Thirst for Green

Among the used couches, shelves of glassware and cathode-ray televisions in the Sisters ReStore, more than a dozen people gathered last month to snack on cheese and crackers, sip beer and wine, and talk green.

The visitors had gathered for Green Drinks — a worldwide event where people meet to network, chat and share ideas about what businesses and individuals can do to promote sustainability — and the focus was on how the thrift store helps reduce the amount of new material produced while also reducing the waste stream.

ReStore has kept 1 million pounds of trash out of the landfill in the last 3½ years, said Robin Tawney, the store's manager — and also has been able to raise $140,000 for Habitat for Humanity's building fund in Sisters.

“For this small town, I think it's amazing,” she said.

“Enjoy yourself,” Tawney told the guests. “Talk reuse, reduce, recycle.”

Nationwide, 710 cities host Green Drinks events. And in Bend, the monthly gatherings have been a destination for environmentally minded people since 2007.

“Green Drinks is actually an international networking event — it happens here, in South America, in Vietnam,” said Nikki Roemmer, sustainability advocate with Bend's Environmental Center, who helps organize the events.

“It started as a way for people to get together and talk about sustainability,” she said.

In Bend, Green Drinks began with a handful of people meeting at what was then The Grove, now Seven, she said, to chat about environmentally friendly efforts. The group grew — most events now draw between 60 and 100 people — and organizers decided to start rotating the location among different businesses with ties to the sustainability effort.

“We liked the idea of letting people see what businesses are doing,” Roemmer said.

At the July event, people gathered at NorthWest Crossing's Discovery Park Lodge to learn about the energy-efficient features incorporated into the low-income, affordable housing complex for seniors.

On Thursday, September's Green Drinks will be at 900 Wall, and the focus will be on local food.

The events always occur the last Thursday of the month and are free.

“It's not just for businesses; it's for anybody interested in sustainability,” Roemmer said.

Chip Clark, of Klamath Falls, who works with the Oregon Renewable Energy Center and was in the area surveying contractors, decided to visit the Green Drinks event in Sisters.

“I just thought I'd come and talk to people,” he said. “It's a good time for businesses to do renewable energy.”

Liana Ottaviano tries to attend most events, she said, and has started recognizing other regulars who attend Green Drinks.

She likes learning about the different businesses hosting the events, whether it's getting a tour of the new Bend Park & Recreation District building or touring the NorthWest Crossing lodge.

“You get to go to different places and see what they're doing — see it in action,” she said.

Plus, it can be a good networking opportunity for her husband as well, she said, whose former law practice was listed in The Green Spot, a directory of environmentally friendly businesses.

“We just love it,” Ottaviano said. Plus, “you can't argue with free drinks.”

Roemmer hopes the events will keep evolving.

“I would really like to see there being more conversation and dialogue, before, during and after,” she said.

She encourages people to walk, ride a bike or carpool to the events.

Of course, a reusable cup is key to make the free beverages truly green drinks.

Kate Ramsayer can be reached at 541-617-7811 or at kramsayer@bendbulletin.com.

Published Daily in Bend Oregon by Western Communications, Inc. © 2010