Being "GREEN" is NOT about Selling Stuff!

With this Blog, we're going to tackle a subject that is dear to our hearts..."the Commercialization of the GREEN movement"!
Being GREEN is NOT about selling anything, it's all about...'Saving'!
Being GREEN has been effectively co-opted by many large and multinational corporations. It is time that WE understand what's going on and start voting with our dollars. Reducing the size of a plastic water bottle cap does not make the plastic bottle any less detrimental to our shared environment. If we look at the huge waste of fossil fuels in creating the plastic bottle and the plastic packaging and factor in the cost of oil extraction, manufacturing, warehousing, transportation and disposal/recycling, the Green color fades away. Any time that you see a package that touts its GREEN nature, you should be wary of a sales pitch. A truly GREEN business conducts its business in a "Silent" GREEN way. No notoriety is sought or expected. Their motivation is subtle and sincere.
We at Bunker Hill Vineyard and Winery, are truly, a "GREEN environmentally responsible vineyard winery. Our motivation is to operate our vineyard/winery in a way that enables us to minimize our carbon footprint and to work with mother nature and the environment. Our fabulous wines are our reward for our faith and commitment to Living Green.

At BHV every GREEN step that we have taken has been done with NO expectation of any rewards or accolades. We have done them, solely, because...'it's the right thing to do'!

Before the first vine was planted or wild grape harvested, we had already decided to locally source 100% of our wine bottles. Every wine bottle that we use was/is 'Saved' from certain disposal in our local landfill. We clean and sanitize every reused/recycled wine bottle 'By Hand'. The use of fossil fueled electricity is used only out of absolute necessity. If we don't need to use it, we don't.

We encourage All of our customers to return their used wine bottles to us so they can be reused and recycled. Because we use only Natural Corks (not plastic corks) and seal our wine bottles with sealing wax (not plastic or aluminum foils) we, also, ask that these be returned to us for recycling and/or reuse.
All our used wine boxes are inverted and recycled/reused. Sometimes it becomes necessary to irrigate our vineyard. We only use water that is collected in our cistern (no water is pumped out of the earth) and distribute it to our vines using the current energy of the sun via 'Solar Panels' (no energy from the power grid). Our Wine processing and Storage buildings were selected because they are made from steel (U.S.A.). At the end of their lifespan in 50~60 years, they can be recycled. As a side note, we even used the pallets that our buildings were shipped on to support our 16' processing and wine sampling table.
Unlike most wineries, we use only glass carboys to age our wines. Because we create only a pure wine product (not mixed or blended) glass is the perfect choice. As you know, glass is 100% reusable (it will last forever) and is inert (it neither adds nor subtracts anything from our pure wine product).
There are many more things that we do that supports our Green commitment. This should, however, give you an idea of who we are and why we do things in a Green way. None of our wine packaging attempts to compromise or take advantage of our Green values. Being Green should spring from the heart. Being Green is about saving and preserving our environment for future generations to come. It is Not about selling stuff for all the wrong reasons.
Today, there are businesses that are genuinely Green at heart. They have seen the earth being spoiled and exploited and are dedicated to making a change. They are committed and concerned. Many are local and in your backyard. Seek them out and support them with your dollars. Share their story with the world! Please remember, change never starts at the top, it begins at the bottom. It begins with...You and Me"!
 'Salute and Happy Days'