Anna Brittain | Napa Green
The RISE Climate & Wine Symposium returns to Napa for the third year, focusing on results and resources for Regeneration, Innovation, Sustainability, and Empowerment. This unique six-event symposium, starting April 29, is organized and hosted by Napa Green, a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing regenerative winegrowing, and setting the highest bar for sustainability and climate action in the wine industry.
Organized around Napa Greenβs Six Pillars of Sustainable Winegrowing Leadership, the symposium will feature more than 65 expert speakers from five countries. While RISE is focused on wine industry opportunities, much of the content is relevant to anyone in the community interested in stewardship, cultivating biodiversity, adopting regenerative farming practices, and building climate resiliency.
RISE focuses on actionable opportunities. In addition to facilitating mentorships, Napa Green has tracked dozens of positive impacts stemming from the symposium since 2022, including the introduction of sheep grazing at Corison, generating biochar at White Rock, and trials of three herbicide-free farming methods at Chimney Rock.
βSustainability is a journey, and I think itβs a journey best taken with other people,β said Elizabeth Vianna, Winemaker at Chimney Rock. βRISE brings people together who are on the same path. And it doesnβt matter where you are in your journey, youβll come away with new ideas. Youβll find incredible collaboration with leaders from all over the world. It is truly inspiring.β
Each half-day RISE event includes practical workshops, a marquee keynote address, a forum asking a critical question, and community-building over food and wine. The event lineup and question of the day includes:
April 29 β Water Efficiency & Savings:Β βIs Water the Solution Heat Stress?β
April 30 β Energy Efficiency & Savings:Β βTo Till & EV or Not to Till & EV?β
May 1 β Proactive Farming, Soil Health & Biodiversity:Β βIs Regenerative Ag Our Future?β
May 6 β Diversity & Inclusion:Β βDoes Diversity Improve Business Performance & Resilience?β
May 7 β Supply Chain & Waste Prevention:Β βDo Consumers Care about Sustainability & Climate Action?β
May 8 β Climate Action & Regenerative Agriculture:Β Two forumsΒ β βCan Forest & Creek Restoration Create Localized Climate Cooling?β and βCan Wine Really Impact Climate Action?β
RISE gives participants a chance to engage with speakers rarely here in Napa, including:
β’ Praveen Penmetsa, CEO of Monarch Tractor (April 30)
β’ Dr. Jonathan Lundgren, Agroecologist, Director ECDYSIS Foundation & 1000 Farms Initiative (May 1)
β’ Jermaine Stone, creator and host of Emmy- and James Beard-nominated Street Somm (May 6)
β’ Randi Kronthal-Sacco, Senior Scholar at NYU Stern Center for Sustainable Business (May 7)
β’ Dom De Ville, Director of Sustainability and Social Impact at The Wine Society (May 7)
β’ Obi Kaufmann, Author and Illustrator of the California Field Atlas series (May 8)
β’ Dr. Sarah Jaquette Ray, Professor and Chair of Environmental Studies at Cal Poly Humboldt and author, βA Field Guide to Climate Anxietyβ (May 8)
β’ Finn Does, Youth Climate Justice Organizer (May 8)
Jermaine Stone, who is coming west from Manhattan to marquee the May 6 event, said, βWine is a reflection of history, culture, and the people who shape it. It is more important than ever to identify how we will continue to uplift the voices and contributions of diverse communities. True sustainability isnβt just about the land βitβs about creating opportunities, breaking barriers, and ensuring that everyone has a seat at the table. At RISE weβre not just talking β weβre building a future where diversity is the standard.β
Martin Reyes, MW, partner at WineWise and co-founder of RISE, added, βThe data is clear: businesses that integrate a whole system approach to sustainability leadership outperform their counterparts. As we face the headwinds of economic and market uncertainty, this philosophy isn’t idealisticΒ β it’s imperative. I’ve spoken to many RISE participants who have shared the sustained impacts of our content on their businesses.β
VisitΒ www.RISEgreen.orgΒ to learn more and to purchase tickets to individual events or a shareable six-pack ticket.
About Napa Green: The Napa Green 501c3 is a global leader in sustainable winegrowing, setting the highest bar for sustainability and climate action in the wine industry. Napa Green facilitates whole system soil to bottle certification for wineries and vineyards, and provides the expertise, boots-on-the-ground support, and resources to continually improve. Learn more atΒ https://napagreen.org/participating-members/.
Anna Brittain
Napa Green
+1 805-636-3329
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