Earth Day celebrants gathered at Iron Horse Vineyards in Sebastopol for an “Eat, Drink and Be Green” eco-event for four nonprofits — the Laguna De Santa Rosa Foundation, National Geographic Society, Solar Living Institute and The Leakey Foundation.
“We hit our goal of $60,000. That’s twice what we raised last year,” said Iron Horse Vineyards CEO Joy Sterling, who organized the event at her family’s estate. Iron Horse has approximately 160 acres in vine, planted exclusively to Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
Held under tents on a sunny, breezy day, the event featured locally grown food and a walk-around tasting of spring releases from Green Valley, represented by DeLoach Vineyards, Dutton-Goldfield, Freeman Family Winery, Hartford Family Winery, Iron Horse Vineyards, Marimar Estate, Orogeny Vineyards and Patz & Hall.
During the event, Gil Grosvenor, chairman of National Geographic and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, announced an initiative to set up permanent endowments to fund geography and environmental education in public schools.
“California changed the way we looked at wine. It can do the same for geographic education. It can help cultivate an interest in understanding the earth as an intertwined system that is alive, vibrant and in urgent need of care,” said Grosvenor.
“Earth Day is about individual actions we can take to make a difference in everyday life,” added Grosvenor, who recalled how the first Earth Day was celebrated the year he became editor of National Geographic magazine in 1970. “On the first Earth Day, an estimated 20 million people took to the streets and parks to demand a healthy, sustainable and livable environment. It was a monumental event that started a plantetary movement.”
That movement continues, he noted, with challenges such as climate change, clean and accessible water, breathable air and renewable energy.
To highlight green alternatives, a number of products were displayed at the event, including Calfee bamboo bikes, the Tesla Electric Roadster and a new solar electric tractor, Wine Business reported.
