Cal/EPA Environmental Management System Project
Selection Criteria and Descriptions of Pilot Projects

Benziger Family Winery and Davis Bynum Winery

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 Benzigers have 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 Forestville 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.

EMS Scope and Maturity
Both Davis Bynum and Benziger 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 of their wineries, excluding vineyards, 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.

Each of their vineyards has been insecticide and herbicide-free for several years and has 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 in 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.

As a Cal/EPA Pilot Project, Davis Bynum and Benziger Family Winery will now organize their environmental business practices into an ISO 14001-based EMS. Their EMSs will include and integrate winery and vineyard operations.

Unique EMS Characteristics
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. For example, both families recycle much of the farm and wine residues back to the vineyards.

Through the pilot project, Davis Bynum and Benziger Family Winery 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.

Stakeholder Involvement
Both Davis Bynum and Benziger Family Wineries will participate on the Cal/EPA Northern California EMS Working Group. They also are willing to involve local stakeholders in their EMS development.

The Cal/EPA Northern California EMS Working Group provides a forum for public outreach and EMS awareness for government (state, federal and local), non-governmental organizations, industry, and academics. The working group is developing a common understanding and knowledge of EMSs. The working group will be advising pilot organizations on the development and continual improvement of their EMSs, evaluating the performance of EMSs, and exploring related public policy issues.

Research Value for California Study
Benziger and Bynum have committed to provide information consistent with the national research protocols as adopted by the Multi-State Working Group. Data categories include environmental performance, regulatory compliance, use of pollution prevention techniques, continual improvement, employee awareness, involvement of interested parties, EMS design and implementation, and costs and benefits. In addition, Cal/EPA will be collecting information about the quality and quantity of public information provided by organizations before and after implementing an EMS. Collection and analysis of this data is an integral part of the Cal/EPA EMS Project.

Contact Information
Please contact Cal/EPA EMS Pilot Project Manager Tom Lanphar at (510) 540-3925 or by E-mail at tlanphar@dtsc.ca.gov for more information about the pilot project.

Evaluation of Proposed Pilot Project
Cal/EPA staff evaluated the pilot project based on the draft selection criteria. In staff’s judgement, this pilot satisfies all the criteria, as tabulated below.

Selection Criteria	Benziger Family Winery
(1) Pilot projects will have an ongoing or planned EMS that can reasonably be expected to produce greater environmental protection than would otherwise be achieved by the existing regulatory process.	Yes Implementing ISO 14001-based EMS
(2) Pilot projects will engage in a multi-media environmental approach (e.g., air, water, solid and hazardous waste).	Yes
(3) Pilot projects will pursue appropriate pollution and waste prevention opportunities.	Yes
(4) Pilot projects will share information learned from EMS implementation with Cal/EPA, regional and/or local working groups, and the public. Pilot projects agree to provide specific data on the goals, implementation, and performance of their EMS as reported in the national and California supplemental data protocols.	Yes
(5) Pilot projects will participate on the Northern or Southern California EMS Working Group.	Yes Northern California EMS Working Group
(6) Pilot projects will declare to Cal/EPA any current and past (three years) violations cited by environmental regulatory agencies.	Yes
(7) Pilot projects will address known regulatory deficiencies, as required by the appropriate regulatory agency, through their EMS.	Yes
(8) Pilot projects' top management will make a full commitment to participate in the project through a letter of intent.	Yes Owner authorization and commitment
(9) Pilot projects should represent diversity in terms of location/geography, size, industry type or sector, environmental impacts, and in the range of EMS maturity.	Medium-sized vineyard and winery in Northern California

 

Selection Criteria	Davis Bynum Winery
(1) Pilot projects will have an ongoing or planned EMS that can reasonably be expected to produce greater environmental protection than would otherwise be achieved by the existing regulatory process.	Yes Implementing ISO 14001-based EMS
(2) Pilot projects will engage in a multi-media environmental approach (e.g., air, water, solid and hazardous waste).	Yes
(3) Pilot projects will pursue appropriate pollution and waste prevention opportunities.	Yes
(4) Pilot projects will share information learned from EMS implementation with Cal/EPA, regional and/or local working groups, and the public. Pilot projects agree to provide specific data on the goals, implementation, and performance of their EMS as reported in the national and California supplemental data protocols.	Yes
(5) Pilot projects will participate on the Northern or Southern California EMS Working Group.	Yes Northern California EMS Working Group
(6) Pilot projects will declare to Cal/EPA any current and past (three years) violations cited by environmental regulatory agencies.	Yes
(7) Pilot projects will address known regulatory deficiencies, as required by the appropriate regulatory agency, through their EMS.	Yes
(8) Pilot projects' top management will make a full commitment to participate in the project through a letter of intent.	Yes Owner authorization and commitment
(9) Pilot projects should represent diversity in terms of location/geography, size, industry type or sector, environmental impacts, and in the range of EMS maturity.	Small vineyard and winery in Northern California

Selection Criteria and Descriptions of Pilot Projects