Earth Notes
Stratus takes the LEED
The global wine industry is becoming increasingly environmentally conscious.
Many wine producers’ commitment to these green principles and practices extend beyond the bottle into the wineries themselves. Form and aesthetics are increasingly taking a back seat to function in ensuring that facilities have as little environmental impact as possible. And, just as producers can have their wines certified as organic or biodynamic, Canadian wineries are seeking certification for the winery structures themselves.
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, is a green building rating system that is North American in origin and is now becoming recognized worldwide. It is a suite of standards for the environmentally sustainable design, construction and operation of buildings and neighbourhoods.
In 2005, Stratus Winery in Niagara, Ontario, was the first building in Canada to receive LEED certification from the Canada Green Building Council and the first winery in the world to be so recognized. Stratus’ 20,128-square-foot facility is silver-certified, which represents a savings of 42 percent in overall energy, 49 percent in indoor water use and 15 percent in raw materials.
The winery buildings, designed by Niagara architect Les Andrew, use geo-exchange technology for heating and cooling and were constructed with a high percentage of recycled materials. The mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems are all resource- and energy-efficient. There is a comprehensive waste management program and a landscape plan that is organic and based on indigenous and adaptive grasses and plants.
Stratus was the first, but is has not been the last. The Okanagan Valley’s Tantalus Vineyards was the latest producer to open a LEED-certified winery this past May. This summer visitors will be able to fully appreciate the high-tech new winery when they enjoy tastings in the brand-new 13,000-square-foot facility. (Steve Thurlow)
AN•THRO•POSO•PHY
Anthroposophy is a philosophy, founded by Rudolf Steiner in the early 20th century, that proposes the existence of an accessible spiritual world that is reachable through personal intellectual development.
The roots of biodynamic farming lie in a series of lectures on agriculture given by Steiner, describing how a farm is an organism whose health depends on the well-being of its crops, animals and farmer. Steiner suggested nine different fertilizer and compost preparations that are believed to transfer supernatural forces into the soil; these preparations are still used on biodynamic farms today. (Karin Nybo)
Reduce, reuse, reharvest
Grocery chain Whole Foods has officially launched its cork recycling program, in conjunction with Cork ReHarvest. The program will run in all 292 Whole Foods stores across Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom.
Western Pulp will turn corks collected west of the Rocky Mountains into recyclable wine shippers, while corks from the Midwest will become cork floor tiles at Yemm & Hart. Corks from the East Coast and the U.K. will go to Jelinek Cork Group, one of the oldest cork manufacturers in North America, for reuse. In order to keep the program’s carbon footprint almost nonexistent, the recycled corks are transported in trucks running on pre-existing delivery routes.
Cork is one of the most sustainable materials in the world. Mediterranean oak trees are harvested every nine to 12 years and live an average of 300 years. (KN)
