The first GREEN DRINKS gathering attracted a good crowd at Hope & Olive last night (Weds, 2/20). Lively conversations abounded.

I definitely made connections with people I would not normally meet. This was especially true when I was introduced to David Korr. He turned out to be a fellow filmmaker who knew the master documentarian I'd apprenticed with back in 1981 in New York. He lives right here in Greenfield!

What was Green Drinks like for you? You can post here by registering for this forum. It's quick, free, and EarthThrives doesn't use addresses for any other purpose.

If you want to be on a GREEN DRINKS reminder list, let me know at Carlyn at EarthThrives. Yes, plus .com

Hope to see you on Weds, March 19.
Again at Hope & Olive, 5:30 to 7:30pm.
We're welcome to stay later and lots of folks did.

To verify the venue, you can always check this site and www.GreenDrinks.org

Thanks for joining the conversation!

Carlyn

www.YourStoryMatters.com

Well. Greenfield is great! Green Drinks were great! Hope & Olive... yup... great!

And feeling connected too. The conversations I loved most where talking about local politics here in Greenfield and how it is in a state of need of greening and democracy... and how some of that blooming is happening.

Go Greenfield Go!

Thanks for organizing Carlyn and all.

If you missed the article on 2/19/08 in Greenfield's Recorder, here you go.

What's not mentioned is that Green Drinks is now happening in over 320 cities around the globe. Check www.greendrinks.org to see exactly where. Maybe there's one where you're going or where friends would be glad to hear about it.

'Happy hour' Goes Green: Third Wednesday series focuses on renewable energy, environment

By RICHIE DAVIS

Drinking of grasshoppers or Midori cocktails like The Grinch will be purely optional at the first in a monthly series of Green Drinks events in Greenfield.

Think of it as a "down-to-earth" happy hour to explore what renewable energy is all about and ways to take better care of the environment.

The series, which opens this Wednesday from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Hope and Olive in Greenfield and will be hosted by a different "watering hole" the third Wednesday of each month, is the brainchild of Turners Falls filmmaker Carlyn Saltman, who helped create the EarthThrives.com Web site as a way to share stories and short videos of how local residents are saving energy.

After a November panel discussion about vital downtowns, it seemed like a way to foster discussion of ideas about energy conservation and the choices we make, she said.

"There's no shortage of projects," she said, "but there is a shortage of cross-fertilization among various groups and perspectives. This is meant to be informal and enrich people's decision-making."

The idea came from Green Drinks International, an umbrella group for an international collection of informal gatherings around the planet -- including Northampton, Pittsfield and Great Barrington. Those events, described online at www.greendrinks.org are intended for "people who work in the environmental field," but the new Franklin County series recognizes that we all work -- and play -- in the environmental field, whether we know it or not.

"This is a place for people to ask questions in an open-minded way," said Saltman, who hopes the series will bring about greater understanding among "neighbors and colleagues we don't usually get to talk with about these issues. … Just open-minded, open-ended conversation."

The second Green Drinks will be at Hope & Olive on March 19 from 5:30 to 7:30pm. Future venues will be listed on the EarthThrives calendar and on Greenfield's page at www.greendrinks.org

Post edited by: Carlyn, at: 2008/02/28 22:33

Post edited by: Carlyn, at: 2008/02/28 22:36

Post edited by: Carlyn, at: 2008/02/28 22:38

I'd gone to Green Drinks at Hope and Olive skeptically, assuming I'd have a string of isn't-it-a-scary-time-we-should-do-something conversations, and little more. I was wrong, and am glad I went. I made several new acquaintances, and was impressed with their engagement with the issues, their energies, and the work they're doing on behalf of what's left of our planet . . .

The latest Green Drinks, on the new first Wednesdays schedule, was just as nice as the others. It's a great social time--no event pressure, just relaxing in the early evening after work. I got some encouraging feedback for an idea, and that felt great!

I'd suggest the Route 63 Roadhouse for sometime, but it's a bit farther away for most. I think it's important to move around, though, and it might also be nice to show up somewhere less cool every once in a while just to spice a place up a bit.

Of course, Shelburne Falls is a Green Drinks hot spot just waiting to happen, as is Deja Brew in Wendell. But Wendell is already, well, Wendell, so it might be redundant. But it might not....

The latest Green Drinks, on the new first Wednesdays schedule, was just as nice as the others. It's a great social time--no event pressure, just relaxing in the early evening after work. I got some encouraging feedback for an idea, and that felt great!

I'd suggest the Route 63 Roadhouse for sometime, but it's a bit farther away for most. I think it's important to move around, though, and it might also be nice to show up somewhere less cool every once in a while just to spice a place up a bit.

Of course, Shelburne Falls is a Green Drinks hot spot just waiting to happen, as is Deja Brew in Wendell. But Wendell is already, well, Wendell, so it might be redundant. But it might not....