SUSTAINABILITY IN ACTION
OUR MISSION
At Echolands, we’re proud to stand by the best environmental practices at every level of our winemaking process and to work with vineyard partners that share our values. Our mission is in our name: We aim to echo what the land generously gives to us by promoting environmental stewardship and biodiversity in everything we do. In addition to adopting global best practices in our vineyards, we’ve designed a winemaking facility that serves as a model of sustainability in action to exceed our industry’s highest environmental standards. By promoting sustainable action that encompasses vineyard and land management; biodiversity; water, soil and energy renewal; and eco-conscious building and packaging design, we actively work to be at the forefront of sustainable winemaking not only in our home state of Washington, but across the world.
OUR COMMITMENT
We believe that practicing environmental best practices means upholding the strongest certification standards in our industry. In 2021, we were proud to be one of the first wineries to achieve certification for the Sustainable WA status, the first year it became available. Both our Taggart and Echolands Estate properties comply with Sustainable WA’s intensive standards encompassing water, soil and pest management, viticulture, and, perhaps even more importantly, human resources. We’re also actively following the program’s Salmon-Safe and Low Input Viticulture & Enology (LIVE) protocols to protect our local wildlife. Learn more here.
VINEYARD AND LAND MANAGEMENT
Sustainability starts in the vineyard, but it ultimately impacts every aspect of our business as winegrowers. The preservation and renewal of precious resources such as water and biomass are integral to our team’s approach to viticulture. Beyond the vineyard, we believe in a holistic commitment that integrates sustainability across all aspects of hospitality and customer experience, from eliminating all single-plastic use to implementing eco-conscious packaging.
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We use an earthworm farm to naturally clean and filter our wastewater, which is then used for vineyard irrigation – offsetting the need to deplete deep-basalt well water. In 2024 we project capture and re-use of roughly 300,000 gallons for irrigation.
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Stormwater infiltration swales — broad, shallow, linear vegetated channels which can store or convey surface water — are integrated throughout our winery site design, including the parking lot landscaping, to reduce stormwater runoff, remove pollutants, and protect against erosion.
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We minimize water usage at every phase of the winemaking process. Steam cleaning and the newest technology practices allow us to repurpose water resources with maximum recapture.
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Our team has partnered with Vero Water to completely replace all bottled water usage. Water from our vineyard’s domestic well is filtered, treated with ultraviolet light, then quadruple-filtered again to remove any flavors or compounds. By using reusable glass, we eliminate the need for single-use plastic and promote a clean drinking experience for all employees and guests.
Water is the lifeblood of our vines. We take extra care to track and repurpose our water usage, as well as naturally clean and filter our wastewater.
water
SOIL
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We aim to compost our spent grape skins, seeds, and stems, along with vineyard prunings and farm waste. Using worm castings from our BioFiltro wastewater collection, we compost and brew compost tea to nurture the vineyard, supporting beneficial soil microbes, fungi, and vegetative growth.
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We use cover-cropping to reintroduce essential carbon, nitrogen and natural material and to maintain healthy levels of micro-fauna, yeasts and bacteria in our soil.
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Echolands is the first winery in the Walla Walla Valley to use biochar in our mulch, which assists plants in using nitrogen more efficiently.
Healthy soil is vital for nourishing our terroir. We reintroduce essential nutrients to our soil through natural composting, cover-cropping, and biochar.
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Thick, insulated concrete panels in our Echolands Estate facility have high thermal mass and naturally hold a steady temperature. As a result, our main production spaces will require little supplemental HVAC to stay at cellar temperature.
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Our primary barrel cellar is built below-grade to harness the steady temperature of the surrounding earth, reducing the need to heat or chill the space with electricity.
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The photovoltaic solar panels installed on the roof of Echolands Estate are anticipated to produce upwards of 32 kilowatts annually, covering almost a third of the facility’s electrical load. The roof structure is engineered to allow for the addition of future panels to cover a larger portion of electrical demand. Additionally, triple glazing on our windows and other daylighting features greatly reduce solar heat gain in the public spaces while keeping our interior light and airy.
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A portion of the flat roof between the fermentation area and tasting room is planted as a living roof. This has many benefits, including insulating the building and reducing heat gain, reducing the flow of stormwater off the roof, and enhancing biodiversity.
At our Echolands Estate facility, we’ve incorporated several design features to promote energy consciousness and renewability.
SUN & ENERGY
Our relationship with Washington wildlife is mutually symbiotic: Flora and fauna breathe life into our vineyards, and in return, we make sure the biodiversity in our vineyards is nurtured and protected.
BIODIVERSITY
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As practitioners of no-pesticide, salmon-safe farming, our estate vineyards are currently on track to earn a Salmon-Safe certification once it becomes available as part of the Sustainable WA program.
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Echolands is proudly pesticide- and herbicide-free, and we work with local farmers to secure manure from local sheep, chickens and cows to naturally fertilize our lands.
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Our most important assets for insect control are birds and raptors. To that end, we employ a falconer to keep our vineyards clear of moles, voles, and other varmints.
PACKAGING
Our commitment to sustainability doesn’t end in the vineyards — we’ve taken several steps to ensure that the packaging for Echolands wine is eco-conscious and renewable.
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The closure on Echolands wines was chosen with sustainability in mind: We use a TCA-free cork with beeswax and vegetable oil as a binding agent, a proven closure used by leaders in sustainable winemaking across the world.
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In addition to lighter glass designs, we work with a local volunteer-run organization, Ground2Ground, to ensure that our recycled bottles get a second life.
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We’re proud to display our Sustainable WA certification on the back of all Echolands estate wine labels. Learn more at https://sustainablewa.com/.
CAUSES
Echolands Winery takes great pride in its support of the following organizations and encourages you to consider getting involved as well.
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American Water Works Association
“The American Water Works Association is an international, nonprofit, scientific and educational society dedicated to providing total water solutions assuring the effective management of water. Founded in 1881, the Association is the largest organization of water supply professionals in the world.”
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![Logo of Berney Bulldogs with a cartoon bulldog wearing sunglasses in the center and the team name in orange and black letters.]()
Berney Elementary School
“Berney Elementary in Walla Walla, Washington originally opened its doors in 1904 as a four room school house serving students up to the eighth grade.”
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BMAC Barrel Full of Money
“MISSION: BMAC collaborates with our partners to equitably deliver services and support to our neighbors experiencing poverty. Together, we strengthen and build stable and thriving communities.
VISION: BMAC envisions just and inclusive communities where all people thrive, free from the oppression of poverty.”
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Farestart
“FareStart has been helping people transform their lives through food for 30 years — one person, one job and one community at a time. People experiencing poverty struggle to escape the cycle they are in and often face other compounding barriers to getting and keeping a job. At FareStart, we help people overcome barriers by teaching work and life skills needed to succeed in employment and in life. By investing in people, providing meals and building community, we transform homelessness, hunger and poverty into human potential.”
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Junior Achievement of Washington
“At Junior Achievement we believe in ‘possible.’ Each day, we work to help young people discover what’s possible in their lives. We do this by helping them connect what they learn in school with life outside the classroom. We let them know it’s possible to invest in their future, to gain a better understanding of how the world works, and to pursue their dreams. We show them that it’s possible for tomorrow to be a better day.”
