Greenwashing, or Good?

I had seen this wine before and had passed it by, even though there was a large sign by it proclaiming it the first winery in the U.S. to be carbon neutral, and even though the winery claims:

* to be locally grown and operated
* to use grapes from a family farm
* to be protecting the environment
* to use earth-friendly packaging
* to use solar power

You see why I didn't buy this wine? Yep, you got it, Sherlock. The grapes are not organically grown.

This time, as I felt the Sustainable Red bottle attempting to greenwash me as I passed by, I said (perhaps out loud), "What's up with that?"

And long-time readers of FoodShed Planet know what I did next. I bought a bottle of the wine and I took it home and I did my research (which involved the internet, not a wine glass!) and I called the company.

But here's where things took an interesting turn. As I researched Sustainable Red, I discovered that it is made by a winery called Parducci's, and that Parducci's was purchased by the Mendocino Wine Company, which was formed in 2004 by a partnership between the families of Tom and Tim Thornill and Paul Dolan. And Paul Dolan is the man who wrote the book that changed the course of my life.

I remember it clear as day, that Christmas several years ago when I curled up on a couch for two days and read True to Our Roots from cover to cover. It was the first time I had heard about triple-bottom-line sustainability, and Paul's personal journey transforming a winery and eventually forging a new direction for wineries in general fascinated me. I asked my husband to sit with me on the couch and I know I bubbled over, more like champagne than wine, when I told him what I had discovered and how I felt a calling toward refocusing my writing career in the direction of sustainability. I put together a new business plan at that point, and have been chugging along on it ever since.

And so I tend to trust Paul. And if Paul is involved with this Sustainable Red, then there is good to the story. I just didn't have all the answers yet.

Well, you know what happens next. I emailed Paul's press person. Hoping for a phone interview, I was surprised when my phone rang a couple days later and it was Paul.

I thanked him first, because when people change your life I think they deserve to know it. I then asked him why the grapes in Sustainable Red are not organic. For me, the use of the word sustainable is beyond organic--it permeates every aspect of a company's operations and expresses itself in the unquestionable organic pedigree of a company's product. And, at the end of the day, I don't put Sustainable Red's solar and wind power or recycled packaging in my body. I put its grapes.

To me, Paul had a good answer. He told me that the small family farms that provide the grapes for Sustainable Red are transitioning to organic but they can't be called organic grapes until the process is complete. Okay, fair enough. I then suggested that, as a consumer, I would like to know that, because then if I choose to buy Sustainable Red, my dollar is voting in support of that transition, rather than voting for greenwashing where no organic transition is even intended. I told him about how I have seen clothing companies starting to promote "transitional cotton" at a lower price point than organic cotton, which gives consumers an opportunity to be a positive, knowing part of the change. Paul indicated that he liked that idea, but since the Tax and Trade Bureau oversees the wine industry, there may be more restrictions in the use of something like "transitioning to organic."

In all fairness to Paul, the Mendocino Wine Company's website does include this verbiage:

Our vineyards are certified for their sustainable practices. We restore fish and wildlife habitat and improve water quality in vineyards certified as “Fish Friendly Farming.” Our synthetic chemical free farming practices are certified by “California Certified Organic Farmers.” And our Biodynamic vineyards, managed as living organisms, are certified by “Demeter.”

In pursuit of earth-friendly quality, we have moved along a specific farming continuum from what is commonly referred to as “Conventional” farming to Sustainable, Organic and Biodynamic farming practices.

Thanks, Paul, for your generosity of time yesterday. Please consider the effect of your advertising and other marketing communications efforts on consumers--and strive for greater transparency (particularly at the point-of-purchase), especially as consumers become increasingly eco-savvy and demanding of answers about products before they vote with their dollars. Besides, folks like me might just pass you by, and the bottom line? You're losing sales.

Paul has a good story. In fact, he has an even better story with his other wines, with an extraordinarily strong commitment to biodynamics (and notice the horns in the logo). I'm also intrigued by the use of the term "fish-friendly farming," which involves reducing erosion and chemical use in order to bring health back to watersheds.

Paul is absolutely, unyieldingly committed to carbon neutrality as his number one priority. I am absolutely, unyieldingly committed to organic agriculture. I'm hoping to raise a glass to Paul soon with a product within my price point that meets both criteria. Or is clearly defined as a consumer voting opportunity to move the process along.