The 100% Cork Campaign has used Earth Day to remind us that natural corks in wine bottles are better for the environment.

Hundreds of visitors stopped at the campaign's Earth Day booth in Times Square, New York, and signed the Pledge to Support Cork.

The campaign is funded by the Portuguese Cork Association and the Cork Quality Council, and will send the pledge to all the major wine retailers and wineries urging them to increase their use of cork stoppers.

But why cork? Well, it’s recyclable, biodegradable and can come from sustainable cork oak forests. It’s also perfect for the preservation and presentation of wine, allowing wine to age properly and then providing a satisfying ‘pop’ when pulled from the bottle.

The alternatives - metal screw caps and plastic stoppers - are far less energy saving, producing 10 to 24 times more greenhouse gases and consuming as much as five times more non-renewable energy than real cork over their life-cycles, according to the campaign.

Visitors to the booth were given promotional materials highlighting cork’s sustainable attributes, including a sample of cork bark!

Many visitors were surprised to learn that cork trees are not cut down in the harvesting process.

Did you know that the bark from the cork oak can be removed from the same tree every ten years and that in the process it actually makes the tree stronger? I didn’t - but now I do I’ll drink to that.

[Image: Krikit♥]