by Teresa Werth
Cathy Fowler Christ, owner of Fowler’s Wine and Spirits, collects and recycles natural corks as part of a world-wide green initiative.When Cathy Fowler Christ opened Fowler’s Wine and Spirits in Spencerport in 2010, she began with a strong sense of community. Spencerport had been her home forever, where she raised her family and still lives. She transformed the old Matheos Building at the corner of South Union Street and Old Brockport Spencerport Road into a well-stocked, accessible business on a high visibility corner, but she was looking for ways to make her business unique. Starting “a green initiative” was one of those ways. It was simple and has become popular.
Through a program called ReCORK, sponsored by Amorim of Portugal, the world’s largest producer of natural cork wine closures, SOLE, a leading manufacturer of footwear products, and Amorim’s U.S. sales affiliates – Amorim Cork America and Portocork America, she collects corks. The goal is to recycle corks and to educate and inform our audiences about the crucial role cork forests play in curbing climate change.
The program provided her with a collection box which she located next to the store’s check out counter where people can deposit (only) natural wine cork closures. When the box becomes full, she will mail them to the program where they will be recycled by companies like SOLE footwear that has developed a unique cork blend that enhances the material properties of their footwear products, and replaces some of the petroleum-based material with natural cork, a sustainable alternative.
But she hasn’t mailed any corks back after more than a year, even though the box often begins to fill up. “People bring in corks and other people come in looking for them for a variety of uses,” she says. “I figure the goal is to recycle them, so I let people take them to use in their projects, which is local recycling!”
According to ReCORK’s website, “Natural cork, the kind used in wine closures, is a perfect choice for recycling. It’s 100% natural, biodegradable and renewable. There is no reason natural wine corks should end up as garbage when recycled cork can become flooring tiles, building insulation, automotive gaskets, craft materials, soil conditioner and sports equipment. Because of a worldwide interest in sustainable agriculture and natural products like cork, an alliance of concerned businesses, individuals, and ecological organizations has been formed to address the opportunities to recycle natural cork closures.”
ReCORK has already collected millions of used corks. The program is focused on obtaining used and surplus corks from individual consumers, retail and hospitality organizations, winery tasting rooms, bottling lines and quality assurance laboratories.
While ReCORK has 81 collection sites in New York State, Christ is very pleased that her business is the only liquor store in the Rochester area taking part in this “green initiative.” “So many people are going green today and are so much more conscious of recycling, I figure it’s an easy way to join the movement and it’s something unique we’re doing.” Christ plans to continue the collection program as long as there is an interest. “Wine bottle closures are certainly more diverse than they used to be, but there are still plenty of corks being taken out of bottles and now we have a place for people to bring them!” Christ notes that only natural cork is being accepted. No plastic or metal closures will be accepted. Fowler Wine & Spirits is located at 377 South Union Street in Spencerport.
