Cal/EPA Environmental Management System Project
Vineyard/Winery Pilot Project

Davis Bynum Winery and Benziger Family Winery
Pilot Project Work Plan

Section 1. Introduction

Finding more effective and innovative ways to achieve superior environmental protection is the primary goal of the Cal/EPA Innovation Initiative Environmental Management System (EMS) Project. Increasing use of EMSs by industry and government provides an opportunity to examine the benefits EMSs bring in protecting and enhancing California’s environment.

In order to examine the potential environmental benefits of EMSs, Cal/EPA has selected seven pilot projects. The information collected through the pilot projects will be reported to the Governor and Legislature quarterly, with the final analysis due January 1, 2002.

1.1. Purpose of Pilot Project Work Plan
The purpose of the Pilot Project Work Plan is to describe how the work of the Pilot Projects will be carried out and the goals of the program accomplished. This includes describing the project management; data collection and management; data quality assessment, validation, and usability; and data analysis process. The Pilot Project Work Plan shall not be considered a contract or legal agreement and does not bind the pilot organization or Cal/EPA to any particular action.

The Model Pilot Project Work Plan, finalized after public hearings last year, served as a template for development of this draft work plan. The Working Group will have the opportunity to review and comment on the draft Vineyard/Winery Pilot Project Work Plan.

Section 2. Project Management

Project information, roles and responsibilities, stakeholder involvement, and reporting are described in this section.

2.1. Project Description
Project description includes background, scope, EMS Project Objectives as provided in Public Resources Code Section 71045 et seq. (PRC § 71045 et seq.), and specific research objectives of the pilot project.

2.1.1. Background
The EMS Viticulture Pilot Project involves two wineries in Sonoma County, Benziger Family Winery and Davis Bynum Winery. Both the grape growing and wine making operations are included in the pilot project.

The Benziger Family Winery is located on the east side of Sonoma Mountain above the village of Glen Ellen where it is bordered by Jack London State Park to the west. The Benziger Family has operated their winery and vineyards at this location since purchasing the 85-acre Sonoma Mountain Ranch in 1980. Sixty-five acres of vines are planted at the ranch. Another twenty-acres of vines are planted in nearby Sonoma Valley. Grapes are also purchased from more than 60 growers. The Benziger Family Winery is a medium-sized winery producing 180,000 cases of wine per year.

The Bynum family has owned and operated their winery and vineyards on 83 acres near the town of Healdsburg in the Russian River Valley since 1973. Twenty acres of the ranch are planted in vines. Davis Bynum is a small winery crushing 250 to 275 tons of grapes annually to make approximately 15,000 cases of wine per year. The winery and vineyard is primarily operated by four members of the Bynum family and a head winemaker. Davis Bynum also purchases grapes from neighboring growers.

Benziger Family Winery and Davis Bynum Winery have operated their wineries and vineyards in an environmentally conscious manner and while they do not have fully developed EMSs, they do implement environmental business practices. Both Benziger Family Winery and Davis Bynum have been certified as Sonoma Green Businesses and Bay Area Green Businesses. This means that they comply with all environmental regulations and incorporate pollution prevention and resource conservation into their business practices. This certification does not apply to their vineyards. Their vineyards have been insecticide and herbicide free for several years and have experimented and practiced sustainable agriculture techniques.

Davis Bynum is in the process of registering with the California Department of Food and Agriculture organic growers program and the California Certified Organic Farming (CCOF) program. Davis Bynum is now exploring the use of Permaculture (permanent agriculture) in their vineyards and has started by developing a three-acre Mediterranean Permaculture Food Forest. Permaculture is the conscious design and maintenance of agriculturally productive ecosystems that have the diversity, stability, and resilience of natural ecosystems.

Benziger is now practicing Biodynamic farming in their vineyards. While similar to organic agriculture because of the elimination of chemicals, Biodynamics goes further in responding to the earth’s natural energies and cycles and in its emphasis on a closed, self-contained ecosystem. The Benziger family plans to have their two properties in Sonoma County certified in 2000 by the Demeter association, the international organization that monitors and approves Biodynamic practices.

2.1.2. Project Scope
As a Cal/EPA Pilot Project, Benziger Family Winery and Davis Bynum will now organize their environmental business practices into an ISO 14001-based EMS. Their EMSs will include and integrate winery and vineyard operations. Cal/EPA will assistance Benziger Family Winery and Davis Bynum in the development of their EMS. At the completion of the pilot project, a model EMS (or template) for viticulture will be available for other wineries and vineyards to use. Benziger Family Winery will work cooperatively with Davis Bynum Winery in developing the model EMS.

This pilot project will allow Cal/EPA to study the development and application of an EMS in an agricultural sector (wine grape vineyards). Their EMSs will also apply to the winery and therefore can integrate the agricultural and manufacturing processes into one system. This will provide opportunities to study the use and movement of resources and waste through the two processes.

Through the pilot project Benziger Family Winery, Davis Bynum, and Cal/EPA will develop metrics of sustainable agriculture such as biodiversity and soil health. These metrics are also economically important because it appears that environmental quality is related to wine quality and vineyard health. In theory, as environmental quality increases, so does the uniqueness and flavor of the wine and the ability of the vines to remain healthy. The pilots should be able to test this theory.

The participation of both wineries in the Sonoma Green and Bay Area Green Business Programs is another unique aspect of the pilot. These programs certify businesses that are in compliance with all environmental laws and are operating beyond compliance by implementing pollution prevention and resource conservation activities.

2.1.3. Research Objectives of the Cal/EPA EMS Project
Organizations are increasingly turning to EMSs as a means to ensure compliance with environmental regulations and to drive their environmental performance beyond what is required by law and regulations. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the use of an EMS can result in improved environmental performance; however, very few empirical studies exist to support this claim. The objective of the Cal/EPA EMS Project is to collect empirical data necessary to determine what effect, if any, an EMS has on an organization’s environmental performance and on the quality and quantity of environmental information shared with the public.

California law (PRC § 71045 et seq.) specifies that the Cal/EPA EMS Project shall answer the following question: whether and how the use of an environmental management system by a regulated entity that participates in a Pilot Project:

a) Increases public health and environmental protection over those protections provided through the issuance, enforcement, and monitoring of any permit, requirement, authorization, standard, certification, or other approval issued by a federal, state, regional, or local agency to the regulated entity for the protection of public health or the environment and

b) Provides the public with greater information on the nature and extent of the public health or environmental effects of activities or processes engaged in by the regulated entity than that information provided through the issuance, enforcement, and monitoring of any permit, requirement, authorization, standard, certification, or other approval issued to the regulated entity by a federal, state, regional, or local agency for the protection of public health or the environment, or any other law or regulation governing the disclosure of public information.

In addition to the two overall objectives for the project, other research objectives for the Vineyard/Winery Pilot Project include:

• Through this project a model or template EMS for the wine sector will be developed.

2.1.4 Information to Support Research Objectives
The following information about the pilot project’s EMS will be analyzed over the study period.

Public Health and Environmental Protection

• biodiversity
• water use
• energy use
• sulfur and compost use in vineyards
• air emissions
• wastewater discharges
• solid waste generation
• hazardous waste generation
• organic waste generation
• winery material use
• public health and environmental protection compliance history
• features of the management system that help the organization continually improve its relationship to the environment

Public Information

• availability of information from the pilot organization's web site and/or environmental reports
• policy, procedure, and practice in responding to written and telephone requests by the public for environmental information
• other external communication or public education activities related to the environment,
• public information-related compliance history
• features of the management system that help the organization continually improve its ability to provide information about its environmental impacts to the public

2.2. Pilot Project Organization, Roles and Responsibilities
Pilot project roles, responsibilities and contact information is provided for Cal/EPA, the pilot project organization, University of North Carolina and the Environmental Law Institute.

2.2.1. Cal/EPA
As the administrator of the Pilot Project, Cal/EPA will:

• provide data collection protocols;
• provide a project manager to coordinate the collection of data, represent Cal/EPA, and provide technical assistance to the pilot;
• assist in data collection;
• coordinate data input to the national database on EMSs maintained at the University of North Carolina;
• facilitate communication with stakeholders and coordinate Northern and Southern California Working Groups;
• provide training on the subject of Environmental Management Systems;
• maintain a web site at www.calepa.ca.gov/EMS where EMS Project information can be accessed;
• communicate to the California Legislature and Governor on the progress and conclusions of the Pilot Project; and
• communicate with stakeholders on the progress and conclusions of the Pilot Project.

Cal/EPA Project Manager and Primary Contact

Tom Lanphar, Project Manager
700 Heinz Avenue, Suite 200
Telephone: (510) 540-3925
Fax: (510) 540-3927
E-mail: tlanphar@dtsc.ca.gov

Cal/EPA EMS Project Director

Ms. Jennifer Smith Grubb
Cal/EPA, Department of Toxic Substances Control
2151 Berkeley Way, Room 515
Berkeley, California 94704

Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management and Sustainability, Cal/EPA

Dr. Robert Stephens
2151 Berkeley Way, Room 515
Berkeley, California 94704

2.2.2. Pilot Project
As the Pilot, Davis Bynum Winery and Benziger Family Winery will:

• contribute information on the design and operational performance of their Environmental Management System that is consistent with the data collection protocols of the Cal/EPA EMS Pilot Project,
• participate in the Northern California Working Group, and
• communicate with stakeholders about the design and performance of their EMS.

Pilot Project Manager and Primary Contacts

For Davis Bynum

Hampton Bynum or Richard Wights
8075 Westside Road
Healdsburg, CA 95448
Telephone:
Hampton Bynum (707) 433-3204
Richard Wights (707) 433-6039
Fax: (707) 433-4309
E-mail: Hampton@davisbynum.com and Rwights@compuserv.com

For Benziger Family Winery

Chris Benziger or Matt Atkinson
1883 London Ranch Road
Glen Ellen, CA 95442
Telephone:
Matt Atkinson (707) 935-3077
Chris Benziger (707) 945-4503
Fax: (707) 935-4049
E-mail: Chrisbz@benziger.com and Matkinson@benziger.com

2.2.3. University of North Carolina and Environmental Law Institute
The University of North Carolina (UNC) and the Environmental Law Institute (ELI) maintain the National Database on Environmental Management Systems. Information is provided to the national database by states conducting Pilot Projects in the Multi-State Working Group (MSWG). The MSWG is a coalition of states, non-governmental organizations, and businesses interested in the application of EMS in public policy.

UNC and ELI will:

• maintain web site at www.eli.org/isopilots.htm where data protocols can be accessed,
• manage data as described in section 3: data collection and management, and
• publish public reports on national Pilot Projects.

UNC Project Leader

Deborah Amaral, Ph.D., Adjunct Associate Professor
CB#3435, Abernathy Hall
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3435
Telephone: (919) 962-9827
Fax: (919) 962-5824
E-mail: NDEMS@unc.edu

2.3. Project Schedule
The project schedule identifies major pilot-specific milestones as well as Cal/EPA EMS Project milestones and estimated completion dates.

Milestones	Estimated Completion Dates
Northern California Working Group Site Tour: IBM  Southern California Working Group: Artistic Plating	September 2000
Baseline and EMS Design Data Sign-off (only if not already completed)	October-November 2000
Northern California Working Group Site Tour: Benziger Winery	November 2000
Establish Local Working Group for Vineyard/Winery EMS Pilot	December 2000
Data Collection and Submittal  Southern California Working Group Site Tour: Lockheed-Martin Aeronautics	January 2001
Northern California Working Group Site Tour: Central Marin Sanitation Agency  Cal/EPA Supplementary Data Collection and Submittal  Northern and Southern California Working Groups Review Draft Work Plans	March-April 2001
Northern California Working Group Site Tour: Davis Bynum Winery Southern California Working Group Site Tour: San Diego MWWD O&M	April 2001
Southern California Working Group Site Tour: Pentel of America Ltd.	May 2001
Northern California Working Group Site Tour: Anheuser-Busch, Inc.	May or June 2001
Northern and Southern California Working Group Meeting: Data analysis and discussion	June 2001
Data Collection and Submittal	July 2001
Northern and Southern California Working Group Meeting: Final data analysis and discussion	September 2001
Northern and Southern California Working Group Meeting: Review Draft Report to Legislature	October or November 2001

EMS Development and Implementation Milestones	Estimated Completion Dates
Initial Environmental Review	April 2000
Legislative Review	April 2000
Gap Analysis	April 2000
Environmental Policy	December 2000
Aspect/Impact Analysis	December 2000
Significance Determination	February 2001
Objective and Targets	February 2001
Programs and Procedures	March 2001
Implementation	March 2001
Evaluation and Review	August 2001

2.4. Stakeholder Involvement
Stakeholder involvement activities of the pilot organization and the purpose of the Working Groups are described herein.

2.4.1 Activities of the Pilot Project
In addition to participating on the Northern California Working Group, a Local Working Group for the winery/vineyard project shall be established. The purpose of a Local Working Group is to involve people outside of the pilot projects in the development of the Vineyard/Winery EMS and in completing the objectives of the pilot project.

Involving outside stakeholders in this project is important for many reasons:

1. The EMS can benefit as a result of involving outside perspectives;
2. Because one of the goals of the project is to create a model or template, outside input, especially from other wineries, is critical;
3. One of Cal/EPA goals is to complete pilot project in an transparent manner; and
4. The Northern California Working Group has a broad focus (all Northern California pilot projects) and limited participation.

The Local Working Group would serve an advisory role and provide feed back to Cal/EPA and the pilots on the development of the EMSs and in the evaluation of EMS performance.

Meetings would be held at appropriate times during the pilot project, approximately 3 - 4 times per year. Prior to the meeting, participants would be given materials to review and the agenda. All meetings would be open to the public and although all is welcome to participate, preference to speak would be given group members.

2.4.2. Working Groups
The Northern and Southern California Working Groups are the primary vehicle for stakeholder involvement in the Cal/EPA EMS Pilot Project. A stakeholder is any interested party, organization or individual, who may be affected by the activities of Cal/EPA, or of a Pilot Organization, and is interested in contributing to the Cal/EPA EMS Project.

The purpose of the Working Groups is to act as a public forum for the evaluation, analysis, and discussion of Environmental Management Systems in general and the EMSs of the Pilot Projects specifically. The Working Groups will take an active role in evaluating the Pilot’s EMS, assist in analyzing data generated by the Pilot Project, and participate in answering the questions presented in PRC § 71045 et seq. The Working Groups may also provide suggestions to Pilots for improving their EMSs.

The Working Groups are a forum for education, networking, and open communication between industry, regulatory agencies, environmental or community interest groups, and academics. Establishing cooperative working relationships between various stakeholders is a primary goal of the Working Groups.

Cal/EPA coordinates the Working Groups. Meetings will occur three to four times per year. The Pilot, Cal/EPA, and the Working Groups will participate in training and facility tours.

2.5. Reporting
Cal/EPA will prepare quarterly reports to the Legislature between January 1, 2000 and January 1, 2002. The reports will include Pilot baseline conditions, updates on the progress of the Pilot Projects, and activities of the Cal/EPA EMS Pilot Project. The conclusions of the studies, including the answers to the questions presented in PRC § 71045 et seq., will be presented in the final report due January 1, 2002.

Section 3. Data Collection and Management

In order to meet the objectives of the Pilot Project and answer the questions presented in PRC § 71045 et seq., data will be collected in the following categories:

• environmental performance,
• regulatory compliance,
• use of pollution prevention techniques,
• continual improvement,
• employee involvement,
• involvement of interested parties,
• quality and quantity of environmental information produced,
• EMS design, and
• EMS costs and benefits.

Pilots will contribute baseline data prior to the introduction of the EMS, descriptive information about EMS design and four semiannual updates during the Cal/EPA study period.

In coordination with other states, detailed data protocols have been developed by the Multi-State Working Group. With the assistance of the University of North Carolina and the Environmental Law Institute, the MSWG maintains a national database on EMS design and performance. The California Pilot Projects are part of an effort that includes close to 100 Pilot Projects nationwide.

The Pilot will provide data through the completion of the national EMS data protocols and the few additional questions summarized in California’s Supplemental Data Questions to the National Protocols. Pilot Projects are provided with electronic and printed versions of the protocols. The national data protocols are available on the internet at www.eli.org/isopilots.htm. The California Supplement will be provided at www.calepa.ca.gov/EMS. After the pilot’s data entry is complete, the protocols are sent to the Cal/EPA project manager. If requested, Cal/EPA will assist in data collection.

After review, the data is sent to UNC and ELI, where they will:

• enter pilot data into the national EMS database;
• review data for completeness;
• respond to Cal/EPA and the Pilot Project manager detailing missing data, questions, or need for clarification; and
• return data to Cal/EPA and the Pilot Project manager for accuracy review.

Data collected through the Pilot Projects will be available to interested parties and summarized in reports to the Legislature.

Information to support the research objectives also will include interviews and observations by Cal/EPA pilot managers, public information from various sources, and evaluations from Working Group members, as needed.

Section 4. Data Quality Assessment, Validation and Usability

The Cal/EPA Pilot Project managers and the staff at UNC and ELI shall assess data quality by evaluating the following:

• completeness (all data included),
• appropriateness (scope and detail appropriate to support research objectives),
• accuracy (level of accuracy appropriate to questions being asked),
• precision (description of desired measurement),
• relevance (adds information that supports research objectives), and
• comparability (to other California pilots and other studies on EMS performance).

In the event that problems or omissions are encountered with the data, UNC will inform both the facility and the Cal/EPA Pilot Project manager, who will review the data with a facility representative. Any incorrect or unreported data will be corrected or added and forwarded to UNC for inclusion in the national database.

After the data has been entered into the national EMS database, UNC will return data printouts to the Pilot and Cal/EPA. The project managers will review the data for accuracy ensuring that the data keyed into the national data is the same information submitted by the Pilot Project.

The Cal/EPA Pilot Project manager will identify the descriptive information and performance statistics that are relevant to the questions posed by PRC § 71045 et seq.

Section 5. Data Analysis

The questions posed in PRC § 71045 et seq. will be answered through the analysis of relevant data collected. EMS performance, regulatory compliance, and the public’s access to environmental information will be compared before and after EMS implementation. Improvements of performance over baseline performance will indicate improved environmental protection and information. Performance, including information sharing, shall also be compared to regulatory requirements in these areas.

The collected data and analysis will be presented to the Northern and Southern California Working Groups. The Working Groups, Cal/EPA, and the Pilot will analyze the data and determine the answers to the questions posed by PRC § 71045 et seq. The final conclusions and subsequent report to the legislature will be based on information from all the California Pilot Projects, not from any individual project. Case studies and examples drawn from the Pilots may be used to illustrate conclusions.