“Knock knock.”
“Who’s there?”
“Carbon Neutral Challenge, booya!”
Hello ecoShuttle Blog readers, I hope this blog finds you safe and well in this wintery bluster. As you well know, ecoShuttle maintains an ongoing commitment to sustainability as well as a commitment to take you to some of the most delicious wineries in the Northwest, so it should come as no surprise that we have recently teamed up with the Carbon Neutral Challenge for Oregon Wineries. I know what you’re thinking, “Mark, what the heck is the Carbon Neutral Challenge!?”
The Carbon Neutral Challenge is a joint venture between the Oregon Environmental Council and the Oregon Wine Board with the intention of moving Oregon’s wineries into a new era of sustainability. Of course, there were already wineries working to shrink their carbon footprint as much as possible, while others are just now getting serious about the task. At this point fourteen wineries have voluntarily accepted the challenge. They accepted the challenge because they are leaders in the wine industry and they know that if we don’t do something about mankind’s contribution to global warming, the very climate that allows the Northwest to grow those amazing grapes will be irreparably damaged, and when that time comes and you go to a wine-tasting, you may be shocked to find that they are only able to pour you a glass of dirt.
These fourteen wineries account for 20% of Oregon’s wine production and by all accounts, these are some of the highest quality Oregon wines as well. You may be familiar with many of these wineries, and you may have even traveled to some of them with your friends here at ecoShuttle. They include Abacela Winery, Adelsheim Vineyard, A to Z Wineworks/REX HILL, Chehalem Winery, Cooper Mountain Vineyards, King Estate Winery, Left Coast Cellars, Lemelson Vineyards, Mahonia Vineyards, Sokol Blosser Winery, Soter Vineyards, Stoller Vineyards, Willamette Valley Vineyards, and of course Winderlea Wine Company. To support the efforts of these wineries, ecoShuttle has recently posted sample wine tour itineraries exclusively featuring some of the Carbon Neutral Challenge Wineries, and those itineraries are located here: http://www.ecoshuttle.net/index.php/sample-wine-tour-itineraries/