Thieves are targeting business vehicles in broad daylight!  Gangs of thieves are after precious metals in catalytic converters.

>> Stolen catalytic converters sell for ~$40-$200 each.
>> They can cost ~$1000 to replace.
>> CC thieves are known to strike in broad daylight, in busy areas.
>> SUVs and other vehicles with high clearance are especially vulnerable.

There are three types of metals that help the catalytic converter remove toxins from the vehicles’ emissions: platinum, palladium and rhodium. The prices of these already valuable metals are increasing and it is the tiny amounts of these metals on the screens inside the catalytic converter that makes them so valuable.   Stealing a catalytic converter takes either a wrench or a cordless reciprocating saw. In some cases thieves using mechanics dollies to slide under vehicles more easily. It only takes about three minutes to take one, good thieves are faster. SUVs are favorite targets. Some drive vans which offer some concealment when parked next to the victim car. The more organized catalytic converter thieves look for larger scores. They attack car dealership lots, the parking lots at auto repair shops, auto fleet parking locations, and poorly attended parking lots. They are better equipped, faster, and work as teams to make larger scores. These are the crews more likely to steal from businesses and larger organizations with higher concentrations of vehicles.

Green Production Practices Pay Off for Winemakers

California has the most widely adopted green winegrowing and winemaking program in the world, one that has earned the state’s top environmental award. The California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance, is a group established by Wine Institute and the California Association of Winegrape Growers and is promoting the earth-friendly practices embraced by the independent business owners growing grapes and operating successful wineries.

“Consumers are interested in knowing where and how their wines are grown and made, and the California wine community has responded by becoming a progressive advocate of environmentally conscious practices,” notes Robert P. (Bobby) Koch, President and CEO of Wine Institute. “As our sustainable program develops and expands, we’re seeing how responsible sustainable practices have a positive impact on the environment and in our communities.”

The term “sustainability” has a specific meaning for California’s vintners and winegrape growers. “Sustainable practices include the way we preserve and protect the land, water, and air, and how we responsibly interact with employees and local communities,” says Karen Ross, President of the California Association of Winegrape Growers. “We also want to ensure that winegrowing families have viable businesses to pass on, and provide consumers the value they’ve come to expect from California wines.”

At the heart of California’s sustainability movement is the Code of Sustainable Winegrowing, a 16-chapter workbook that lays out best practices for soil, ecosystems, air quality, pest control, water conservation, recycling, energy efficiency and wine quality, among many other practices. The Code has formalized socially and environmentally responsible ways to farm and make wine from the ground to the glass. For more information about California's Sustainable Winegrowing Program, go to www.sustainablewinegrowing.org, www.cawg.org, www.wineinstitute.org, or www.discovercaliforniawine.com.