Consumers Can Now Recycle Wine Corks.TURNER, Ore. -- It just got easier for Oregon and Washington state wine consumers to recycle cork from their bottles. Willamette Valley Vineyards Willamette Valley Vineyards is a winery located in Turner, Oregon. The winery is the leading producer of Pinot Noir in Oregon[1], and also produces Dijon clone Chardonnay and Pinot Gris. (WVV WVV Westdeutscher Volleyball-Verband eV ) was the first winery in the world to receive certification from the Rainforest Alliance The Rainforest Alliance is a non-governmental organization (NGO) founded in 1987. In is based in New York, United States. Their stated mission is to protect ecosystems and the people and wildlife that depend on them by transforming land-use practices, business practices and for using 100 percent Forest Stewardship Council The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is a non-profit organization based in Bonn, Germany. The Council's stated mission is "to promote environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial and economically viable management of the world's forests". (FSC FSC See: Foreign Sales Corporation ) certified cork. With the new Cork Re-Harvest program, it becomes the first winery to launch a cork recycling program with zero increase to its carbon footprint. WVV Founder and President Jim Bernau said the new program is needed to sustain the cork forests of Portugal, Spain, and other cork producing countries. Part of the program's goal is to raise awareness of the sustainability of the Mediterranean cork forests. "The cork forests are second only to the Amazon Rainforest in their importance to the world's biosphere biosphere, irregularly shaped envelope of the earth's air, water, and land encompassing the heights and depths at which living things exist. The biosphere is a closed and self-regulating system (see ecology), sustained by grand-scale cycles of energy and of ," he noted. Additionally, "high quality natural cork is the best way to preserve wine quality." The Cork Re-Harvest program is a collaboration with WVV, Whole Foods Market[R], the Rainforest Alliance, WVV's Oregon and Washington distributors, and Western Pulp Products. Recycling boxes will be placed in the 11 Whole Foods Market stores in this region. When distributors deliver wine to these stores, they will pick up the cork and return it to their warehouse. The cork will be transported to Western Pulp when WVV makes its current deliveries to the Corvallis warehouse. Erez Klein, Regional Purchasing Specialist at Whole Foods Market Pacific Northwest Region, said its consumers have been asking for a cork recycling program. "We are thrilled to extend services to our shoppers that benefit the community," Klein said. "Providing the lowest possible carbon footprint in cork recycling is something we are proud to offer. This program is consistent with the core values of our company." Chris Gibbons Famous people named Gibbons include:
"The Rainforest Alliance applauds Willamette Valley Vineyards for being a sustainability leader in the Pacific Northwest," Gibbons said. "Not only are they sourcing their cork from FSC-certified cork forests, but they're taking the next step and establishing a cork recycling program to help mitigate the use of virgin cork." |
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