Cyclists at La Verrière
At La Verrière we are always interested to see what other environmentally friendly initiatives are taking place in our local area. France is focused on pushing for green energy production, reducing energy usage and lowering its environmental impact all round - and we are delighted that our region is particularly good at implementing sustainable practices.
Transport
Cycling is a huge ‘green industry’ in Provence, and especially in our immediate area - despite the hilly/mountainous terrain! Many tourists who come to our estate, tucked away in a mountain saddle above the little village of Crestet, choose to explore the beautiful scenery and sites by bicycle. Many of the local towns encourage their residents and visitors to cycle: An alternative to leg power in a city a couple of hours from La Verrière, Aix-en-Provence, are the Diablines. These all-electric vehicles spend the day travelling around the narrow semi-pedestrian streets (which are not accessible to cars) in Aix city centre. Each Diabline can carry up to 7 people, making them extremely environmentally-friendly.
Power
Power in Provence is produced totally from renewable sources. The most extensively used type of power generation is hydropower. These water turbines work very much like wind turbines except they are turned by waves or water current rather than wind. A well-known recent development, not too far from La Verriere, are the water turbines installed in the Rhone river, just north of Lyon. The hydrokinetic turbines were installed on floating barges which were anchored to the riverbed so they don’t need any large infrastructure to run and they allow fish and other water-life to pass by them with no problems. Biomass is another popular method of energy generation in this part of the world - including leftovers from wine making.
Art
There is something wonderful about seeing industrial sites that have been aesthetically transformed. Old quarries can sometimes become a blot on the landscape, but near Avignon there is one that has been created into an art project called Carrières de Lumières. Each year they project art onto the cold stone walls and play music to create a magical and immersive experience.
Wine
We are passionate about the sustainable methods of viticulture and winemaking that we employ at La Verriere, both in our vineyards and our winery. But we are not the only winemakers in the area who do this. Many of our neighbours are avoiding the use of harmful chemicals, protecting the stunning biodiversity of the UNESCO-sanctioned biosphere that we are privileged to be located in. A popular practice has become planting cereals to increase the vegetable matter on the surface of the soil, avoiding the need to irrigate or use artificial methods to enrich the soil.
These examples of eco-friendly initiatives are just a small selection of the sustainable projects in and around Provence. At La Verriere we take a holistic approach: combining science, empiricism and ethos. What started with the introduction of natural practices – first organic, then biodynamic – has now gone much further: planting a bamboo forest to filter the wastewater, creating the SustainaBEElity initiative, experimenting with bees' propolis as a natural disinfectant…. We like to call it our outdoor Eco-Lab!
To learn more about our sustainability policies or anything else about La Verrière, call +33 4 90 10 06 32 in France or +44 (0) 7775 682090 in the UK or email reservations@laverriere.com.
