Letters to the Editors

‘Pursuit of sensationalism’ fails to tap wine’s real purpose

Dear Editors,

Re: “Tapping into sustainability” (Journal, Jan. 15, 2008)

I’m disappointed that in the Journal’s haste to manufacture controversy it effectively marginalized and cast into suspicion a thoroughly positive and environmentally significant initiative by Lifford Wine Agency, Plantatree wine, whose availability on our campus should have been celebrated.

Although the wine may not remedy all Canadian environmental and energy woes, it never promised to.

What the wine does promise to do is offset an individual’s carbon output by planting a tree for each bottle sold. Plantatree figures an individual’s carbon output at five tonnes annually, and the average Queen’s student’s output would be considerably less. By drinking one VQA-recognized bottle of wine every 23 days, an individual can become carbon neutral.

The Plantatree wine product plants its trees through the reputable Tree Canada on donated land in Sudbury. Even more significant is that this initiative by Lifford is not-for-profit. Any profits made go directly back into more trees.

The Tea Room was hailed as a revolution in coffee shops, changing our mentality about how we can become more sustainable in our everyday lives. Plantatree wine does the same for wine. This is the beginning of a revolution in partying. It saddens me that in the Journal’s pursuit of sensationalism it failed its most basic purpose: to inform us of the facts. The Journal devalued the Plantatree wine initiative, which should have been commended.

Please drink sustainably.

Lisa Pozhke, ArtSci ’08

TAPS purchasing manager

All final editorial decisions are made by the Editor(s)-in-Chief and/or the Managing Editor. Authors should not be contacted, targeted, or harassed under any circumstances. If you have any grievances with this article, please direct your comments to journal_editors@ams.queensu.ca.

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