Understanding Green

Subject of sustainability a real challenge

Editor's Note

Hilary Berg has been the editor of OWP since 2006. She graduated from the University of Kansas with a bachelor’s in journalism. She and her husband own a seven-acre vineyard and winery called Roots.

Here at Oregon Wine Press, the month of August signals green.

I am not talking about money or envy — although I do get slightly jealous when I see a glossy magazine and its slick, albeit expensive, paper. No, I am talking about vineyard sustainability, about which, after writing the cover story, I have a better understanding.

With the completion of several interviews, I wasn’t sure I was going to make sense of the subject because I am “green” to the chemistry, biology and high-tech lingo that many of my interviewees used. I powered through, though, asking LOTS of questions, which is what every good reporter is supposed to do.

Even if you understand all the jargon, sustainability still can be hard to fully grasp because of its many layers, variables and viewpoints, too.

I believe I accomplished what I set out to do: write an approachable article about some of the latest in green technology and local philosophies.

But even after speaking with winegrowers, scientists, researchers, manufacturers and others, I quickly realized I was only scratching the subject’s surface.

Alas, OWP does not pretend to be a compendium on any specific topic, including sustainability. What OWP does offer is a monthly peek into the ever-expanding world of Oregon wine.

Over the years, I have come to embrace our not-so-shiny paper stock. In fact, it is key to OWP’s own sustainability, a topic I definitely won’t bore you with.