Winery Powered By Its Own Vine Prunings

Doesn't it seem natural for a business that grows crops and produces alcohol -- like a winery -- to use some of that product to produce the energy it needs to operate? One New Zealand winery thinks so...and they're doing just that. Green Diary says,

Yealands Estate Winery, set between the Marlborough's Seaward Kaikoura Ranges and tides of Cook Strait, is the first fully sustainable winery in New Zealand. Just recently, it announced its plan to burn 10 percent of its vine pruning or bales - for generating energy for the winery. The move will allow the winery to shed its dependence on LPG, which amounts to 22,000 tons a year. The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority have granted $200,000 to the winery, 40 percent of the total cost of implementing the system.

In addition to burning their own prunings to produce energy, Yealands Estate also uses sheep to graze between rows of vines to reduce the need for spraying and tractor-mowing, harvest rainwater, utilize motion-controlled lighting, and much more.