What's beer for the Earth: Bottled or boxed wine?
In honor of Earth Day (and drinking), I thought I might pose a few environmental questions. Yesterday, the consensus seemed to be that Baltimore really didn't have many -- if any -- green bars.
I'm not surprised.
But under the green bar post, Ted said that glass is biodegradable. Heh. That's technically true. I hear it takes more than a few (hundred) years for glass to dissolve, though.
Same thing goes for plastic.
With that in mind, here is my Earth Day question: What is better for the environment -- bottled or boxed wine? ...
Think about it. Both forms kill trees. Boxed wine, is, well, boxed. And the corks in bottled wines come from, well, the cork oak tree. Here is a potential game-changer: Not only is boxed wine boxed, but it's wrapped in that plastic skin.
It's been a while since I've had boxed wine, but I think bottles and boxes have the same amount of vino in them. Right?
So which one leaves a bigger carbon footprint? Which one kills more trees?
Since wine can come from so many places, and the distance traveled can make a difference in the carbon footprint, let's assume we're comparing boxed and bottled wine from France. Wait, no, I hate France. Let's make it Italy.
Thoughts?
(AP photo)
Erik Maza is a features reporter at the Baltimore Sun. He writes for several sections of the Sun paper and contributes weekly columns on music and nightlife. He also writes and edits the Midnight Sun blog. He often covers entertainment, business, and the business of entertainment. Occasionally, he writes about Four Loko, The Block, the liquor board, and those who practice "
Comments
Probably boxed wine,
demostrated what was required in the making of plastic is much more polluting and requires more resources given the information learned at Green Day Convention recently. The consensus of exhibitors and speakers there favored glass.
Also some plastics impart substances* to the product they contain which you really don't want in your body, which makes one wonder what the toxic effects of the end product after biodegrading on the environment.
* exceedingly small amount that accumulate in your body over time.
Posted by: GDA | April 22, 2009 9:00 AM
I think you are failing to think about the poor, helpless grapes. They got killed, too. You have no soul, Sessa.
Posted by: JTK | April 22, 2009 9:03 AM
mmm, beer for earth
Posted by: dave | April 22, 2009 9:26 AM
The glass wine bottle is hopelessly inefficient. It is a weird size so that many bottles have to be opened for one dinner with friends. It is heavy, so shipping is expensive. The odd shape doesn't pack well so fewer bottles take up more room in a container.
Posted by: Gary | April 22, 2009 9:36 AM
Sam--there is actually some decent boxed wine that is available now, and some of it comes in a recycled cardboard box (which is the recycleable again), with a plastic pouch inside that keeps the wine good for up to 6 weeks after opening. The box is lighter than a bottle, and most boxes hold the equivalent of 3 liters (or 4 bottles of wine), making boxed wine more eco friendly to ship, even if it is coming from some far away place like France. So boxed wine wins hands down.
On the green bar front--I think no bar in Baltimore is even close to being green since most of them throw away their bottles--it's just too much hassle for them to recycle since the city doesn't pick up recycling weekly. And a plastic or glass bottle in a plastic trash bag in a modern sealed lanfill is NEVER going to break down.
Posted by: BAC | April 22, 2009 9:39 AM
Lots of wineries (especially in Australia, NZ and South Africa) are going to screw tops on their bottles because a) it saves cork, and b) it actually preserves/regulates the wine better.
I'm still laughing at Ted's "glass is biodegradable / recycling isn't all that" comment!
Posted by: Dave the wave | April 22, 2009 10:40 AM
You could make the argument for both. Shipping and inventory gets caught up with bottles. Much of the corks are now being switched with screwtop or plastic. Overall, I'd say boxed, much of the stuff can be recycled, it takes smaller amounts of space, fits more in, and is cheaper.
I think BAC has a good rationale for supporting the city's idea of creating a weekly recycling program. I think a larger portion of bars and restaurants would recycle if it was weekly. The 2nd and 4th thing (as long as there is no holiday) just doesn't cut it. A side benefit would be that I wouldn't be awoken by the crashing of bottles into the WM truck at the bar across the street in the early morning any longer...
Posted by: Cheese | April 22, 2009 11:06 AM
probably anything with rubbing alcohol in it. that's like organic alcohol, right?
Posted by: Allan | April 22, 2009 11:06 AM
dave "mmm, beer for earth"
sounds like a good trade to me....
Posted by: ss2 | April 22, 2009 11:59 AM
The really "green idea" would be limit your imbibing to locally produced products of my any sort, so the effects of shipping left near zero carbon footprint.
Does the convienence plastics out weight the greater pollution and waste in their creation really supersede using glass.
and to repeat
Also some plastics impart substances* to the product they contain which you really don't want in your body, which makes one wonder what the toxic effects of the end product after biodegrading on the environment.
* exceedingly small amount that accumulate in your body over time.
Posted by: GDA | April 22, 2009 12:12 PM
Actually the cork trees are not killed or harmed to make the wine stoppers. They are harvested every 9 years, live for 200 years and help aid in biodiversity. Cork forests are responsible for retaining CO2 from the atmosphere.
Have you seen the "Save Miguel" campaign? Check out the video at www.savemiguel.com and help the cause. Feel free to visit our blog at www.wicanderscorkoakblog.com to get some insight on this subject.
Cheers,
Team Wicanders
Posted by: Team Wicanders | April 23, 2009 4:53 PM