15 billion corks a year, most of which end up in landfills

In recent news, a winery in Oregon has teamed up with Whole Foods Market to spur a "Cork Reharvest Program." Along with Western Pulp Products, their efforts go toward recycling wine corks, with the goal of producing less waste and keeping the winery as sustainable as possible.

It'd be great to get Nova Scotia on board with a similar project. Local pulp and paper mills could help out the growing wine industry, and in the process, make environmentally responsible choices.

Cork is a valuable resource: "The cork forests are second only to the Amazon rainforest in their importance to the world's biosphere," said Jim Bernau, founder and president of Willamette Valley Vineyards. Cork trees take nearly four decades to reach maturity, at which point the live trees are stripped to create corks as we know them. They come off in huge sheets, and the live trees then spend the next nine years growing back the missing bark before it can be stripped again.

For more information, please see: http://www.vinessetoday.com/artmanVT/publish/Green_Is_Good/Cork_Recycling_Program_Is_Introduced.cfm

Food Security

Still thinking about organic food and related issues? Suggested further reading: "Band-aid solutions ineffective against problem of food security" http://tinyurl.com/qlwwwt

There's a lot that goes into what we eat - from the soil our food grows in, to the food itself, to chemicals that preserve it, to the whole production of shipments and sales. Our message can be boiled down to this: read your labels, make responsible decisions, and opt for local and healthy foods where possible.

Any thoughts? Other suggested reading?

ORGANIC OR NOT?!?!!

The word "organic" has proven to be one of the most powerful words in today's market. But what does "organic" mean? Here at Gaspereau Vineyards, we meet people at the tasting bar on a daily basis who ask if our wines are organic. I always reply to them that "No, we are not producing organic wines, however, we are very conscious of the environment and we keep it as balanced as we can."

We participate in many farm markets in the Annapolis Valley and there are many organic farmers who participate as well. Organic food/wine is perceived as safer, more nutritious, fewer "harmful" residual chemicals because of less/different sprays, more "friendly" means of raising livestock, and more "sustainable" agricultural practises. In Ontario, they introduced ladybugs to help eliminate aphids in the vineyards but it unbalanced the equilibrium of nature and tainted the wines as well.

Our practises at Gaspereau Vineyards are designed to be as environmentally friendly as possible; we spray when necessary, only when necessary, and we only add nutrients into the soil that will restore the balance of nature, with the goal of keeping the soil sustainable instead of enhancing growth chemically.

All of us enjoy organic products and strongly believe in the practises of some farmers over others; however, I always read the label to ensure what I am purchasing, where it is from, and whether the product is organic or certified organic. I am also conscious of the fact that many of us must source produce from farms other than our own, some of which may not be organic or certified organic but do share the same sustainability beliefs that we do. Read your product labels, understand agricultural practises, understand where, how and why the products were sourced.

Organic is more a philosophy, not to be dismissed. However, being environmentally conscious is very important too! Check out http://www.foodincanada.com/ and http://www.financialpost.com:80/small-business/story.html?id=1650127 . Basically, we need to be conscious of our surroundings, the environment around us and the products we purchase but we should also be balanced, practise sustainability and choose locally, responsibly produced products.