April 16, 2018
With Earth Day 2015 right around the corner, what better way to celebrate than by sharing all of the ways William Chris has gone green so far this year. We have take several big steps to change the way we live to save the planet one day at a time.
REDUCING
A little over a month ago, we took a huge step in decreasing the number of plastic water bottles that we used in the tasting room. We added in an incredible water machine that takes water right out of the water line, cleans and chills it to produce some of the best tasting water you will ever have.
To date, we have used 205 gallons of water from this machine. That is the equivalent to 1,553 water bottles saved! That's incredible! If we can save that much plastic from being dumped in landfills in just one month, imagine what we can do over the years to come!
We have also started carrying William Chris branded aluminum water bottles. Now on your visit, you no longer have to get plastic water bottle after plastic water bottle. You can grab a canteen and use it everywhere you go! With our water machine, using these bottles is a breeze, as you can refill them over and over with crisp, cold, refreshing hill country water.
RE-USING
Another way that we are helping to save the world is through the process of mulching. Mulching is the process where we take mulch and spread it under the vines. This prevents us from having to use herbacides on the soil. The mulch keeps plants and weeds from growing near the vines. This allows the vines to absorb all of the nutrients in the soil instead of having to share the nutrients with other vegetation. This chemical-free way to control unwanted plant growth is a huge way that we are able to reduce our negative impact on the Earth.
We also use something known as compost tea when we irrigate the vines. This "tea" is the combination of rotten vegetative waste and water, like a liquid fertilizer. We use this to provide essential nutrients to the soil. Instead of throwing away these rotting plants, we would much rather use them in this super constructive way.
RECYCLING
Here at William Chris, we go through a TON of cardboard and glass. Fortunately, we have implimented a strict recycling program. We take every empty wine bottle and every empty case box to the local recycling centers, often one van or truck load at a time. While it would be much easier to just dump it all in the trash, we would much rather see it again in the form of new glass and paper.
We also try to use a lot of recyclable paper in our tasting room. While more expensive, we only use recyclable bags or paper bags made of all recycled paper when wrapping up bottles for our guests to take home. The tissue paper we use when wrapping bottles in our tasting room and for our wine club shipments is also made of 100% recycled paper.
We truly feel that it is our duty and responsibility to help make the planet a better place for future generations. We attempt to reduce, re-use and recycle in any way that we can, in every aspect of the business. We hope that you wil take the time and evaluate you impact on the Earth and take steps towards building a better future for generations of wine growers and drinkers to come.