Ten years ago, a fire destroyed part of the Silver Oak Winery in Napa Valley. The loss to the family-owned business was devastating. But David Duncan, president and CEO of Silver Oak, says they found a silver lining:

Duncan: “It gave us a fresh start to think about all of our wine-making process, employee engagement, safety, all of those things.”

As they rebuilt, the Duncans made sustainability a core goal. Today, their winery uses solar panels and the buildings make better use of natural light. Employees at the winery are also encouraged to carpool, and Silver Oak has installed charging stations to support electric cars.

These and other efficiency improvements have earned the winery LEED platinum certification – the highest level of recognition from the U.S. Green Building Council. Silver Oak is the first production winery to be rated platinum.

Now the winery is building another facility. There, it plans to crush grapes and carbon emissions by working with researchers to invent a process that captures the carbon dioxide released during grape fermentation.

In the process, the Duncans are raising the bar for California’s $32 billion a year wine industry … and that’s something worth toasting.

Reporting credit: Justyna Bicz/ChavoBart Digital Media.