May 19 2008
TerraCycle, a New Jersey-based company known for its unique eco-friendly home products, is now offering refurbished Kendall-Jackson wine oak barrels, transforming them into The Rotary Composter(TM) and Rain Barrel(TM) water storage containers. The wine barrels turned garden tools are made from French or American oak and are completely clean, safe and perfect for outdoor household use.
Water conservation is a major concern across the country, and now homeowners can capture roof runoff by redirecting rainwater from any downspout into a clean used wine barrel, ready for garden use at a later time. The oak Rain Barrel is a more natural alternative to the typical plastic rainwater storage systems currently on the market.
The Rotary Composter is a simple method of turning grass clippings, leaves and other yard waste into garden fertilizer. The Rotary Composter is situated on a roller system, making it easy to load and rotate, thereby speeding up the natural process.
For winemakers, finding a home for used wine barrels has been pretty much limited to garden planters or firewood. Though most oak destined for a barrel is grown on sustainable farms in the Midwest, or in the national forests of France, oak prices for the purpose of building wine barrels have soared. In today's economy, most winemakers agree that nothing should go to waste, and virtually everything in the wine process can now be recycled, including oak wine barrels.
"This is the sensible and natural approach to business sustainability," says Barbara Banke, co-proprietor of Kendall-Jackson and wife of founder Jess Jackson. "At Kendall-Jackson, we are building upon an existing comprehensive, company-wide program that helps us to tread more lightly in the vineyards and in our winemaking practices. Recycling used oak barrels fits our goals perfectly."
Kendall-Jackson has been producing America's favorite Chardonnay for nearly three decades. Founded in 1982 by wine maverick Jess Jackson, the winery continues to focus on efforts to reduce its carbon footprint by utilizing the latest in sustainable viticultural and energy reduction practices.