About

Asheville Green Drinks is a networking party and part of the self-organizing global grassroots movement that connects local communities with environmental ideas, media and action. All over the world people who are interested in environmental issues and topics meet up for a drink and occasionally listen to an expert in environment, ecology, and/or social justice. The Green Drinks phenomena features 738 different international cities hosting events featuring conversation, networking and education. Originally created in London, England the Green Drinks movement was launched in Asheville in 2006 by Joseph Malki from Seven-Star, Ty Hallock from Top Floor Studio and Brad & Elizabeth Reichart from Bobo Gallery. Asheville Green Drink’s hallmark has been that instead of hosting an event once a month like most cities, it hosts an event every week, typically with a speaker (excepting holidays and snow weather). Asheville Green Drinks formation was largely inspired by the work of Ulla Reeves and her management of EnviroBeer Night which was really just for enviro-activists around town to connect, socialize, and relax. Asheville Green Drinks is lucky to be supported by a wide variety of community members with a range of ideological backgrounds who share a common commitment to ecological stewardship and humanist interests.

For five years Asheville has hosted the hardest working environmental networking cocktail hour in the world.

In 2010, Mr. Malki decided to embrace the community collaboration model and involve Asheville’s leading environmental non-profits in developing Asheville Green Drinks programming. A steering committee was formed led by Western North Carolina Alliance and includes Transition Town Asheville,  Just Economics WNC, Western North Carolina Building Alliance, Blue Ridge Sustainability Institute and the Western North Carolina Chapter of the Sierra Club to name a few. 2011 inaugurates the year that this steering committees’ work will be visible to the public. We look forward to a great year of fantastic speakers.

Currently our fiscal sponsor is the international non-profit Empowerment Works, Inc. a.k.a. Empowerment Works!, a nationally registered 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Asheville Green Drinks advances causes in support of EW’s US 501c3 tax-exempt mission of fostering a healthier, culturally rich and bio-diverse future. Per our agreement, EW is legally responsible for Sponsoree’s stated project activities as an official project of Empowerment Works! (EW). Please visit Empowerment Works! for more information. For official purposes our fiscal project agreement is available here.

Additionally, in 2010 a new local Asheville sustainable web development company: SitePiper.com redesigned our website on the WordPress platform and integrated our social media on Facebook and Twitter. We appreciate their fine work and recommend them whole heatedly. Our email newsletter was developed by master designers Evolv.com and its’ distribution supported by MyNewsletterBuilder.com. We thank our in-kind sponsors as well as Posana Cafe, our new host – Asheville’s only certified green restaurant.

Asheville Green Drinks is a great way of catching up with the latest issue in sustainable and social advocacy issues, connecting with people you know and meeting new contacts. Everyone invites someone else along, so there’s always a different crowd making Green Drinks an organic, self-organizing network. Our events are primarily social and educational. Many people have found employment, made friends, developed new ideas, “done deals” and had moments of profound serendipity. We look forward to seeing you soon!