Green Drinks Victoria, a networking initiative that aims to connect people inspired by sustainability, is the longest running sustainability network in Victoria BC. An inclusive appreciation for environmental, social, and economic forms of sustainability welcomes participants from all walks of life. Their founding inspiration comes from Green Drinks International. The Green Drinks movement has cities participating in roughly seventy countries with the province of BC alone having sixteen participant cities. A mixture of NGO workers, academics, business people and government workers involved in some way with sustainability and the environment meet once a month in Spinnakers Gastro Brewpub, a unique establishment in Victoria West overlooking the Inner Harbour. Members discuss sustainability initiatives, environmental concerns, and many other pertinent topics while enjoying a local microbrew from the Spinnakers bar. They meet the second Tuesday of every month and new members are always welcome (contact the organizer through Green Drinks Victoria). We took part in a green drinks event this October. We met a range of interesting folks interested in the environment and sustainability in our city. Green Drinks attracted them as a place to build social and business connections and relationships. Anyone can come and join in on the fun as long as they like to socialize and have a drink or two. The atmosphere is a very relaxed and informal. 

Professional backgrounds of those involved with Green Drinks Victoria typically range from engineers and architects to web designers. We met people who worked for a local magazine promoting sustainability, a Shaw TV videographer interested in sustainability stories, an eco-friendly construction worker and a celebrated author of books about climate change and the future. Any participants who are in some ways involved with sustainability and green living are welcome at Green Drinks. By bridging gaps between professions through environmentally-thoughtful living, Green Drinks Victoria aims to connect and inspire people to make greener choices in their own lives.

Topics discussed at the meeting we attended included: transportation  - how to improve the transit system, how to increase the ridership, promoting cycling and bike lanes, how drivers feel about there being so many on the road and as well as how to encourage more people to ride because it is better for our environment; recycling – how to improve programs - and urban design. 

Specific positive outcomes of Green Drinks meetings include: establishing or reaffirming business relationships, learning about and securing funding initiatives and further establishing professional and social networks with a common tie in sustainability in Victoria. Participants have found employment through Green Drinks meetings, as well as experienced break-through moments and ideas to enhance the sustainable nature of their lives. We also found a real sense of community developing at the meeting we attended.

Green Drinks Victoria recruits and promotes itself on the popular networking site “MeetUp.” Their page includes information on future meetings, a comment board for questions and discussions, and contact information for the local coordinator. They also communicate with the public through a Facebook group and monthly newsletters available through conversationworks.ca. Members of the public interested in attending Green Drinks Victoria are encouraged to navigate to their MeetUp page and find out when their next meeting is. 

Green Drinks International now has over 70 participating countries with some countries having multiple cities involved. The future of Green Drinks Victoria is bright. With a dynamic crowd drawn to each meeting, there is always something new and exciting in the world of sustainability to discuss. Green Drinks Victoria hopes to continue to inspire and promote green living. Through a core group of dedicated members, and an ever-shifting cosmopolitan of new members, Green Drinks Victoria will continue to thrive on new ideas.        

We asked local Green Drinks coordinator Chris Bowers why he attended green drinks. He noted his interest in the environment and sustainability in Victoria,  but emphasized that he liked that there is diversity in the networking. Every person at the meetings has a different view on topics of the environment and how to better it, and there are many different businesses and interesting people to connect with.

Not only does Green Drinks focus on every form of sustainability, but their very existence promotes social sustainability. Informal community networking organizations like Green Drinks have been found to increase social awareness and promote a sense of community, contributing to social sustainability. An article published in Oxford’s Community Development Journal suggests community networking is the cornerstone of a well-connected community, ripe with a dynamic social consciousness. By managing the availability of networking opportunities by hosting monthly meetings, Green Drinks would be defined as some professionals as a meta-network, whose role is to facilitate these social functions.

Check out the Prezi Presentation of our Green Drinks visual essay!

References:

Gilchrist, A. (2000). The well-connected community: networking to the edge of chaos. Community Development Journal , 35 (3 ), 264–275. doi:10.1093/cdj/35.3.264

Green Drinks International (2013). Retrieved November 12, 2013 from http://www.greendrinks.org/

Green Drinks Victoria (2013). Retrieved November 12, 2013 from http://www.conversationworks.ca/green-drinks-victoria/

"Guy Dauncey." About : Earthfuture.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2013. <http://www.earthfuture.com/guydauncey/>.

"BC Sustainable Energy Association | Building a Sustainable Energy Future for British Columbia." BC Sustainable Energy Association | Building a Sustainable Energy Future for British Columbia. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2013. <http://www.bcsea.org/>.

Images:

Green Drinks. Digital image. Green Drinks. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2013. <http://www.greendrinks.org/BC/Victoria, BC>.

Contact Us. Digital image. Spinnakers. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2013. <http://www.spinnakers.com/contact/>.

Testing Solution. Digital image. Precise. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. <http://www.precisetestingsolution.com/facebookandsocial.php>.

University of Victoria, Geography 219: Geography of BC, fall 2013
In GEOG 219 students' final projects consider multi-perspectives on social and environmental sustainibility initiatives in the CRD.
These videos are the result of the students' careful reflection and creativity. They are meant to enlighten, inform and inspire reflection on and care for the special places that we call home.

"This event was a great experience, I got out in the community and found out what was going on that I otherwise would not have known about. This meeting was good for networking and meeting new people I would highly suggest it if you are looking to meet people in the environment and sustainability field of study."