what’s working: sustainability
The Fruits of Environmental Labor
The growing sustainability movement is exemplified in this Washington
winery: Creating a big wine that leaves a small environmental footprint.
employer: Claar Wine Group
location: Pasco
number of employees: 7
product: Russell Claar broke ground for a vineyard in 1979 on land overlooking the Columbia River. Today, familyowned and operated vineyard Claar Cellars — which he runs with his daughter Crista, her husband Bob, and the
couple’s sons, John and James — has since grown to 130 acres that produce 25,000 cases of premium varietal wine
annually from their ultra rich Ice Wine to the classic Washington-style Cabernet Sauvignon.
innovative environmental stewardship: Attention to sustainability has always been of highest priority
to the company. Claar uses variable-speed pumps to reduce energy use, and repurposes dried grape skins to pave
vineyard roads. They have kestrel boxes to house birds that naturally control rodents and they cultivate beneficial
insects to control pests so pesticide use has nearly been eliminated. The winery, barrel room and storage building are
heated and cooled through ground water geothermal heat exchange, saving electricity. Grey water from the winery is
used for irrigation. The winery also uses light glass for bottling, saving energy in shipments.
Claar’s processes have been certified sustainable by LIVE, an independent third-party inspector, allowing their wines
to be sold in sustainable grocery stores as well as high-end restaurants where sustainability is valued. The winery and
vineyards are also certified Salmon Safe and Claar Cellars was named one of the 2012 Washington Green 50 winners
and 1st in the Agricultural/Natural Resources Category from Seattle Business Magazine in addition to receiving AWB’s
2015 Green Manufacturing Award.
in their own words: “We’ve always
been environmentalists. This land is sacred
to us and we would never intentionally do
anything to harm it.”
— Robert Whitelatch, partner, Claar Wine
Group
claarcellars.com
22 association of washington business