Italy's number one selling wine in Canada plants trees in our soil, and basil in yours
This April, every bottle of Santa Margherita's signature Pinot Grigio supports Tree Canada and comes deliciously paired with plantable basil
TORONTO, March 13, 2014 /CNW/ - In honour of Earth Month, and with continued commitment to sustainability at home and abroad, from April 1st - April 26th Santa Margherita will donate 50 cents from each sale of their celebrated Pinot Grigio in Ontario and British Columbia to support the efforts of Tree Canada in building sustainable forests in local communities across Canada.
"Sustainable practices have always been a distinctive trait of Santa Margherita's wine production from grape to shelf, " says Federico Trost, Sommelier and Export Manager, Santa Margherita. "We take great pride in producing high quality, sustainable wines while taking steps to lower our carbon footprint in all our processes, from how we harvest our grapes, to how we produce and deliver our wine."
The partnership with Tree Canada, a national organization that develops programs that build and maintain urban and rural forests, brings Santa Margherita's leadership in sustainable practices to Canadian soil.
"We are excited to have partnered with a leader in sustainable practices and are impressed with Santa Margherita's efforts to use their influence in Canada to inspire local action," says Mike Rosen, President of Tree Canada.
Along with the donation, Santa Margherita has paired each bottle of Pinot Grigio with a neck tag made of plantable basil paper for Canadians to start a garden of their own.
With a long history of sustainable practices that include agricultural policies that have required large-scale investments in renewable energy sources and energy-saving projects, Santa Margherita has taken their commitment a step further by producing the first and only Carbonzero Certified wine in Canada - meaning that the greenhouse gas emissions resulting from production and distribution of this product line has been removed and/or offset by investment in environmental initiatives.
"We applaud Santa Margherita's efforts to monitor, reduce, and offset their carbon footprint across the entire product from the vineyard, to production, to distribution," said Dan Fraleigh, Carbonzero COO.
Carbonzero, a Canadian leader of corporate carbon management strategies and solutions, and a provider of carbon offsets, found that Santa Margherita's Pinot Grigio has a carbon footprint of 1.67 kgCO2e/bottle, which is below the average footprint for a bottle of wine (approximately 2.2 KgCO2e/bottle).
Santa Margherita's ongoing initiatives include producing renewable energy from solar and biomass, the recycling of waste byproducts, and the manufacturing of their own bottles. Last year alone Santa Margherita reduced emissions equivalent to 197 barrels of oil, diverted emissions equivalent to 46.3 tons of landfill waste, and minimized emissions associated with packaging and travel.
To offset what could not be reduced, Santa Margherita purchased 3,388 tonnes of carbon offsets through several high-quality Carbonzero projects in Canada.
About Santa Margherita
Santa Margherita arrived on the world winemaking stage with its introduction of the first Italian Pinot Grigio in the early 1960s. From its beginnings in Veneto, the company has since expanded to other regions of Italy to produce wines of great variety. Santa Margherita's Pinot Grigio is sold in over 70 countries around the world and represents the number one selling 750ml bottle in Canada. It has been joined by their popular sparkling Prosecco and Chianti Classico and they continue to expand their offerings to meet the tastes of Canadian wine-lovers.
About Tree Canada
Tree Canada is a not-for-profit organization committed to growing better places to live by encouraging the planting, protection and care of the trees where Canadians live, work and play. For over 20 years, Tree Canada has offered technical expertise, education, funding, and resources to green-thumbed individuals, groups, governments, and corporations. Trees are warriors against climate change, absorbing carbon, producing oxygen, and naturally cooling our cities. Tree Canada has planted more than 80 million trees, greened more than 550 schoolyards and have helped in the greening of urban forests in over 500 communities across the country, leaving a legacy that is benefitting all Canadians. Its eleventh national urban forest conference will take place in October, 2014. Learn more at www.treecanada.ca.
About Carbonzero
Carbonzero was founded in 2006 and has rapidly risen to become a leader in the design and implementation of carbon reduction strategies and solutions. A top performer in the 2009 David Suzuki Foundation and Pembina Institute report on Carbon Offsetting, Carbonzero has led the way in setting the industry standards for measurable and verified emissions reduction offsets in Canada. Carbonzero helps organizations, governments and individuals prepare for the low carbon economy by aiding them in assessing, reporting, and reducing their emissions. Our approach, tools and services ensure that our clients can cost-effectively meet their carbon auditing reduction commitments while developing the framework for implementation of reduction activities.
SOURCE: Santa Margherita
For further information:
Lisa Bodnar/McKenna Wild
Environics Communications
416-969-2831/416-969-2774
[email protected] / [email protected]
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