"Green is the prime color of the world, and that from which its loveliness arises."
Pedro Calderon de la Barca, one of the most distinguished playwriters of the Spanish Golden Age, once said this inspiring quote.
As the distance often leads to an enhanced perspective. In the year 2022, when we re-read this 16th century's aspiration, we might find more scientific truth in it. Pedro Calderon's plays were usually produced for the Spanish royal community. Have you ever wondered where it would be his "green" and "loveliness" if we set up his scenography in the 21st century United States?
Here is a probability:
Ciudad Real (38.5° N, 3.55° W) vs. Napa Valley (38.5° N, 122.2° W)
When talking about love and romance, it is inevitably associated with wine, champagne, and cheese. Many people may have heard of the wineries in Napa Valley, California. Ciudad Real is also a province in Spain best known for its wine production. (source: Encomienda de Cervera)
Yet, you might also have heard that the heatwaves were recorded high over the northwest of America in June 2021, and many states had impacted, such as CA, AZ, NM, UT, CO, WY, MT. (source: Climate.gov) Fires, drought, or extreme heatwaves are forcing winemakers in the Napa and neighbor region to rethink their practice--switching to carbon farming.
What is "Carbon Farming"
As its self-explanatory name, carbon farming is a way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions during the harvesting cycle. In the case of vineyards in California, this could mean the farmers ditch their traditional method and use a new management practice in their farms. That includes: cover crops between vine rows, no-till planting, no gas vehicles, using sheep to trim the cover crops during the spring, etc.
Learn more about “Carbon Farming” at Carbon Cycle Institute.
By the way…
“Effects of Climate Change Taking Root in the Wine Industry.” 60 minutes
“The 2021 Western North American Heatwave and Its Subseasonal Predictions.” Geophysical Research Letters, Volume 49, issue 6
Ciudad Real (as a city) means Royal City in Spanish. In its cultural heydays, Ciudad Real was the capital of the Province of La Mancha, where the great writer Cervantes enlightened many Spanish writers, including Pedro Calderon de la Barca.