Willamette Valley Vineyards wants you to save the cork from every bottle of wine you drink.

Why? Because Willamette Valley Vineyards is a pioneer in cork recycling. As the first winery in the world to be certified by the Rainforest Alliance for using 100 percent Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified cork, WVV is also the first winery to launch a cork recycling program of this kind--one with zero increase to its carbon footprint.

Your cork can take you to Portugal.

The person or group bringing the most cork to the Energy Trust Better Living Show will win a trip for two people to see the amazing cork forests that extend across Portugal (and into Spain, Algeria, Morocco, Italy, Tunisia and France--but you'll have to see those on your own dime!). The cork oak forests support one of the world's highest levels of forest biodiversity, second only to the Amazon Rainforest.

Contest Rules

-Participants must be 21 years old or older.

-All corks must be dropped off at the Energy Trust Better Living Show March 26-28, 2010 to be counted for this contest. All entries must be received by 4pm on Sunday, March 28, 2010.

-One trip for two (2) people will be awarded. Check back for details on airfare, hotel accommodations, etc.

-Groups may pool their cork resources (restaurants, hotels, friends, wine clubs, etc.), however it is the responsibility of the winning party to decide which participant in the pool is awarded the trip.

-The decision made by representatives of Willamette Valley Vineyards is final.

What is so special about cork?

- Cork is a natural, renewable, recyclable and biodegradable material that is obtained through an environmentally friendly harvesting process.

- Trees are not cut down to harvest cork, rather, the bark is stripped by hand every 9-12 years. Cork oak trees can live up to 300 years!

- Approximately 6.6 million acres extending across Portugal, Spain, Algeria, Morocco, Italy, Tunisia and France, the cork oak forests support one of the world's highest levels of forest biodiversity, second only to the Amazon Rainforest.

- Opting for screw caps and plastic stoppers directly causes the loss of sustainable livelihoods as the cork forests are a vital source of income for thousands of families.

The cork forests of the Mediterranean are second to the Amazon Forest in importance to the world's biosphere. These forests are in danger. The increased use of plastic stoppers and aluminum screw caps are reducing the use of natural cork- increasing the danger of global warming. Cork trees naturally remove carbon from the air and sequester it in their bark - and pump oxygen back into the atmosphere. If we choose wine sealed with natural cork, we help the environment. Conversely, aluminum ore mining and processing, using high levels of electricity, is resulting in substantial negative ecological effects. The same is true of petroleum-based plastic stopper manufacturing.

Corks collected by Cork ReHarvest will continue to be used in the wine industry as they are utilized to produce molded fiber wine shippers. With our partners and your help, we can have a significant impact in saving the cork forests and reuse this remarkable natural resource.

read Jim's full blog post