Cork Reharvest

I know that not everyone who reads this blog is old enough to drink wine, but we all have parents, right? Cork Reharvest has teamed up with Whole Foods and various wineries to create a cork recycling system. Cork is made out of bark from Cork Oak trees, and since only the bark is used there is no logging in this business. The trees will live a full life to the ripe age of 200. The industry as a whole is a pretty environmentally-friendly one, but it seems to be a dying business due to the widespread use of plastic corks and screw on caps for wine bottles. The global use of natural corks in wine bottles has decreased from 90% in 1995 to 70% in 2010. In certain countries, the percentages are much lower, some as low as 15%. Since the cork industry is so environmentally friendly, that makes me kind of sad. Cork cannot be reused in wine because after the bottle is opened it is considered contaminated. However, it's environmental awesomeness  can be recycled into wine shipping boxes, flooring, sneakers, bicycle helmets, and probably cork boards. So, if you happen to find a wine with real cork, be sure to bring the cork to your local Whole Foods or winery, and feel good about your efforts.