2022
symposium
Saving Water & Water Efficiency
Learn More at NapaGreen.org
EVENT SPONSOR: TONNELLERIE BERGER & FILS
Thank you to our exclusive event sponsor, Tonnellerie Berger & Fils! Tonnellerie Berger & Fils is a french artisanal Cooperage based in the Medoc since 1954. They produce custom toast oak barrels for wine ageing. 
MENTORSHIP IN ACTION:
TRANSITION TO DRY FARMING
Join Tod Mostero, Director of Viticulture & Winemaking at Dominus Estate, as he works with Josh Widaman, Estate Winemaker, and Gustavo Aviña, Viticulture Director, of Pine Ridge Vineyards to begin the process of transitioning a now fallow vineyard to dry farming. Dry farming doesn't mean you just turn off the water - it requires careful forethought before planting a vineyard, and strategic management once planted. This small workshop will give you a chance to join in and learn from the start of that transition conversation. 
WORKSHOP: PRECISION IRRIGATION TOOLKIT
Join Ben Mackie, Vineyard Program Manager with Napa Green and Miguel Garcia, Sustainable Ag Program Manager with the Napa County Resource Conservation District as they share their grower services providing Irrigation Assessments. These assessments help identify opportunities to maximize irrigation uniformity and efficiency. They will be joined by Tom Shapland, Co-Founder and CEO of Tule Technologies and James Nichols, President of HotSpot AG, who will share their technologies, often used in partnership, that help precisely target the timing and amount of irrigation, improving both irrigation efficiency and grape quality. A grower who has used these technologies will join to share their experience and benefits. 
MARQUEE SPEAKER: ERIC ASIMOV
Eric Asimov is the chief wine critic of The New York Times, a position he assumed in June 2004 after having covered wine with The Times’s tasting panel and in his Tastings column for the Dining section, and is also the interim chief restaurant critic for the Times. Asimov created the $25 and Under restaurant reviews in 1992 and wrote them through 2004. He is a co-author of “The New York Times Guide to Restaurants 2004,” the fifth edition of the guide. He has also reviewed takeout food for The Times in his To Go column and has offered commentary on food and wine on WQXR since 1999. Asimov is a graduate of Wesleyan University and did graduate work in American studies at the University of Texas at Austin. He is married to the editor of the New York Times Bestseller List, Deborah Hofmann, has two children, Jack and Peter, and lives in Manhattan. 
EXPERT PANEL: ZEROING IN ON WATER
Dr. Peter Gleick, co-founder of the Pacific Institute, shares and discuss the 10,000′ perspective on our water future in this changing climate. Nathalie Jure, Director of Viticulture at Opus One Winery, shares their work to improve vineyard irrigation efficiency, including the use of recycled process water. Inside the winery the biggest water use is tank, barrel, and bottling line sanitation. Alex Farren, Founder and Chief Science Officer of BlueMorph, Inc shares this water saving technology and ROI calculation tool. A representative from a key sector of the wine industry supply chain, Tiffany Eicholz with Berger Cooperage, shares how they are thinking about and approaching water use efficiency. We have to approach this systematically – from actions within our vineyards and wineries, to our community, all of the way through our supply chain. 
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EVENT SPONSOR: SOUTHERN GLAZER'S WINE & SPIRITS
Thank you to our exclusive event sponsor, Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits! Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits is the the world’s preeminent distributor of beverage alcohol and a leader in corporate social responsibility. Their 2021 Corporate Social Responsibility Report showcases Southern Glazer’s role in supporting the Heart of Hospitality on a national and local level through charitable initiatives, programs that uplift underrepresented communities, and an evolving commitment to environmental sustainability. 
MENTORSHIP IN ACTION:
MAXIMIZING EFFICIENCY BEFORE INSTALLING SOLAR & EV
Join Juan Moreno, Jr., Facility Manager at Rutherford Hill Winery, as he begins working with another winery operations leader seeking to maximize energy efficiency. Building off of that foundation (don’t “solarize” your inefficiencies!), they’ll then touch on installing and maintaining a solar array, and ultimately leveraging renewables to power EV charging. This small workshop will give you a chance to join in and learn from the start of that transition conversation. To pique your interest here is a feature that shares more about a winery leader in energy efficiency. 
WORKSHOP: INSTALLING EV CHARGERS – HOW TO, COSTS, AND REBATES
Join Brett Wiley, Customer Programs Manager with Marin Clean Energy (MCE), who will share available rebates for EV chargers and their installation. Mike Miyaki, an Access Specialist, will share how to navigate the County ADA requirements, and Daniel Grosbach from COIL, Inc, an EV installer, will share the installation requirements and process. Hailey Trefethen, Viticulture & Winemaking Operations at Trefethen Family Vineyards, will share her on the ground experience of County permitting, how they addressed the ADA requirements, and taking advantage of MCE rebates for installation. 
EXPERT PANEL: THE BOTTOM LINE
When you maximize your energy efficiency you both slash the GHG emissions associated with your operation AND you slash your monthly energy bill and bottom line. There are examples where a winery making 25,000 cases of wine was spending $2/case on electricity, and another winery of exactly the same size was spending $6/case. That’s a difference of $100,000 a year in electricity costs to make the same amount of wine! Bill Bennett, Program Engineer with Napa Green, will share his insights on how to save energy based on more than 175 winery Resource Audits and over 30 years in the beverage industry. Matthew Crafton, Winemaker & Environmental Manager with Chateau Montelena Winery, will share some of the creative ways they have captured “waste” heat and use to heat water, used cutting edge fans to minimize AC use in the tasting room, and even installed LED chandeliers. Jason Nelson , Commercial Development Manager at American Solar, will discuss considerations for solar installation and current hot topic: battery energy storage. Cindy Leonard, Executive Vice President & General Manager, Fine Wine at Southern Glazer’s will share the supply chain perspective, including a new partnership to improve fleet efficiency. 
MARQUEE SPEAKER: BILL MCKIBBEN
Bill McKibben helped found 350.org, the first global grassroots climate campaign, which has organized protests on every continent, including Antarctica, for climate action. He is also the founder of Third Act, which organizes people over the age of 60 for action on climate and justice. His 1989 book The End of Nature is regarded as the first book for a general audience about climate change, and has appeared in 24 languages. He’s gone on to write 20 books, and his work appears regularly in periodicals from the New Yorker to Rolling Stone. He serves as the Schumann Distinguished Scholar in Environmental Studies at Middlebury College, as a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and he has won the Gandhi Peace Prize as well as honorary degrees from 20 colleges and universities. He was awarded the Right Livelihood Award, sometimes called the alternative Nobel, in the Swedish Parliament. Foreign Policy named him to its inaugural list of the world’s 100 most important global thinkers. 
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EVENT SPONSOR: APCOR
APCOR is the employers’ association of the cork sector that represents, promotes, divulges and carries out research in the Portuguese cork industry. Cork stoppers are a natural, recyclable and reusable product. Cork is an indelible factor of social and economic development for the countries of the Western Mediterranean. It combines a centuries-old tradition with the most modern practices of an industry of the future, and one that leads the way in sustainability. 
MENTORSHIP IN ACTION: GOING TRUE ZERO WASTE
Spottswoode Winery was the first estate winery in Napa County to achieve TRUE Zero Waste Gold-level certification, meaning more than 95% of their “waste” is reused, recycled or composted. Join Molly Sheppard, Educational Winemaker and Stephanie Barger with TRUE Zero Waste, as they begin working with Raymond Vineyards to walk them through practices to increase recycling, prevent packaging waste, compost food waste, and other steps Spottswoode took to achieve TRUE Zero Waste certification. This is everything from hiring a chef to provide family-style lunches instead of box lunches (which saved them $$) to the bigger steps of lightening up bottle weight. 
WORKSHOP: LIGHTEN UP & SHIP GREEN
On average, 30-50% of winery emissions come from packaging and distribution. Join Sue Keechler of Global Package, a regional glass provider, who has lighter weight and recycled content bottle options, along with Tim Colonnese from packaging provider, Green Cell Foam, with elevated and brandable recycled content and recyclable, biodegradable and compostable shippers. These products have been vetted by Napa Green wineries. Nicolas Quille, Chief Winemaking & Operations Officer with Crimson Wine Group will share their experience lightening bottle weight to reduce their purchasing and shipping emissions and carbon footprint. You will also learn about new, cutting-edge opportunities to get involved in wine bottle reuse from Caren McNamara, CEO and Founder of Conscious Container. 
MARQUEE SPEAKER: KAYALIN AKENS-IRBY
Kayalin Akens-Irby is an impact-oriented strategist who has spent her career working with investors and companies to improve business operations and capitalize on new opportunities within an evolving market which increasingly values transparency, sustainability, and business ethics. Kayalin is currently Chief of Staff at Planet FWD, the leading carbon management platform for consumer brands to tackle climate change. She also serves as a Board Member for the Upcycled Food Association and a Climate Fellow for Amasia VC. 
EXPERT PANEL: THE CARBON FOOTPRINT OF PACKAGING & DISTRIBUTION
When an order arrives on our doorstep, or is picked up for shipment, we don’t tend to think much about how it was manufactured or where the packaging will end up. When buying products and then distributing wine we need to consider: How were the products made and how will they get to you (e.g., recycled glass from CA or virgin glass from China), and can or will those boxes, bottles, closures, capsules be recycled, or land in the trash? Jancis Robinson will share a message on why she sees lightening bottle weights as essential. Remi Cohen, CEO of Domaine Carneros, will share innovative ways that they have reduced packaging waste and saved $$. Patrick Spencer with the The Cork Forest Conservation Alliance will share some of the surprising environmental and social benefits of natural cork, and the relative resource use and life cycle of different closures. Carolina Leonhardt, Sr. Manager of Environmental Stewardship at Clif Bar & Company, will share approaches to inventory the emissions of packaging & distribution and supplier initiatives to green packaging and cut emissions. 
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EVENT SPONSOR: LALLEMAND
Lallemand group decided in 2006 to put its knowledge and technological assets in microbiology and fermentation for the agricultural world. And so was born the Lallemand Plant Care business unit, which has since grown significantly through the acquisition of companies specializing in plant bio protection and bio fertilization. 
EVENT SPONSOR: SCOTT LABS
Scott Labs provides innovative, cutting-edge technology, products and services to their customers, including Destainex a biodegradable cleaning product developed specifically for the wine industry. Destainex LF saves time, water and energy, improves safety and leads to less wear and tear on equipment. They also offer CleanSkin, the benchmark product for one-process non-caustic cleaning. 
MENTORSHIP IN ACTION:
MEALYBUGS & WEEDS: MAKING CONSCIOUS DECISIONS WITH CHEMICALS
Integrated Pest Management may not sound sexy, but it can be. During this workshop Erik Dodd, Vineyard Manager at Wight Vineyard Management, who has extensive experience with organic viticulture, will mentor another grower who is ready to phase out the use of Roundup. They will explore how to use cover crops, bird boxes, and other IPM strategies to attract the beneficial insects and birds that eat unwanted guests. They will also touch on labor and management costs and considerations. 
WORKSHOP: INTEGRATING NATURE & BIODIVERSITY
This workshop will explore how to increase biodiversity in and around the vineyard, both below and aboveground. Jo Ann Baumgartner with Wild Farm Alliance, Sam Earnshaw with Hedgerows Unlimited, and Tom Clark with Napa Wildlife Rescue will lead a conversation about how to choose plants and establish insectaries and hedgerows, the benefits of Western Bluebirds and how to support them, and installing and maintaining owl and other bird boxes. A leading Napa Valley grower, Julie Johnson at Tres Sabores, will share how they’ve benefitted from incorporating biodiversity on their property, including sheep, guinea hens, and hummingbirds. 
MARQUEE SPEAKER: KELLY MULVILLE
Kelly Mulville is the Vineyard director at Paicines Ranch. For the past 25 years Kelly has managed and consulted with vineyards, farms and ranches throughout the western USA, Spain, Australia and China. In 2012 he was sponsored by government and wine industry organizations to give presentations and workshops on extended-season vineyard grazing throughout Australia and New Zealand. His studies include Ecological Horticulture at UC Santa Cruz, Viticulture at UC Davis and Holistic Management with Allan Savory. His work is focused on combining experience in farming and viticulture with holistic management in order to design and manage more ecologically, socially and economically sound farming practices. This usually involves a considerable amount of help from livestock. 
EXPERT PANEL:
SOIL HEALTH, GROWING RESILIENCE, AND THE ECONOMICS OF ORGANIC
During this panel Matt Pfarr, M.S. Agronomy and Plant Physiology and Technical Manager at Lallemand Plant Care, North America will speak to the brain of the vineyard underground and how to enhance microbial soil health. Leading growers, Ivo Jeramaz, winemaker and Vice President of Vineyards & Production at Grgich Hills Estate, and Greg Gonzalez, Director of Central Coast Farming at Foley Family Farms, will share their experiences using nature-based solutions to increase vineyard resilience, as well as the costs and benefits of phasing out synthetic pesticides and shifting to organic agriculture. 
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EVENT SPONSOR: FIRST REPUBLIC
First Republic Bank is an American full-service bank and wealth management company offering personal banking, business banking, trust, and wealth management services, catering to low-risk, high net-worth clientele, and focusing on providing personalized customer experience. 
MENTORSHIP IN ACTION: HOW TO GROW DIVERSITY & SOCIAL IMPACT
During this mentorship session Philana Bouvier, the President of Demeine Estates, will share her experience working to steadily recruit and increase diversity within their business and will share the steps they took, insights and results, and the benefits they have experienced in making these shifts, including their Dream It Live It initiative.” 
WORKSHOP: THE BUSINESS CASE FOR DIVERSITY
In May 2020 McKinsey & Company released a report titled, “Diversity Wins,” that shared the results of research across 1000s of companies in 15 countries. They found that, “For diverse companies, the likelihood of outperforming industry peers on profitability has increased over time, while the penalties are getting steeper for those lacking diversity.” Social equity, diversity, and inclusion, critical components of sustainability, are not just the right thing to do but consistently improve business performance. During this workshop you’ll hear from industry leaders including Elizabeth Vianna, Winemaker and General Manager for Chimney Rock Winery, who leads an all-Latino cellar team, Priyanka French, Bâtonnage Forum Mentorship Program Core Committee member and winemaker, and Heather Paulsen with B Corp about their experience with the business case for diversity and inclusion. 
MARQUEE SPEAKER: NIKKI SILVESTRI
Nikki Silvestri is the Founder and CEO of Soil and Shadow, a coaching and consulting firm bringing social and environmental entrepreneurs more impact in their work and joy in their lives. As an entrepreneur and serial non-profit Executive Director, Nikki has invited thousands of leaders and hundreds of business and organizations into more in-depth conversations around the intersection of ecology, economy, and social equity. Her wide-ranging career has taken her from presentations at the White House and negotiations with the Environmental Protection Agency to intimate workshops with local businesses and small retail organizing. A nationally recognized thought leader and international keynote speaker, her many honors include being named one of The Root’s 100 Most Influential African Americans. Nikki serves as a Board Member for Greenpeace USA and is the Board Co-Chair of the Business Alliance of Local Living Economies (BALLE). She is a Faculty Member at the Food Business School (she co-designed and taught one of their inaugural courses, “Ethical Leadership in Food Business”). She is the recipient of numerous awards including ELLE Magazine’s “Gold” Award and OxFam America’s “Act Local, Think Global” Award. 
EXPERT PANEL:
DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION IN THE VINEYARD & FRONT OF HOUSE
This panel will speak to social equity, diversity and inclusion from the vineyard into the winery and out into the trade. Sam Parra, Co-Chair of AHIVOY, will speak about the work they are doing to empower farmworkers by providing education and professional development opportunities to vineyard stewards in the Oregon wine industry. Guillaume Eicholz, Vineyard Director at Dominus Estate, will share their experience cultivating and implementing vineyard team feedback and building partnership and community. Maryam Ahmed, Owner of Maryam + Company, and Tonya Pitts, Owner of Tonya Pitts Wine Consulting, will speak about their extensive work to champion and grow diversity and inclusion within the wine industry, as well as broader hospitality, food and beverage sectors. 
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EVENT SPONSOR: PORTO PROTOCOL
The Porto Protocol Foundation is an international non-profit institution, founded by Taylor’s Fladgate Port, with hundreds of other members committed to make a greater contribution to mitigate climate change. Born in the wine industry and spread across the whole value chain, they strive to be a catalyst of climate action. Their belief is that, if we share our successes and experiences, our response to climate change will be more effective. 
EVENT SPONSOR: International Wineries for Climate Action (IWCA)
International Wineries for Climate Action (IWCA) is a collaborative working group of environmentally committed wineries taking a science-based approach to reducing carbon emissions across the wine industry. Our goal is to share best practices that mitigate climate change impacts in vineyard and winery operations so that we can act collectively to decarbonize the global wine industry—applying direct solutions that avoid purchasing carbon offset credits. 
MENTORSHIP IN ACTION:
REGENERATIVE CARBON FARMING & BUILDING SOIL HEALTH
Regeneration is becoming something of a buzzword. Does it really mean anything? In fact, it does – building soil health, water and nutrient retention, biodiversity, and overall vineyard resilience, while also storing, or sequestering, more carbon in the soil. Through regenerative carbon farming growers can play a proactive role in climate change mitigation. Jim Duane and Seavey Vineyard have been implementing a number of carbon farming practices for several years, including application of compost and biochar, and using conservation tillage. During this workshop, join Jim as he begins working with Domaine Chandon to expand their regenerative practices, and shares their lessons learned. 
WORKSHOP: GHG INVENTORIES & HOW TO TACKLE SCOPE 3
The most challenging aspect of a greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions inventory is collecting the “Scope 3” data – this includes purchasing, distribution, employee commute, and business travel. This can also be the most impactful part of the inventory because it typically accounts for the majority of vineyard and winery emissions. Martin Reyes MW and Molly Sheppard have led year-over-year inventories at Spottswoode Winery and will share the data collection process, and, perhaps more importantly, how they ultimately put the inventory results in context to help guide change. Kayalin Akens-Irby from Planet FWD will speak about how they assist brands in completing emissions inventories and achieving Carbon Neutral status, and Fintan Du Fresne, General Manager & Winemaker, Chamisal Vineyards, will speak about leading the inventory process for Crimson Wine Group. 
MARQUEE SPEAKER FIREWORKS:
KIMBERLY NICHOLAS, JONATHAN FOLEY & BIRGIT CAMERON
You don’t want to miss this! Three leaders doing the work on climate action speaking together about how we achieve the main goal of Napa THRIVES: Accelerating Sustainability and Climate Action in the wine industry and the world. Moderated by Dr. Drew Isaacs, climate scientist. From Kimberly Nicholas from Lund University to Jonathan Foley of Project Drawdown to Birgit Cameron at Patagonia Provisions, they will discuss current and future impacts of climate change, how to build the scale and pace of emissions drawdown, and the role of carbon farming and nature-based solutions. 
EXPERT PANEL:
PROACTIVE CLIMATE ACTION LEADERSHIP & THE FUTURE OF FINANCE
In 2021, Napa Green became the first sustainable winegrowing certification to redevelop their Vineyard standards to focus on climate action, regenerative agriculture, and social equity, diversity, and inclusion, with the aim to help growers become carbon neutral within six years, and climate positive within nine years. Through the Porto Protocol, members worldwide commit to climate action and share solutions to collaboratively tackle climate change. And members of International Wineries for Climate Action baseline and track their GHG emissions and create roadmaps to achieve Net Zero emissions, including onsite renewable energy. In March 2022, the SEC proposed rules that will in short order require all publicly-trade businesses to disclose annual emissions and climate-related risks to investors, and soon thereafter any business seeking financial investment will need to show sustainability metrics and climate action. This panel will explore how these organizations can individually and collectively accelerate wine industry climate action leadership, and help their members proactively prepare for a new market reality. 
EXPERT PANEL: PORTO PROTOCOL:
BUILDING A KNOWLEDGE SHARING COMMUNITY FOR CLIMATE ACTION
Porto Protocol is a key outcome of the Climate Change Leadership conferences. Through collaborative sharing and action, it grew into an international movement catalyzing climate action in the wine world. Learn more about why this is imperative from expert panelists, Robin Lail, Founder and Owner of Lail Vineyards, Porto Protocol’s Manager, Marta Mendonça, and Project Manager, Cristina Crava. 
EXPERT PANEL:
NAVIGATING THE EVOLVING FINANCE LANDSCAPE
Dive deeper into the implications of the changing financial landscape and evolving requirements for Environmental Social Governance metrics and reporting. Join Jeff Kuhlman with First Republic, Elisa Turner with Impakt IQ and Julien Gervreau with Sensiba San Filippo as they share how the new finance and investor requirements that are on the horizon may drive change in the wine industry, and how to get ahead of the curve, including the benefit of certifications like Napa Green. 
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2022 Sponsors
Thank you to our incredible sponsors and invaluable partners.
