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Friday, May 2, 2014
Silverdale Greendrinks is more than just green drinks BY LESLIE KELLY LKELLY@SOUNDPUBLISHING.COM
Whenever there’s mention of Greendrinks, a picture comes to mind of a frothy glass of 7-Up mixed with a dip of lime sherbet. But according to organizers of Silverdale Greendrinks, that’s not at all what Greendrinks is about. “We get together to share a voice about our community,” said Kevin Wiley, one of the founding members. “We’re all about sustaining our local businesses.” The Silverdale group came about last year, after deciding that Silverdale needed its own group. “There was a group in Bremerton,” Wiley said. “But we wanted to have one here in Silverdale.” The committee included Dena Barrios, Cliff Higashi, Valarie Harris, Cynthia Martin, Sean Maib, Regan Weigel, Jennifer Zuver and Wiley. They hosted their first get-together on March 6, 2013.
So now each month on the first Wednesday, the group gets together after work for a social time and to share and help each other with business connections. According to the International Greendrinks website, every month people who work in the environmental field meet up at informal sessions known as Greendrinks. From that, it has become a business networking entity with an environmental twist. People from academia, government, business and service industries can be part of it and being environmentally conscience they each bring their own glass from which to drink. No paper cups allowed. Wiley, who is in the finance industry, said the “environment” that the Silverdale group works to sustain is the business environment. “We’re really about buying locally and sustaining the local economy,” he said. Greendrinks has chapters all over the world with Silverdale’s being one of
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Cliff Higashi and Dena Barrios help with a past event. the newest addition. When members arrive, they often say “are you green?” then introduce themselves to each other. “It’s a great way of catching up with people you know and also for making new contacts,” said Wiley. “Everyone invites someone else along, so there’s always a different crowd, making Greendrinks an organic, self-organizing network.” The events are simple and
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unstructured, but people have found employment, made friends, developed new ideas, done deals and had moments of serendipity, according to the chapter’s website. At each event, a local nonprofit is featured and a representative comes to speak about what the organization does, Wiley said. The committee selects the nonprofit to be featured and there is a free-will donation option for the charity that those who attend can give to. Greendrinks actually started in London, according to the international website.
In 1989, at a pub called the Slug and Lettuce in North London, Edwin Datschefski was sitting with his green design colleagues Yorick Benjamin and Paul Scott when he noticed an envirominded acquaintance at a nearby table. As it turned out, the friend was sitting with a few of his own eco-conscious mates, so they pulled some tables together. And so a movement was born. The concept evolved into Greendrinks and now it’s global. In 2001, Datschefski created an official website, and it has since spread across the world. Each city has an organizer who arranges meetings in bars and restaurants (often with organic or vegetarian food), relays information via email, and facilitates discussions. The spirit of Greendrinks is that anyone can come, and this makes for interesting interactions. New York City joined as the first U.S. Greendrinks in 2002, and as Greendrinkers saw the website, traveled the world and relocated jobs, more sprang up. Today, there are 643 Greendrinks in 62 countries. Go to www.greendrinks.org for more informa-
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tion. The next meeting of Silverdale Greendrinks will be May 7 from exactly 5:24 p.m. to 8:03 p.m. at the Best Western Silverdale Beach Hotel. It will be catered by Chimpmunk Grill and sponsored by Harrison Medical Center. The cost to attend is $10. The charity of the month is the March of Dimes. Go to www.greendrinks.org/WA/ Silverdale to RSVP to attend.
Trident Galley wins NEY award again Naval Base Kitsap’s Trident Inn Galley at Bangor has won the prestigious Secretary of the Navy’s Captain Edward F. Ney Award for the second time in two years and thus remains the Navy’s best galley in the Ashore, Large General Mess Category. “These annual awards encourage excellence in Navy food service programs with the objective of improving the quality of life for our Navy personnel,” said Ray Mabus, Secretary of the Navy in his message announcing the winners. “We truly have a great team here,” said Chief Warrant Officer 4 Erik Van Hofwegen, NBK’s Food Service Officer. “I could not be more proud of my people for their unbelievable effort to achieve this prestigious award in back-to-back years. This is a phenomenal accomplishment for the base and everyone can take pride in this achievement. This is simply the best team of sailors and civilians I have worked with in my 29 years of naval service.” Capt. Tom Zwolfer, NBK’s Commanding Officer shared in the joy of the SECNAV award and many of the staff members cheered when the award was announced Tuesday. “Congratulations to Naval Base Kitsap, Trident Inn Galley team on winning the 2014 Captain Edward F Ney Memorial Award Large Ashore Category for the second year in a row. Once again NBK was recognized as the “BEST of the BEST” Navy Food Service operation, and was the only back to back Ney Award winning facility. This was a feat which can only come from the support, cooperation, and teamwork from everyone at Naval Base Kitsap. Well Done,” said Zwolfer.