consulting

We are a powerhouse climate & community resilience consultancy. Together, we have 120 years of collective experience in regenerative agriculture, maximizing resource efficiency, building team engagement, communications and storytelling. With an emphasis on generating cost savings and near-term ROIs.

Our 501c3 nonprofit offers high-value, below-cost consulting to support you in cultivating the most regenerative, resilient farming systems producing the highest quality grapes, and the most efficient, leading winery operations with the lowest possible carbon footprint.

For regenerative vineyard or winery consultation please reach out to wegotthis@napagreen.org to learn how we can help you meet your climate-smart goals. 

Regenerative Carbon Farm Plan

Whole-farm Carbon Farm Plans (CFPs). These plans review all of your current beneficial practices that are increasing soil and ecosystem health and storing carbon, and identify additional opportunities to regenerate the soil and vineyard ecosystem and simultaneously maximize carbon capture in a given property.

Irrigation DU assessment

Distribution Uniformity (DU) refers to how evenly the irrigation system is delivering water throughout the vineyard block. Irrigation assessments are customized for each grower and provide rapid evaluation of irrigation efficiency and uniformity throughout the vineyard.

Integrated Resource assessment

A whole system water, energy, waste and emissions review by our experienced team of winemakers and engineers, designed to reduce resource use and costs. Each winery receives a report with their action items for continuing improvement to further their winemaking leadership.

Book a speaker

Our speakers are a top choice for events on impact, regenerative agriculture, climate-smart winemaking and climate action. We offer diverse keynote speakers and panelists for conferences, workshops and corporate events, to inspire your audience to take action.

NAPA GREEN TEAM

Anna Brittain | Executive Director

Anna has worked locally, nationally and internationally on environmental management and policy with organizations ranging from the environmental economics think tank Resources for the Future in Washington, DC to the International Union for Conservation of Nature in Hanoi, Vietnam. She has spent over 12 years facilitating and growing sustainability in the wine industry, with an expertise in communications and certification standards. Anna has served as a lead sustainability consultant with Ontario Craft Wineries, Sustainable Winegrowing British Columbia, Crimson Wine Group, the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance, and individual wineries including Benziger Family Winery.

Anna has helped lead the growth of the Napa Green program since 2015, and stepped into the position of Executive Director of the now independent non-profit in fall 2019. In 2022 and 2023, she led the launch of the action-oriented RISE Climate & Wine Symposium (formerly THRIVES), with 65+ expert speakers, 40+ sustainability sponsors, and 750+ guests. In 2023, Anna was named by the Wine Enthusiast as a Future 40 Tastemaker, and Wine Business Monthly as a Wine Industry Leader. In 2024, she was included in The Imbibe 75: “People and places that will shape the way we drink in 2024 and beyond.”

Anna has a Master’s of Environmental Science & Management from the Bren School at UC Santa Barbara and a BA in Political Science and Environmental Studies from Williams College.

Megan Scott | Operations Manager

Megan started her sustainability journey working at The Last Resort, an environmental model of sustainable living, whose mission is to discover and perfect sustainable environmental solutions for waste management, water reuse, and food security. From there, she studied Engineering and worked in the Hospitality Industry for over 20 years, streamlining operations and working to reduce waste and improve profitability. Megan has demonstrated her ongoing commitment to environmental stewardship by professionally facilitating sustainability conversations through blogs, public speaking presentations, trainings and webinars featuring green business practices. She holds an MBA, Sustainable Business Enterprises from Dominican University, and a BS in Marketing as well as a BS in Management from Sonoma State University and a Vocational Degree in Electrical & Electronics Engineering. Megan is dedicated to guiding businesses toward a more sustainable future, one climate smart wine at a time.

Ben Mackie | Vineyard Program Manager

For the past 15 years, Ben has been designing and implementing regenerative farming systems in a variety of ecosystems. A New Englander by birth, Ben fell in love with agriculture in the verdant fields of northern California in high school. Ever since, Ben has been managing farms, improving soils, and educating the next crop of environmental stewards with a holistic view of farming with natural systems. No stranger to Napa, he previously lived on Mt Veeder, where he fell in love with the oak and madrone woodlands and made friends with the local ravens. When Ben is not helping Napa’s vineyards adopt 21st century practices, he is spending time with his impressive wife and two wild children in the woods and on the water. Ben currently occupies Nisenan Territory and is a proud alumnus of Sterling College in Northeast Vermont, where he received a BA in Sustainable Agriculture.

Sierra Minchaca | Climate & Soil Specialist 

Sierra’s connection with the natural world has been cultivated across generations. Inspired by her grandfather’s love of his garden, now maintained with the help of her father, Sierra developed a profound appreciation for nature and sustainability. This passion led her to pursue a B.S. in Conservation & Resource Studies at UC Berkeley, where an inspiring Agroecology course shifted her focus towards agriculture.

As a Climate & Soil Specialist with Napa Green, Sierra collaborates closely with winegrape growers to design and implement Carbon Farm Plans, enhancing carbon sequestration and promoting sustainable practices. She conducts comprehensive soil and irrigation assessments and provides critical guidance through the Napa Green Vineyard Program certification process.

Sierra’s journey in viticulture has equipped her with in-depth knowledge and hands-on experience in vineyard management, pest detection, and sustainable farming practices. Additionally, she has made significant contributions to environmental sustainability, such as introducing city-wide composting initiatives and managing water conservation programs. She has also served on the California Department of Food & Agriculture Specialty Crop Block Grant’s Technical Review Committee.

Dedicated to advancing climate resiliency in the Napa Valley, Sierra’s work helps growers achieve their climate action goals. Outside of her professional endeavors, she enjoys training martial arts and spending time with her feline friends.

Marisa Taylor | Winery Program Manager

Growing up in wine country, it was only natural that Marisa became an early proponent of sustainability practices in Napa Valley. During her tenure as winemaker and general manager of Rutherford Hill Winery she supported sustainable farming and green practices from vineyard to cellar and across all winemaking operations. During that time she successfully obtained Napa Green Winery Certification which included the installation and conversion to solar powered energy throughout the facility. She was a featured winemaker in the 6 part PBS series Vintage 2012 and currently serves on the 2nd cohort of the Napa Valley Vintners Leadership Program. With a B.S. in Chemistry and a M.S. in Food Science from the University of California at Davis, she brings both a wealth of knowledge to her work as well as compassion, respect and stewardship for the land. Known for her compatible work style, authenticity and leadership abilities, Marisa looks forward to her continued collaboration with wineries across the valley which are united in pursuing and upholding the Napa Green mission.

Meghan Vergara | Social Media Manager

Meghan Vergara joins Napa Green with experience as a Vintner, Certified Sommelier, and oenophile having studied business at Ohio State University and Marketing at UC Davis. Meghan runs both Veritas Consultants, offering social media and marketing services to world class wine brands in Napa Valley and beyond, as well as her own label M Rosé. A main objective of to her recent return to her roots in Napa Valley was to become involved in sustainability efforts which she is thrilled to fulfill with Napa Green!

Danielle Cesario | Program Assistant

Danielle’s love for all things wine began during her undergrad program while working for Dr. Margie Ferree Jones at Cal Poly Pomona. Under Dr. Jones, Danielle assisted class during the wine courses which laid a foundational appreciation for viticulture and wine making. Her bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Management took her to Napa, Florida and eventually Bordeaux. There she studied Wine Business and began her focus and research on winery and vineyard sustainability certification and practices. Her love for regenerative practices, community and education is what continues to excite her and keep passion alive for the work that Napa Green and all its members do. 

When she’s not working with Napa Green, Danielle is tending to her small property in Norco where she farms and lives on half an acre with her husband, two cows, cats, working dogs and a small flock of chickens and ducks.

Bill Bennett | Winery Program Engineer

Bill Bennett is trained and licensed as a Civil Engineer, and draws on decades of experience with commercial and industrial resource use to help Napa County wineries understand, manage, and reduce energy and water use. Beginning in 2016, Bill led the design and facilitation of “Integrated Resource Audits” for wineries seeking Napa Green Winery certification or recertification. These one-stop, user friendly energy, water and waste evaluations baseline and track resource efficiency over time and provide targeted recommendations for both cost and resource savings. With more than 160 reviews to date, Bill has developed a broad portfolio of operational guidance and recommendations which have helped Napa Green wineries save more than $4 million in energy costs and over 27 million gallons of water (as of July 2021).

Prior to joining Napa Green, Bill was a key team member at Sustainable Napa County (SNC) where he designed and implemented a county-wide energy efficiency program for commercial customers of PG&E (Napa County Energy Watch). Prior to SNC, Bill was the Resident Engineer for the Anheuser-Busch InBev Fairfield brewery, where he led successful and innovative energy efficiency changes at this $500 million facility including 1 MW of ground mount tracking solar, 1.5 MW wind turbine, anaerobic digestion, upgrades and automation of compressed air, boilers, and ammonia refrigeration systems, making it a beacon for energy conservation in an industry, with production issues very similar to those of the winemaking community.

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