Being one of the great winemaking and grapegrowing regions of the world, Napa County is known far and wide for its whites and reds. But increasingly, Napa Valley is known for being green.

• The Napa County Sheriff’s Department headquarters on Airport Road is one of the most environmentally-friendly government buildings in the state, using materials, heating and cooling systems that reduce energy consumption and unnecessary reliance on natural resources.

• Dozens of wineries use the magic of the Napa Valley sun to power their winemaking operations, through passive solar energy panels.

• Napa Valley College’s main campus is home to a massive solar field, using  technology that allows the panels to turn slowly with the arc of the sun to capture as much solar “fuel” as possible.

• Vineyard owners and volunteer organizations work together to minimize harm from farming to the Napa River and its tributaries. One such project seeks to maintain and restore the banks of the Napa River in Rutherford, encouraging river health and the run of salmon in local waterways.

• In 1998, a coalition of county political leaders, business operators, environmental advocates and others got together to rally support for an environmentally-advanced Napa River flood project. As a result, a project that might have placed the Napa River in concrete channel as it flowed past the city of Napa now includes creation and restoration of wetlands areas, terraced banks that support wildlife and recreational access to the river.

• Napa County and most of its cities are studying and implementing regulations that encourage the use of green construction techniques and materials in new developments.

• Napa County enforces strict regulations on soil erosion and development of open land, limiting destruction caused by soil runoff and development of unstable, steep or otherwise unsuitable lands. Under local laws, landowners who alter creeks and water courses or build in sensitive riparian areas have been fined and forced to mitigate the damage they have done.

• In 1968 Napa County created the Agricultural Preserve, protecting tens of thousands of acres of land from development pressure and ensuring that the county’s agricultural heritage and open spaces would be preserved.

• Long-term plans are in place to convert salt ponds in the southern part of the county back into their natural wetland state, reviving the Napa River estuary and restoring a type of habitat that is rapidly being lost all around the world.

• The proposed General Plan, a blueprint for county governance in the next 25 years, calls on Napa County officials to track the county’s carbon footprint with an eye towards reducing emissions and conserving energy.

• The city of Napa recently launched a $40 million upgrade of its water treatment plant in Jamieson Canyon, making the city’s water supply safer and cleaner while improving the energy efficiency of the facility.

These and other efforts have made Napa County a leader in sustaining a healthy environment and reducing the harmful effects of human development. With a continued effort, Napa County someday will be famous for being red, white — and green.