Diageo Recognized for Green Efforts
Three of Diageo Chateau & Estate Wines' (DC&E) facilities have been named winners in the Waste Reduction Awards Program (WRAP) by the State of California in recognition of the company's "green" efforts. Beaulieu Vineyard has been the recipient of the WRAP award 16 times, and this year, Sterling Vineyards and the DC&E Sonoma Bottling Facility have also joined the list of winners.
"It is very important for us to constantly identify ways to minimize the impact of our operations on the environment," said Tom Scott, vice president of Communications for DC&E. "It is wonderful to be recognized by the State of California for our continued efforts."
"It is very important for us to constantly identify ways to minimize the impact of our operations on the environment," said Tom Scott, vice president of Communications for DC&E. "It is wonderful to be recognized by the State of California for our continued efforts."
During the 2007 calendar year, Beaulieu Vineyard recycled 3,458 tons of material, diverting items from the waste stream such as: wood barrels, palettes, grape lees and pomace, glass, cardboard, metals and paper.
Sterling Vineyards kept nearly 1,200 tons of solid waste from going to landfill through organized waste reduction, reuse, recycling and composting efforts, including sending out 815 tons of grape stems and pomace to a local composting facility and shipping out nearly 1,000 barrels for reuse. The winery also recycled 180 tons of material, earning more than $4,500; 100 percent of the earnings were donated to local charities.
The DC&E Sonoma bottling facility recycled approximately 264,000 lbs of material including: glass, wood pallets and various packaging materials. Sonoma made improvements to its recycling program this year by adding a cork-recycling program, resulting in more than 3,060 lbs of cork collected. In addition, the site saw $10,000 in energy savings by installing energy efficient lighting.
WRAP is a program developed in 1993 by the California Integrated Waste Management Board to recognize businesses for outstanding efforts to reduce waste through unique recycling programs. Since its inception, 16,436 awards have been awarded to 4,288 separate California businesses.