San Francisco Green Drinks
April 6th
“40th Anniversary Celebration of Earth Day!”

Hello Green Drinkers!

Please join us next Tuesday, April 6th for San Francisco Green Drinks!

This month San Francisco Green Drinks honors the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day!

The Earth Day movement, which started on a grass roots level, is now celebrated all over the world.  What an inspiration!  Earth Day moves people towards a healthy, prosperous, and sustainable future - and we support this movement wholeheartedly!  To celebrate Earth Day we will be offering FREE ice-cream for everyone!

Be sure to check out our Community Board and on-line event calendar for all your upcoming Earth Day and Green events.

Our question of the month is: What are you doing in support of Earth Day?

Come and celebrate Earth Day with us!

April Sponsors: The California Wolf Center & Earth Island Journal

The California Wolf Center, a non-profit organization founded in 1977, is a one-of-a-kind education, conservation, and research center committed to increasing public awareness and understanding of the importance of all wildlife by focusing on the history, biology, behavior, and ecology of the gray wolf (Canis lupus).  We are old school green in the sense that we have been working on wildlife conservation for more than 30 years.  Kids, families and professionals like you attend our programs and learn that top predators, like wolves make the environment healthy.  We are also one of the largest centers in the United States hosting and breeding the highly endangered Mexican gray wolf, native to the southwestern United States and Mexico.  Join us on Facebook or visit our web site where you can become a member and learn more about gray wolves and their environment as well as the prospects for wolves returning to California!  www.californiawolfcenter.org

Earth Island Journal has been publishing award-winning investigative reports on the world’s most pressing environmental crises for 25 years. The Journal explores the connections between the environment and other contemporary issues, uncovering stories often left unexplored by the mainstream media. The magazine is published by Earth Island Institute, which is a nonprofit incubator of more than 50 solutions-focused social and environmental projects, organizer of the annual Brower Youth Awards, and administrator of the Restoration Initiatives Fund in Southern California. To support our unique brand of environmental journalism, become a subscriber for only $9.95 a year - a 50% savings from the newsstand price!  www.earthisland.org/journal

April Partners: Ben & Jerry’s San Francisco Catering
and Sustainable Brands 2010

Ben & Jerry’s San Francisco Catering In celebration of Earth Day and our recently announced commitment to bringing all of our products to 100% Fair Trade by 2013 we are providing some of our best and newest Fair Trade Ice Cream, plus a cool new Sorbet! Come enjoy what true San Franciscans are all about and become our Facebook Fan today! To book your own euphoric Ben & Jerry’s San Francisco Corporate Catering and Sundae Parties call us at 415.533.4588 or visit our site www.BenJerrys.com/macys/catering/offers.cfm

Sustainable Brands 2010 Presents The Power of And Where the Brand & Design & Sustainability Communities Come Together.  Monterey Conference Center, Monterey CA, June 7-10, 2010.  Widely reputed to be the most compelling sustainability conference of the year, Sustainable Brands 2010 will convene over 700 brand leaders, top executives from the global brands leading sustainable innovation today, all types of designers participating in this global shift, and an unprecedented list of others. Speakers and sessions will provide inspiration, techniques and best practices as economic realities, corporate responsibility and the environment come together to create a new strategic business imperative. Registration is now open and seating is limited.
Use discount code sfgrnsb to save 20% off! www.sustainablebrands10.com

Event Details

Date: Tuesday, April 6th
Time: 5:30 - 9:30 p.m.
Location: 111 Minna Gallery
Bring: Please bring your green flyers, announcements, job postings, etc for the Community Board.  And of course, bring your business cards!
Safety: Please be safe when coming to/from SFGD. If you would like someone to walk you to your bus/train stop or car, please let a greeter know. As always, please designate a driver if driving.
Cost: FREE!

Music:

5:30 - 7:30
DJ Tim Dionne has been Djing for 13 years, with his roots starting in Chico, CA. He has played residencies in some of the Bay Area’s top clubs. He is one of San Francisco’s premier DJs playing the best in electronic music.

7 :30- 9:30
DJ COR  (the Beatery Boys) is one of our very own rotating resident DJs and is the kind of DJ people ask for. Cor spins everything from breaks and electohouse, to funk and acid jazz.  On this Earth Day celebration he will be spinning a montage of delectable downtempo.

Special Drinks of the Month: $7 while they last!

• Gravenstein Highway - $7
  LonjeviTea Gravenstein Apple Kombucha,  Gravenstein Apple Juice, Rum
  
• Spring Fling - $7
  LonjeviTea Ginger Kombucha, Passion Fruit Juice, Vodka
  
  

Community

* Special thanks to Cliff at Waldeck’s for his generous support of Green Drinks over the past two years.  We are sad to see his doors close after 55 years of business.

* Post your green event on the Bay Area Green Calendar for free!

* SF Green Drinks is on Facebook. Please join the group ‘San Francisco Green Drinks’ for additional resources and information.

* SF Green Drinks is booking out Sponsors and Community Partners for 2010. If you or someone you know is interested in connecting with our community, please get in touch!

See you on the 6th!

- The Green Drinks Team

San Francisco Green Drinks
March 2nd
“Creating Community”

Hello Green Drinkers!

Please join us next Tuesday, March 2nd for San Francisco Green Drinks!

This month at Green Drinks we ask the question: What communities do you belong to?

Click for more GRID volunteering photos

As a Green Drinker and member of our community, we’ll ask you to fill out a survey.  Help us learn more about our community and receive a drink ticket (while supplies last).

Starting this month we will offer a Green Drink’s Community Board.  On our Community Board you can pin up:

• SFGD Event Information (Sponsors, Community Partners, Event activities, Drink Menu, Volunteer sign-up lists etc.)
• Bay Area Green Community Calendar of Events (post your Green event on our website for posting)
• Post your own Green flyers, announcements, etc.

March Sponsors: Pacific Environment & Earth Island Institute

Pacific Environment protects the living environment of the Pacific Rim by promoting grassroots activism, strengthening communities, and reforming international policies. Our successes over the past 20 years stem from a deep and abiding trust that local people, armed with the right tools and solid support, are the world’s best hope for the environment. As such, we support the development of grassroots organizations, prioritize network-based advocacy, and use international leverage points in service of our local partners.  www.pacificenvironment.org

Earth Island Institute was founded 27 years ago in SF by the visionary environmentalist David Brower. They grow environmental leadership through education and activism. As a fiscal sponsor of fifty solutions focused projects, and with their Earth Island Journal, public programming at their new green offices in the Brower Center in Berkeley and their core programs: Restoration Initiatives, and the New Leaders Initiative/Brower Youth Awards, Earth Island supports the cultural and biological diversity that sustain the environment.  www.earthisland.org

March Partners: Macchu Pisco & Sustainable Brands 2010

Macchu Pisco is clear Peruvian brandy and sometimes also described as a white cognac, it is an artisanal Peruvian pisco. Without extra additives like sugars, yeasts, or enzymes, Macchu Pisco is a single distill 80 proof spirit made from freshly fermented grape juice, not leftover pomace from winemaking like other grape based spirits. Pisco grape varietals grow in unique Peruvian desert climates where the sun shines 365 days a year and by law are grown organically without chemicals or pesticides. Peruvian pisco production standards are strict in order to ensure an all natural spirit. Pisco has been produced in Peru since 1540 and is named after the trading port city of Pisco, located in the department of Ica, the heart of Peru’s pisco production. Pisco is so pure and natural that it should never produce a hangover. Enjoy the purity!  www.macchupisco.com

Sustainable Brands 2010 Presents The Power of And Where the Brand & Design & Sustainability Communities Come Together.  Monterey Conference Center, Monterey CA, June 7-10, 2010.  Widely reputed to be the most compelling sustainability conference of the year, Sustainable Brands 2010 will convene over 700 brand leaders, top executives from the global brands leading sustainable innovation today, all types of designers participating in this global shift, and an unprecedented list of others. Speakers and sessions will provide inspiration, techniques and best practices as economic realities, corporate responsibility and the environment come together to create a new strategic business imperative. Registration is now open and seating is limited: Early bird pricing available until March 28th.  Use discount code sfgrnsb to save 20% off! www.sustainablebrands10.com

Event Details

Date: Tuesday, March 2nd
Time: 5:30 - 9:30 p.m.
Location: 111 Minna Gallery
Bring: Please bring your business cards!
Safety: Please be safe when coming to/from SFGD. If you would like someone to walk you to your bus/train stop or car, please let a greeter know. As always, please designate a driver if driving.
Cost: FREE!

Music:

5:30 - 7:30
DJ Delon (Selector, FreeFlo) spinning a delicious selection of downtempo, funky breaks, nu-jazz, drum & bass, and house.

7 :30- 9:30
DJ Robynn (BEATZ, FreeFlo) droping tunes of the house, speed garage, ragga jungle and dubby styles.

Special Drinks of the Month: $5 while they last!

• MÁS Merlot 2006 - $5 + free tastings
  Rich aromas and flavors of rose, black currant, plum and clove with a toasty oak finish.
• MÁS Chardonnay 2007 - $5 + free tastings
  Lightly oaked and medium bodied with aromas and flavors of ripe pear, green apple, lemon meringue, pineapple and banana.
• Pisco Mule - $5
  Pisco, Ginger Beer, Lemon, Bitters
• Pisco Daisy - $5
  Pisco, Tripple Sec, Lime
• Pisco Sour - $5
  Pisco, Lime Juice, Simple Syrup, Egg Whites, Bitters

Community

* Green Drinkers Volunteer with GRID Alternatives - On January 30th and 31st, volunteers from SFGD came out  to work alongside the homeowners to install a GRID Alternatives solar system.

* Green Drinks connections work for 111 Minna - Aion LED and MÁS Wine Company bring their sustainable products to Minna.

* Post your green event on the Bay Area Green Calendar for free!

* SF Green Drinks is on Facebook. Please join the group ‘San Francisco Green Drinks’ for additional resources and information.

* SF Green Drinks is booking out Sponsors and Community Partners for 2010. If you or someone you know is interested in connecting with our community, please get in touch!

See you on the 2nd!

- The Green Drinks Team

In the past few months San Francisco Green Drinks has connected two new organizations, Aion LED and MÁS Wine Company, to our environmental community and to our monthly host, 111 Minna.  Both companies made such a positive impression with their sustainable products that Minna has brought them in-house.  Aion LED was our February 2010 “Eco-Love” sponsor who set the mood with eight energy-efficient LED stage lights.  By the end of the night, Minna decided to purchase the whole set!  MÁS is a small, eco-friendly winery who discovered Green Drinks over the holidays and met with Minna shortly after in January.  After a short meeting and wine tasting with Minna, their wine is now being served from environmentally friendly, air tight mini tanks as 111 Minna’s new house wine!  Come by the March 2010 Green Drinks for a free wine tasting of their Merlot and Chardonnay.

Here are some comments from these two great companies:

“Thanks to SF Green Drinks for having us as sponsor for February’s successful event!  Aion LED is committed to helping the entertainment sector “go green” with our highly efficient Theatrical LED lighting line .  This can result in venues saving 10 times the energy usage while virtually eliminating the need to change lamps.  At Green Drinks we demonstrated that an energy saving alternative light could look great while minimizing the venue’s carbon footprint at the same time.” — Christine

“Since conception in 2006 MÁS has not used over 80,000 glass bottles corks and labels. This has saved our business over $70,000 in money we would have spent on trash and instead we have invested it a renewable technology. Without these expenses we are able to produce small lots of wine at competitive priced wines passing along these savings to restaurants and consumers, like 111 Minna. We hope our passion for great wines and renewable technology is shared by all.” — Andy

Click for more GRID volunteering photos

At the December 2009 Green Drinks Holiday Bash and Benefit SFGD held a fundraiser for GRID Alternatives, a local non-profit dedicated to empowering communities in need by providing renewable energy and energy efficiency services, equipment and training.  The donations raised at the December event went to sponsor and install a solar electric systems for a low income homeowner in San Francisco.  On January 30th and 31st, volunteers from SFGD came out  to work alongside the homeowners to install the solar system.  Special thanks go out all the organizers at Grid Alternatives and to those Green Drinkers who volunteered!

San Francisco Green Drinks
February 2nd
“Eco-Love”

Calling all Green Drinkers -

Please join us next Tuesday, February 2nd for San Francisco Green Drinks!

This month at Green Drinks we ask the question: What is your Eco-Love?

Click for more 2010 Green Resolutions

Our sponsor, AION LED, will be setting the mood with glowing, environmentally-friendly lights while passionate cocktails, tasty chocolate and soothing sounds of two fabulous DJs fill the room.

In keeping with our environmental Valentines Day theme we will also offer “Green Speed Dating” for 40 lucky participants.  This is a great opportunity to meet fellow Green Drinkers and it’s sure to be a lot of fun!!  Who knows, maybe this Green Drinks you will even make a special connection.

Last but not least, Green Drinks is happy to announce that we have arranged free wine tastings for the event as part of our 2010 emphasis in building out our Community Partnership program.  If you know of any friends particularly in the organic food, wine or beverage industries who would like to participate in a future Green Drinks - please put them in touch!

February Sponsor: AION LED

Forget about changing light bulbs while cutting energy consumption by 80 percent!

AION LED is proud to offer high quality Green Compliant LED lighting products for your home and business. With a lamp life at least forty times that of a standard light bulb and a fraction of the energy used, LED lights will reduce your carbon footprint as well as your energy bill. AION LED specializes in cutting-edge linear lighting solutions. Designers, architects, and electricians alike love the streamlined package, flexibility, high output, and longevity of our LED Strips and LED Light Bars. Popularly used under cabinets, in coves, soffits, and hallways, our LED strips also create custom effects in cabinetry, signage, displays, curved elevations, and edge-lit glass to name a few. In addition to dimmable white light, AION LED offers RGB color-mixing systems including high power theatrical LED fixtures and custom LED video displays and message boards. Minimize waste and conserve natural resources by switching to highly efficient and sustainable LED lighting with AION LED.  www.aionled.com

Event Details

Date: Tuesday, February 2nd
Time: 5:30 - 9:30 p.m.
Location: 111 Minna Gallery
Bring: Please bring your business cards!
Safety: Please be safe when coming to/from SFGD. If you would like someone to walk you to your bus/train stop or car, please let a greeter know. As always, please designate a driver if driving.
Cost: FREE!

Music:

• DJ Brent Galant (a.k.a. Q St.)
  Q St. will be setting the mood for our Eco-Love Green Drinks with music that is sure to stir your heart and soul.  A graphic designer committed to sustainable design and print practices by day, Brent has roots in house and a penchant for playing hidden gems from down tempo, trip hop, and underground hip hop. With ten years behind the decks, his passion for playing quality grooves is purely matched by his love for playing in the moment, providing listeners with a rewarding venture into sound.
• Unkle Funkl
  He’s the uncle you love but the one you have to keep an eye on. He’ll raid the liquor cabinet and torment the neighbors. Mark Sires, aka Unkle Funkl, has been DJing for 12 years, bringing breaks, midtempo, funk, and hip hop. Recently graduating from the Bainbridge Graduate School with an MBA in Sustainability.

Special Drinks of the Month: $5 while they last!

• 2008 Tamás Estates Double Decker Red - $5 + free tastings by Wente Vineyards
  An exciting blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah and Barbera creates an adventurously robust yet smooth red wine with mouth-filling flavors of blackberry, black cherry and plum, and a smooth, spicy finish.
• 2008 Wente Vineyards Morning Fog Chardonnay - $5 + free tastings by Wente Vineyards
  Enjoy aromas and flavors of green apple and tropical fruits, balanced by subtle oak, cinnamon and vanilla from barrel aging.  With a mouth-filling body and balanced acidity, this wine delivers a medium-long, refreshing finish.
• Passionate Solutionary - $5
  (Sambazon Acai Passionfruit Antioxidant Elixir + Maca Magic Adrenalift + Splash of Guayaki Pure Passion + VeeV Acai Spirit)
  You are a Solutionary.  As a path to creating a revolution in the way we live life, you work hard to provide solutions to environmental and social challenges.  Each ingredient in this cocktail comes from a company that goes beyond Revolutionary to being Solutionary.  Guayaki has their Market Driven Restoration business model.  Sambazon also uses the market to drive restoration of rainforest land and communities with the Sustainable Acai Project.  VeeV Acai Spirit works closely with Sambazon and donates $1 per bottle to the Sustainable Acai Project.  Maca Magic and Amazon Therapeutic Laboratories works to preserve rainforests and uphold the intellectual property rights of native healers and their traditional medicines. And of course, the Peruvian root Maca is an aphrodesiac for both men and women––so raise a glass to all of your passions!

Community

* Twenty (20) Green Drinkers participated in a GRID Alternatives solar training on January 13th in preparation for a 2-day installation on a low-income home here in San Francisco.  Stay tuned next month for more highlights and photos from their volunteering efforts.

* Post your green event on the Bay Area Green Calendar for free!

* SF Green Drinks is on Facebook. Please join the group ‘San Francisco Green Drinks’ for additional resources and information.

* SF Green Drinks is booking out Sponsors and Community Partners for 2010. If you or someone you know is interested in connecting with our community, please get in touch!

See you on the 2nd!

- The Green Drinks Team