Earth Day

Owl boxes in the vineyards act as natural pest control

It seems there’s a day devoted to just about everything, right? In America and around the world we celebrate International Beer Day, Corndog Day, even a National Cartwheel Day. If you can think of it, it probably already exists. They’re fun and give us an excuse to splurge or act a little silly. But then there are days that are truly worth celebrating, like Earth Day. April 22^nd is International Earth Day, and on it, nearly 200 countries take part in demonstrating support for environmental protection. While each Earth Day carries a theme (this year it’s “The Face of Climate Change”), the goal is always pretty straightforward: to work towards protecting our planet for future generations.

Here at Ponte, we are extremely committed to managing our environmental footprint in each department we run. Way back in 1984 when the Ponte family purchased the vineyards, they were mindful of farming practices and water usage. Once the winery opened in 2003, it was time to focus on recycling, waste reduction and electricity usage. In December 2007 we began the transition to become a sustainable winery and today we are so proud to be Temecula’s only California Certified Sustainable Winery. It’s much more than remembering to put our glassware in special bins and turning the lights out; it’s also about influencing our guests, members and associates to reduce their footprint as well.

Reusable wine totes are just one way we go green

Here are just a few ways each department at Ponte is working to show a bit more love to Mother Earth:

Administration and Marketing

• Replaced all electronics to Energy Saving brands
• Keep one-sided paper around to use as scratch paper
• Turn off monitors and towers when not in use

Facilities

• Plant trees to shade windows and air conditioners
• Install motion detectors on light switches
• Eliminate plastic water bottles from the entire property

Landscaping

• Leave animal habitats undisturbed during construction
• Compost organic material, i.e. grass clippings, restaurant/vineyard waste
• Use natural pest management, like owl boxes

Wine Club

• Reduce the 12-page newsletter to 4-pages and utilize the Ponte blog, Facebook and Twitter for communication
• Only purchase sustainable packaging materials from our vendors
• Create reward system for Members who return empty wine bottles to Ponte for recycling

Restaurant

• Use local, organic and sustainable farms for produce, meats and poultry
• Eliminate Styrofoam cups
• Use coffee grounds for compost material

Tasting Room

• Use only 100% recycled gift bags
• Purchase re-useable wine totes for members and guests
• Make sure all appliances are on timers and go off at night

Wine Production

• Change bottles to lightweight glass
• Harvest at night whenever possible
• Recycle all winemaking waste at harvest (like grape skins and stems) back into the vineyards

You can view the entire list of our sustainability efforts here.

Ponte Vineyard Inn has its own host of green initiatives. Learn about them here.

There could not be a better day, Earth Day, to get started in your own home on reducing your carbon footprint. Don’t know how? Check out some ideas here.

We hope to see you at Ponte soon!

–Erica Martinez

–How do you celebrate Earth Day?