shipping metrics are defined. term process of energy reductions within the control of the business," explains Michele Martin, CRC program manager. "Also, 'neutral' can refer to the purchase of carbon offsets and RECs (Renewable Energy Certificates), which are no longer a requirement of the program." Once the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) verifies that a member has achieved a 5% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, it is certi- Carbon Reduction Challenge (CRC) The Carbon Neutral Challenge (CNC), now regarded as the pilot program, became the Carbon Reduction Challenge (CRC) administered by Low Input Viticulture & Enology Inc. (LIVE). For more information, visit crchallenge.org. "We replaced 'neutral' with 'reduction' because the latter focuses on the ongoing and iterative, short- and long- San Rafael, CA 94901 60 p racti c al w i ne ry & v i n e yard J U LY 20 13 Stoller Family Estate built the first LEED Gold Certified winery in the United States. • 415-457-3955 • Fax 457-0304 • www.boswellcompany.com