He proudly describes himself that way on a press release he sent out last week to tell the world that his Gundog winery, situated in the very heart of Pokolbin wine country, is now carbon neutral.

Not only that, he has become so immersed in the subject of reducing his carbon footprint, he has even taken on part time study into the area - with a Graduate Diploma in Energy & The Environment.

"I've felt strongly about it for a few years now," Burton said. "To me it seems so obvious the path we should be taking."

It manifested itself in 2014 when, laid up with an ankle injury and becoming increasingly frustrated at some of the decisions the then federal Government was taking, he wrote a report called The Sustainable Solution that he sent off to all 150 members of parliament.

Fast forward a few years and he's more committed than ever.

"Sustainability, and it's three pillars - economic, social and environmental - has become a driving force for our organisation in recent years," he explained.

So, Gundog now does lots of little things that add up ... lighter bottles that requires less fuel to move around the country, switching to renewable energy, lower grade cardboard that breaks down more easily, reducing the size of the vehicle fleet, switching to LED lighting, transitioning to organic viticulture, and utilising organic and plant-based processes in the wine making.

On top of that they have moved into the tree planting realm.

"We buy and plant a tree for every new member we get," he said.

"With our wine mail outs we encourage members to buy a tree for $5 which we plant. I buy 10 trees for every member of staff at Christmas ... that sort of thing.

"We're partnered with Fifteen Trees and they work closely with local landcare groups, so it directly helps the local community.

"And the other thing we do is buy carbon credits. You can buy locally or internationally. We buy internationally because I think it's important we help developing countries - places like Bangladesh, India and Vietnam - grow and prosper in a sustainable way.

"That's a major challenge because the countries that grew and prospered before them, didn't do it that way. It's a difficult situation."

Gundog is not the first carbon neutral winery in the Hunter - Keith Tulloch beat them to it. But Burton said there is definitely a growing movement towards more sustainable methods in the wine industry.

"It wasn't that hard to do," he said. "We approached a highly regarded carbon reduction company called Pangolin Associates, and they steered us through the whole process."

Burton said the move has not resulted in more expensive wine for the consumer.

"In the long run wine making will be cheaper - cheaper electricity, cheaper packaging, more recycling, less fuel ..."

And for what it's worth: Burton has always been been aware of not indoctrinating children, of letting them retain their innocence. But his 10-year-old daughter Scarlett is a keen reader and has an inquisitive nature.

"She spotted my report The Sustainable Solution lying around the house and read it," Burton said.

"Next thing she wanted me to help her write a two-page letter to parliamentarians about the use of electric cars, water recycling and so on. It made me smile."

It seems the grape doesn't fall too far from the vine.

IN THE NEWS: