WATER EFFICIENCY
& SAVINGS
Registration opens
Breakfast with Sponsor Scavenger Hunt
Official Welcome: Charles Krug’s Jeff Richardson and Napa Green’s Anna Brittain
RISE Leadership Award
Break
Asking the Critical Questions Forum: Is Water the Solution to Heat Stress?
Closing Thank You from Napa Green Board Members, Michelle Novi & Martin Reyes
Lunch & Wine
Thank you to our exclusive event sponsor The Napa Valley Vintners.
The Napa Valley Vintners nonprofit trade association has been cultivating excellence since 1944 by inspiring its nearly 550 members to consistently produce wines of the highest quality, provide environmental leadership and care for the extraordinary place they call home. NVV has invested more than $230 million in community healthcare, youth development and the environment in Napa County, and is a champion of inclusivity in its community and industry. Learn more at napavintners.com
Two parallel workshops – choose 1.
Transform your water management through proven metering and monitoring strategies. This hands-on workshop equips you with immediately applicable tools and systems, from installing meters to leveraging data (e.g. Badger meters, meter.me, Lumo). Industry leaders will share how their data-driven approach has led to measurable results – from rapid leak detection to irrigation optimization. Leave with concrete strategies and tools to improve your water monitoring systems, establish usage baselines, and achieve measurable water savings in the vineyard and winery.
Action Opportunities:
Ashley Boudet is the President and Founder of BCG Water, driven by an unwavering passion for water and wastewater management. Her dedication inspires clients to take a proactive role in their water operations. Holding dual licenses in Drinking Water and Wastewater Operations from the State of California, Ashley brings over nine years of expertise to the industry. She has been a trusted partner to wineries, providing tailored water and wastewater solutions, and excels in project management, skillfully coordinating efforts between engineers, contractors, and regulatory agencies to ensure seamless and successful project outcomes.
The meter.me system lets you remotely monitor and manage your water from your smartphone. All of our monitoring systems are designed for rugged environments and can be deployed in rural areas– no WiFi or power required.
Using remote sensors and cloud-based technology, users receive real-time data on their system’s water levels from the meter.me app.
Two parallel workshops–choose 1.
Through Napa Green’s innovative RISE mentorship program, Pine Ridge Vineyards has begun their transition to dry farming, benefiting from the support of Tod Mostero, winemaker at Dominus Estate. This workshop will walk through the step-by-step process of designing and implementing dry farming systems in vineyard replants. Learn how strategic decisions – from soil preparation to row orientation to pruning – create the foundation for successful dry farming. Vineyard Director Gustavo Aviña will share insights on deepening root systems and building resilience, including compelling initial results that have led Pine Ridge to commit to dry farming for all future replants.
Action Opportunities:
Director of Viticulture and Winemaking, the French connection runs strong through Mostero, who studied in Bordeaux and trained at Château Haut-Brion, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti and Établissements Jean-Pierre Moueix. He worked with Baron Philippe de Rothschild in the Languedoc and at Almaviva in Chile before returning to his native California to join Dominus Estate in 2007.
“Christian Moueix has been my guide throughout my career and has been my greatest example of a perfect winemaker. He is clear, precise and is profoundly attached to the vineyard. He has guided me from the beginning.”
After 20 years producing highly rated Napa Valley wines, Josh Mendoza-Widaman found his way back to the Stags’ Leap district as head estate winemaker for Pine Ridge Vineyards. Josh is known for his experienced, luxury-minded palate that has produced 90+ ratings on over 90% of all wines made in his career, including Wine Spectator’s #1 Wine of the Year in 2016 with Lewis Cellars. He now oversees Pine Ridge’s estate vineyards, most notably producing elegant and expressive Cabernet Sauvignon.
Gustavo Aviña, viticulture director at Pine Ridge Vineyards, grew up helping his father farm tomatoes in Mexico. When he and his wife came to the United States in 1988, Gustavo began working with some of the finest vineyard management programs in Napa Valley.
Since 2003, Gustavo has worked intimately with every Pine Ridge Vineyards estate property. He and his team understand the soils and climates of the winery’s vineyards in five different appellations: Stags Leap District, Howell Mountain, Oakville, Rutherford, and Carneros.
Join acclaimed journalist and storyteller Mark Arax as he unravels the complex tapestry of California’s relationship with water. Drawing from his celebrated work “The Dreamt Land,” Arax brings to life the historical decisions, political forces, and unfolding stories that are shaping our state’s water management. Arax will dive into the critical context behind today’s water challenges, and future considerations and opportunities for agriculture and viticulture. As a native son of the Central Valley whose own family story is intertwined with California agriculture, he offers unique insights into the complexities of water rights, usage, and stewardship. His perspective will inspire thoughtful consideration of water’s future in our changing climate.
Action Opportunities:
In the world of journalism, Mark Arax stands out as a rarity. On one hand, he is a skilled investigative reporter who unearths secrets from the depths of shadow governments. On the other hand, he is a gifted writer whose feature stories and books are distinguished by the “poetry of his prose.”
Mark digs deep in the dirt of the Golden State, finding tragedies hidden from most Californians. With equal passion, he chronicles the plight of both farm workers and farmers. His stories on the land are told from the close up of a native whose own family narrative is found in the same soil.
Mark’s newest book, The Dreamt Land, is being hailed by critics as one of the most important books ever written about the West. “The Dreamt Land is the book Mark Arax was born to write. Nuanced, deeply researched, and profoundly personal, it offers, through its history of agriculture in California, a deep dive into the soul of the state,” said critic David L. Ulin.
As extreme heat events become more frequent and intense, the wine industry faces a critical dilemma in water management. This forum will explore the rising use of water to buffer heat stress and prevent crop loss. Join globally renowned water scientist Jay Famiglietti, whose groundbreaking satellite research has transformed our understanding of water availability, UC Davis viticulture expert Dr. Beth Forrestel, whose cutting-edge research explores climate adaptation in vineyards, and Philippe Coderey, an esteemed winegrower and Biodynamic and regenerative vineyard consultant.
They will debate crucial questions: If we’re going to use water for heat stress, what are the most efficient approaches and tools? How does groundcover impact heat absorption and radiation? How do we balance immediate heat mitigation with long-term water conservation? What are win:win water-smart strategies that both protect against heat stress and strengthen agroecosystem resilience?
Action Opportunities:
Jay Famiglietti is a Global Futures Professor in the School of Sustainability, in the College of Global Futures at Arizona State University. He is Professor Emeritus from the University of Saskatchewan, where he was Executive Director of the Global Institute for Water Security, and where he held the Canada 150 Research Chair in Hydrology and Remote Sensing. He is currently advising the Silicon Valley tech startup, Waterplan, after serving as its founding Chief Scientist. Before moving to the University of Saskatchewan, he was Senior Water Scientist at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology; he was a professor in Earth System Science and in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of California, Irvine; and he was a professor in Geological Sciences at the University of Texas at Austin.
Famiglietti and his research team use satellites to track changing water availability, and they pioneered the methods to detect groundwater depletion from space using the NASA GRACE mission. They have been working for many years towards improving hydrological prediction in climate models like those used in the IPCC. This work has driven Famiglietti’s interest in corporate water sustainability and stewardship, innovations in financial tools and data-driven reporting platforms, and international water diplomacy.
Elisabeth Forrestel studies the phylogenetic and functional basis of drought and heat responses in grapes, and ways to mitigate climate change impacts in viticulture. Her work includes incorporating monitoring technology in vineyards and using remote sensing data to help paint a fuller picture of the environmental factors that most significantly affect plant growth, berry chemistry and, ultimately, wine quality.
Philippe Coderey comes from a very long line of vine growers and farmers in southern France and Switzerland. His last name finds its roots in the old French verb ‘codurer’ – which meant to cultivate vineyards. His ancestors were named after their vocation during the 11th century. He grew up on the family vineyard in Provence, France and was fortunate to be exposed to traditional viticulture techniques through elders of the family.
He worked with his father from a young age and by the time he turned 15, he was familiar with all traditional vineyard operations from plantation to pruning and through harvest. He attended a viticulture/oenology boarding school in Provence from 1977 to 1981. He finished his oenology education at the University of Burgundy in Dijon.
At BCG Water LLC, our team is proud to hold multiple professional certifications that reflect our commitment to excellence in water and wastewater management. We possess California state licenses in Water Treatment (Grade T2), Water Distribution (Grade D2), and Wastewater Treatment (Grade 2), demonstrating our deep expertise across critical areas of water system operations. These certifications are a testament to our advanced technical knowledge, regulatory compliance proficiency, and dedication to maintaining the highest standards of public health and environmental stewardship. By partnering with BCG Water LLC, you can be assured of working with highly qualified professionals committed to delivering superior service and industry-leading solutions.
HotSpot AG is a farm management tool, developed to simplify irrigation and help growers comply with ever-changing regulations. Created by a fourth-generation farm family, HotSpot AG is engineered to solve the problems farmers face in real time with an interface that is accessible by any smartphone, tablet, or computer. From these devices, you can monitor aspects such as flow, pressure, filter, soil moisture, incoming power usage, well level, reservoir level, pump status, along with current weather conditions such as wind speed, wind direction, temperature and humidity, solar radiation, and rain collection. With HotSpot Ag, you can also control the opening and closing of valves, turn on and off pumps and engines used to power pumps and wind machines, and inject fertilizers with their top-of-the-line fertigation system. All control functions can be remotely used at the touch of a button or scheduled for future use with HotSpot Ag’s intuitive and easy to use scheduling tool. With three California locations and supporting over 100 ranches in 17 different counties, HotSpot Ag has a way to fill the monitoring and/or automation needs of all growers.
Lumo is a smart irrigation solution that helps growers save water, improve crop quality and reduce costs. Smart valves with built-in sensors provide automation, accountability and digital record keeping to give growers unprecedented visibility into the health of their irrigation network. Learn more by visiting lumo.ag
The meter.me system is a water system for a changing planet®. It brings intelligent monitoring and real-time water loss alerts to rural residents, farmers and businesses, delivering superior results at a fraction of the cost of legacy SCADA systems.
Our platform combines long-range, low-power wide-area network technology, a solar-powered IoT network, and cloud automation technology to provide something rural water users have never had before: persistent visibility into their water systems, including: Remote visibility of water levels, Leak detection, Pump and valve control, Automated alerts.
Existing solutions rely on cellular connectivity, short-range Wi-Fi, and even wired networks, none of which are designed for rural environments. Only meter.me combines long-range low-power technology and cloud hosting to deliver always-available data that doesn’t depend on cellular coverage.
Napa Green is a global leader in sustainable winegrowing, setting the highest bar for sustainability and climate action in the wine industry. Napa Green facilitates systematic soil to bottle certification for wineries and vineyards, and provides the resources, tools and connections to continuously level up leadership. In 2021, Napa Green was the first sustainable winegrowing program in the world to redevelop Vineyard certification standards to focus on climate action, regenerative carbon farming, and social equity. In 2022, Napa Green and community partners launched a first of its kind, six-event Climate & Wine Symposium (Napa THRIVES now RISE) with over 65 speakers and 600 total guests.
Wow, we really did it y’all! As we rest & recover from that monumental undertaking, we reflect for a moment on the incredible community of the brightest & most compassionate minds that came together to make this happen at such a pivotal time.
From the bottom of our hearts at Team Green we cannot thank you enough, nor adequately put into words how much it all means.
Keep working, keep speaking up and keep fighting for what is right. We stand tall next to you. #rise
📸: @briana_marie
We thoroughly enjoyed this beautiful conversation between @abrittain, @cathycorison & @gracecorisonmartin about the heritage & horizon of regenerative farming in Napa Valley. Thank you to all of our wonderful speakers that joined us at RISE 2025!
📸: @briana_marie
On our final day of RISE 2025 we were fortunate to have an impactful conversation with @drreneelertzman & @finn.does concerning the mental & emotion cycles of the environmental work we all do. The how and why of what motivates our work is as important as the work itself.
If you missed this beautiful conversation please know that we have professionally recorded all sessions at RISE and will announce how to view them.
We offer a sincere and deeply felt thank you to both of these amazing speakers for joining us today.
In our current climate, RISE has meant more than ever. As we head into our final day today of Climate Action & Regenerative Farming, we want to take a moment to thank our visionary founders, @abrittain & @reyeswine.mw.
Thank you for the countless hours you’ve put in, the bravery to raise your voices, the vision to use your platforms meaningfully and for the beautiful community we’ve built together. Here’s to you! 🥂
We’ll see you all today at RISE Climate & Wine Symposium.
📸: @briana_marie
Incredible keynote from the one and only @realwolfofwine!
Catch him tonight at @statelineroad_smokehouse in Napa!
#wine #hiphop #wineandmusic #winestyle #winewinewine #winelife #winebar #winewriter #winespeak #wineandculture #dei #socialjustice
Who else has loved being greeted by these smiling faces the past week of RISE? 🙋♀️ Thank you @mp_egan39 & @marisataylorwines, you make our days a little brighter with your welcoming energy! ☀️
Thrilled to welcome you all to our Social Justice, Diversity & Inclusion Day! Still two more days to go after this. Be sure to grab your tickets!
Our final three events kick off tomorrow at 1:00pm AFTER the CIA Summit! Come hear from the @realwolfofwine, @nikki_silvestri and many more luminaries as we enter our first afternoon session! Stay for our first RISE Happy Hour & Snacks afterwards.
There are still tickets available at the link in our bio and you can use code RISE10 to join!
See you tomorrow 🥂
Stand out speakers and stand out quotes at RISE Proactive Farming, Soil Health & Diversity Day..
“Nature responds quickly if you let her” - @cainethompson
“25% of the population is enough to create a tipping point for regenerative agriculture.” - @profkimberlynicholas
“It starts with a single step!” - @cainethompson
“We have to connect with the problems we want to solve” - Dr. Jonathan Lundgren
“Farmers are stewards of not just land, but life!” - Dr. Jonathan Lundrgen
📸: @briana_marie
Today was moving. We had many inspiring & stunning moments at RISE. Yet this photo captures the soul of it perfectly. Nature, balance and the deeply riveting beauty in regenerative farming. Thanks for being with us today all for another full house.
THANK YOU to our incredible photographer @briana_marie for capturing this, and seeing our world in the thoughtful, informed and compassionate way that you do.
We are giving away very special prizes this year and we’re excited to congratulate our first winner: @mbvescovi!!
Don’t skip out on the chance to win at the Sponsor Scavenger Hunt today at Proactive Farming, Soil Health & Diversity Day!
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