Through 15-Year Partnership with 1% For the Planet
NAPA VALLEY, Calif. – February 3, 2022 – With the closing of the 2021 fiscal year, Napa Valley’s Spottswoode Estate is excited to announce that it has surpassed $1,244,000 in charitable donations to an array of impactful environmental groups through its partnership with 1% for the Planet. Spottswoode became a member of 1% for the Planet in 2007, and every year since it has donated a minimum of 1% of its gross revenues to environmental causes through this pioneering third-party organization. To date, Spottswoode has donated more than $350K to the Land Trust of Napa County, $84K to both the Center for Biological Diversity and the Napa Valley Vine Trail, and more than $50K to the Natural Resources Defense Council. Additionally, Spottswoode has made overall contributions exceeding 20K each to such important organizations as 350.org, American Rivers, Bay Area Ridge Trail Council, Greenpeace, National Forest Foundation, Save the Bay, and the Sierra Club.
For second-generation sisters, Beth Novak Milliken, president and CEO, and Lindy Novak, marketing ambassador, Spottswoode’s 15-year partnership with 1% for the Planet is a key element of the winery’s commitment to fighting climate change and advocating for the environment, as expressed by Spottswoode’s Core Purpose Statement:
Grounded in Stewardship, we actively effect and inspire meaningful change through nurturing our vineyards, communities, and planet.
“Being good stewards of our land, people and planet has been part of who we are since we started farming organically in 1985,” says Beth Novak Milliken. “Supporting worthy groups that are addressing climate change and are making our lands accessible to more people helps to drive the conversation forward and makes more people aware of the importance of open space and the beauty and fragility of Mother Nature.” Lindy Novak adds, “The results of our relationship with 1% for the Planet are also a reminder that when you commit to change year after year, you can make a real impact over time.”
Widely recognized as one of the world’s most environmentally conscious wineries, Spottswoode’s historic 42-acre estate vineyard holds organic, biodynamic, and Napa Green Land certifications, and in 2019 it became the first Napa Valley winery to become a Certified B Corporation. Spottswoode is also a member of International Wineries for Climate Action, a signatory of the Porto Protocol, a CarbonFund.org Partner, and is actively in the process of earning LEED Platinum certification for the production and administrative buildings, mostly historic, on its winery property. In addition to these certifications and partnerships, Milliken helped to establish and is the founding chair of the Napa Valley Vintners Environmental Stewardship Committee, which is actively advocating for environmental issues in the Napa Valley wine community.
Recognized as one of Napa Valley’s most revered small, family-run wineries, Spottswoode has earned acclaim for producing some of the world’s finest wines, most notably its Spottswoode Estate Cabernet Sauvignon. “From our early adoption of organic farming onwards, I hope that we have shown the California wine industry that being green is entirely compatible, and over the long-run, essential, to making world-class wines,” adds Milliken.
About Spottswoode Estate
After a decade of growing wine grapes at their historic Napa Valley vineyard, the Novak family made its first vintage of Spottswoode Estate Cabernet Sauvignon in 1982. In the years since, Spottswoode has become one of Napa Valley’s defining wineries. Stewarded by Beth Novak Milliken, Spottswoode has stayed true to an elegant, balanced and age-worthy style that captures the character of each vintage and the complexity of the Spottswoode Estate Vineyard. Originally planted in 1882, the Spottswoode Estate Vineyard has been farmed organically since 1985, and has earned acclaim as one of the finest sites for Cabernet Sauvignon in the world. To learn more, visit www.spottswoode.com.
About 1% for the Planet:
1% for the Planet is a registered 501c3 non-profit established in 2002 by Yvon Chouinard, the founder of Patagonia, and Craig Mathews, the founder of Blue Ribbon Flies. Created to inspire businesses and individuals to support environmental solutions through annual memberships and everyday actions, 1% for the Planet bring dollars and doers together to accelerate smart environmental giving while providing credible third-party certification. To date, 1% for the Planet’s 3,400+ member businesses, and an expanding community of individual members, have given more than $265 million back to environmental non-profits since 2002. To learn more, visit www.onepercentfortheplanet.org
