16 FLOURISH • FALL/WINTER 2014
includes phone cases, dog collars and a variety of accessories
made in Portugal, as well as bags crafted by hand from her
own designs in the United States.
The cork oak (quercus suber) is native to European and
North African countries with arid areas—Portugal, France,
Spain, Italy, Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria —and it's unique,
because after skilled craftspeople strip off the bark, it grows
back, so they can harvest another crop nine years later. The
lifespan of a cork tree is 200 years, so it allows multiple
harvests, which is contrary to what most people think about
trees. "All humans know is that if you want wood, you cut a
tree down, you take it out of the forest," says Patrick Spencer,
executive director of the nonprofit Cork Forest Conservation
Alliance in Salem, Oregon. "This forestry is different from any
forestry in the world," he adds. "Cork harvesting is like shear-
ing sheep. Nobody kills a sheep to get the wool."
Spencer says the common belief that overuse is putting the
cork forests at risk is a misconception. Cork is plentiful, and
the current forests can supply corks for every bottle of wine
produced for the next 100 years. "Using cork is really good for
the forest," he says, because harvesting keeps the trees healthy.
He encourages people to use cork products, because if the de-
mand disappears, the farmers will plant something else, most
likely plants that are less beneficial for the environment.
"The cork forests can be saved. The American people have
the power to change the tide," says Spencer. He debunks the
belief that metal and plastic closures are better choices for
wine bottles, explaining that plastic is not biodegradable, and
metal caps are too small to recycle, so they end up in landfills.
"Screw caps and plastic are not sustainable alternatives to
cork," he says. "Sustainability doesn't end in the vineyards," he
adds, and suggests telling restaurateurs and sommeliers, "Sell
me only wines with natural cork."
Spencer reports that in one year, 1.3 billion corks are pro-
duced for wine bottles around the world, and they're recy-
clable. Recycling started in the United States six years ago,
Anything leather can do, cork can do better. Corx in
Sonoma sells everything from jewelry and handbags
to personal and home accessories made from
cork. Photos below courtesy of Corx.
