Progress Report - July 2022
There is actually some good news out there, and we've decided to start sharing some of it on a regular basis. We will call it a "Progress Report" because we think these are hopeful stories of things moving in a positive direction.
If you want the "Regress Report" you can go to your preferred news channel, but we hope this series will offer a reminder that the "news" doesn't give you the whole picture.
The other good news is that we're only telling the positive stories that relate to wine. Imagine how much good news there must be that isn't related to wine!
Progress Report - July 2022
9th Circuit Court Orders EPA To Re-evaluate Glyphosate… and Do It Right This Time
http://winecountrygeographic.blogspot.com/2022/06/environmentalists-win-major-court.html
What's good about this?
Glyphosate is the most used herbicide on the planet. The rise of GMOs is directly tied to the desire to broadcast glyphosate over massive corn, soy, and wheat fields to kill weeds without killing the crops. What that means is that if you eat any product that is not certified organic (cereals, crackers, cookies, breads, pastas, chips, etc... and wine) you are eating a food that was most likely saturated with glyphosate. It is used so widely and indiscriminately that it is found even in organic foods from farms that haven't been sprayed with it for decades. There have been studies for decades showing that glyphosate is insidiously harmful to human health, but because of the lobbying of Big Ag, the EPA has not restricted the use of glyphosate in our food system. There is evidence that this has been for very greedy reasons. Finally, the EPA is being forced to reconsider the facts. Learn more about glyphosate in wine here.
Slow Food Introduces “Snail of Approval” – An Ecological Approach to Greatness in Food & Beverage
(This may remind you of the Ecological Wine Score)
https://slowfoodusa.org/snail-of-approval/
What's good about this?
For far too long, the evaluation of greatness in wine has been disconnected from any context related to its growth and production. We desperately need to start evaluating more than just the taste of wine. How it's grown, who grows it and produces it and how they are treated and compensated, land stewardship, and community impact are just some of the very important aspects of greatness in wine that are regularly ignored by nearly every wine reviewer. Slow Food's "Snail of Approval" is the most comprehensive inclusion of the context of wine in wine evaluation that we've seen (next to the Ecological Wine Score), and deserves a round of applause, if not a standing ovation.
What If We Prioritized “Gross National Happiness” over Gross Domestic Product?
https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/13/health/bhutan-gross-national-happiness-wellness/index.html
What's good about this?
Bhutan may be the most inspirational country on the planet because of its holistic approach to thinking about national priorities. Rather than prioritizing material wealth as a measure of success, they have decided to measure happiness. If you aren't familiar with Bhutan's pillars of Gross National Happiness (GNH rather than GDP), they are worth a study. Bhutan has also written into their constitution a limit of 33% development of their country, with the remaining 67% left as national forest and parks. They are the only carbon negative country in the world, and they have a goal of being the first 100% organic nation within this decade.
Special recommendation:
Adam recently interviewed the guy who is planting the first vineyards and developing the wine industry in Bhutan for the first time ever in its history. Check out this fun interview on the Organic Wine Podcast.
We hope you enjoyed some positive and inspirational news for a change. That strange sensation you may be feeling is just hope. Perhaps you haven't felt it in while, but don't worry... studies have shown that it can be beneficial to your mental health.
Speaking of progress... that little lady in the Crenshaw Cru vineyard with Wendy (on the CentralasWine.com homepage) recently spent the day with us again at Crenshaw Cru. She's a couple years older now, but just as adorable (see below). She - and every other child who will inherit the world we leave behind - is one of our inspirations for doing the work that we do.
Cheers!
Adam & Wendy