Making Wine the Green Way

One night a man had a dream. He dreamed he was
walking along the beach with the Lord, and
noticed two sets of carbon footprints in the sand...

Andrew Leonard, whose "How the World Works" blog is one of the few reasons I still read Salon, writes about a new report from a group of wine economists about the carbon footprint of the wine industry (hint: it's hugely influenced by shipping), and steps that both wineries and consumers can take to green up their producing and drinking practices.

Some of the recommendations seem counterintuitive (New York wine drinkers should buy European wines, not Washington or Californian ones); some almost ludicrous (winemakers should switch to barrels made with local oak), though this week's San Francisco Chronicle has an interesting article on barrel alternatives; and some of the recommendations make so much sense that it's galling that they're not already standard practice (winemakers should purchase recycled wine bottles or use TetraPak packaging). Oh, also, check out the economists' analysis of the impact of farming organically.