Action-Focused RISE Climate & Wine Symposium to Launch with Marquee Address from Jancis Robinson
The six-event Climate & Wine Symposium is returning for a second time this April, now with a new name, RISE: Resilience, Innovation, Sustainability, Empowerment. This unique Symposium, organized around the six pillars of sustainable winegrowing leadership, first launched in 2022 and was an incredible success, with over 65 speakers and 600 total guests. Throughout Earth Month, RISE is returning with another impressive lineup across the pillars of Energy Efficiency & Savings (Apr 5); Water Efficiency & Savings (Apr 6); Waste Prevention & Supply Chain (Apr 12); Proactive Farming, Soil Health & Biodiversity (Apr 13); Social Justice, Diversity & Inclusion (Apr 19); Climate Action & Regenerative Agriculture (Apr 20).
RISE will launch with a Marquee Address from the world's most influential wine writer, Jancis Robinson, MW. "Most of us feel vaguely impelled to do what we can to save our precious planet but RISE aims to provide real, practical help, which is why I'm thrilled to be supporting it," shares Robinson, editor in chief of JancisRobinson.com. "I initially suggested online participation but the organizers are adamant that personal participation has so much more value. I aim to prove them right." (RISE has purchased carbon offsets for travel.)
Throughout the six events there will be seven Marquee speakers, including Mimi Casteel (Hope Well Wine), Michael Silacci (Opus One Winery), and Maryam Ahmed (Diversity in Wine Leadership Forum). There will also be Living Room Salons with leaders like Kelly Mulville (Paicines Ranch) in a conversation about "The True Value of Regenerative Agriculture," and Esther Mobley (San Francisco Chronicle) and Alexandria Villaseñor (Earth Uprising International) discussing the current "State of Sustainability."
"RISE is about taking care of our own community, building vineyard resilience and business longevity. It is also about leveraging our powerful platform to galvanize aspirational change in the wine industry," says Anna Brittain, Executive Director of Napa Green and co-founder of RISE. "Our goal at Napa Green is to set the highest bar for sustainability and climate action globally, and, critically, provide the support and resources to achieve that leadership. RISE is central to this goal."
Elizabeth Vianna, Winemaker and General Manager at Chimney Rock Winery, attended the Symposium events last year. Vianna says, "Every leader should be there for an engaged dialogue and exchange of ideas. This is action-oriented, focusing on the meaningful opportunities that we can take back to our wineries and start getting busy tomorrow."
RISE is organized and hosted by the Napa Green non-profit, with a community planning committee. Learn more and purchase your tickets at www.RISEGreen.org.
Symposium Location: RISE Premier Sponsor Charles Krug Winery | Carriage House | 2800 Main St, St Helena, CA 94574
Thank you to our Exclusive Event Sponsors, who have helped make RISE possible: MCE Clean Energy; Lallemand Plant Care; H&A Barrel Management; Napa Valley Vintners; International Wineries for Climate Action