| Food production and consumption is one of the most resource and energy demanding activities of households in the developed world. Throughout the life cycle of foods, the provision and use of materials and energy result in contributions to a wide range of environmental impacts. Here, life cycle assessment was employed to quantify impacts of, and potential improvement options for viticulture and viniculture, bottle provision, transport, consumer activities and recycling of one bottle of Nova Scotia wine. Results indicate that viticulture, bottle provision, and consumer transport contribute the greatest portion of wine's total impacts. Nutrient management offers the greatest potential source of improvement in the vineyard, and consumer transport distance should be minimized. Modeled scenarios indicate that provision of lighter bottles could reduce contributions to all impacts, whereas organic viticulture offers improvements only to certain impacts. Consuming locally-produced wine may be an effective option for reducing the environmental impacts of wine. |
