When these folks meet for Green Drinks, they aren't slurping grasshoppers

A growing number of Ohioans are getting a taste of Green Drinks these days, but they're not slurping grasshoppers. Instead, Green Drinks is an international, social gathering of environmentally aware people who meet up once a month at a local bar or pub, to talk, swap business cards, and of course, have a few drinks.

The first Green Drinks meetings started in London in 1989, but have spread across the world, with local chapters in nearly 800 cities. Ohio has eight chapters of its own: in Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Erie County, Cincinnati, Mason, Toledo and Youngstown.

So what is Green Drinks? It might be easiest to first explain what it isn't.

It's not stuffy or highly organized, it's not a sales opportunity or a networking event, at least in the traditionally sense. Green Drinks has a strict fun rule. The Green Drinks Code states that meetings should be nonpolitical, and agenda- and news-free.
 
Each Green Drinks organization is self-organized and locally run. Meeting times are generally spread by word of mouth and through social media like Facebook, Twitter or locally developed blogs.

Meetings can run an hour or two or longer, and can center on a topic or theme. Many times speakers from the business, government or nonprofit worlds are invited to about environmental issues like soil quality, recycling or composting. But they are asked to keep it brief (no longer than five or 10 minutes).

The bulk of the meet ups are devoted to small-group discussions, idea sharing and breaking bread.

"There's never really an agenda. All the Green Drinks meetings are open, and if people want to say something, they can. It's basically a social networking event, combined with business in an informal environment. Beer breaks down the barriers, and makes people more open and more friendly," says Green Drinks Mason founder Eric Routenberg.

Routenberg founded the Mason group in 2009. Since then businesses including Whole Foods Mason and Icon Solar Power have spoken to the group. In addition, it's a time where people from all sectors of the environmentally conscious set: entrepreneurial, government and nonprofit, can meet.

"I'm all about fun. I wanted to connect people, and wanted people to have a good time. It's a place where you can meet people, and at the end of meeting, people might say "If you need X then I need to introduce you to Y," Routenberg said.

Social Media outlets play a prominent role in connecting Green Drinkers. Organizers like Erie County Green Drinks founder Lisa Beursken, update on the international Green Drinks website, in addition to maintaining a Facebook site and an email list.

Beursken, Erie County Solid Waste District coordinator, started the chapter in 2007 after seeing the success of the Columbus chapter. As a county chapter, the group meets in several cities, seeking out local establishments to highlight along the way. Ten to 30 people come to the meetings each month. Many times they'll tour places like an upcoming trip to Barnes Nursery Compost Facility before heading out for drinks -- or not.

"People are more relaxed in a social situation, and willing to talk. But we want people to know they don't have to drink alcoholic beverages, it's about getting to know like-minded people," she says.

In Columbus, Green Drinks is organized by Green Columbus, a service oriented nonprofit environmental organization. Green Drinks started in Columbus about five years ago, and holds monthly meetings across the city. Thirty to 50 people show up each month, depending on the venue and speaker.

Before a meeting on Slow Food, members were invited to check out the Easton Farmers' Market before heading to the nearby Fad� Irish Pub.

"It's always informal, it's always a welcoming environment and you don't have to be an activist or advocate," says Green Columbus board member Dan Weisenbach, of Weisenbach Recycled Products. "You just have to reach a level where you have a little bit of interest (in environmentally conscious living)."

Green Drinks is a place to make connections in the every expanding Green world. But if you're there to make a sales pitch, or explicitly to get people to buy your latest product or service, you're in the wrong place, Weisenbach says.

"It's more casual. Oh yes, business cards are exchanged but more about, 'How can I help you, and how can you help me?'" Weisenbach says. "That's the attitude of Green Drinks."

The environment is one where the usual business competitiveness is left behind, Weisenbach adds.

"The beauty of anything related to Green businesses or organizations is that we all want each other to do well. In the world of Green and environmental business it's more like, "If you have a good business I want to help you out. Because if one does well, we all do well," Weisenbach says.