Blue Water Green Drinks
This listing was last updated by the Blue Water organiser on: 2021-07-06
What: A social gathering and informal discussion of environmental issues
PLEASE NOTE: We are meeting outdoors during the global COVID-19 crisis. Keep checking back here for updates or join our group! We are also discussing topics online in our Facebook group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/1695542954058560), and via Zoom video conference.
Contact: GreenDrinksBlueWater@gmail.com
Join our Facebook group discussion page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1695542954058560
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Don't forget to visit our friends at Green Drinks Sarnia!
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Wed. July 7, 2021 at 6:30pm, meet us in the garden at Lincoln Park in Port Huron, find us at the gazebo. Email greendrinksbluewater@gmail.com for more information or to register.
Previous Topics:
All meetings have been 1st Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. unless noted
June 2, 2021: "Deja Vu" potluck picnic at Lincoln Park in Port Huron, meet at the gazebo.
May 5, 2021: Cinco de Mayo socially distanced & masked potluck picnic at Lincoln Park in Port Huron. It was also our fifth anniversary of Green Drinks Blue Water!
April 7, 2021: Discussion topic was the free, recorded webcast, "Coming of age at the end of the world: An existential toolkit for the climate generation."
March 3, 2021: Earth Friendly recipe swap. Post your Vegan Vittles and tips for sustainability in the kitchen.
February 3, 2021: Food February. Informal discussion about how we can feed ourselves without starving the planet.
January 6, 2021: Green Resolutions. What will you do this year to make your life and community better and the planet a better place to live? Recommit to former pledges or create some new ones.
December 2, 2020: Zoom social
November 4, 2020: Zoom social
October 7, 2020: Zoom social
September 2, 2020: Socially distanced gathering in a local park
August 5, 2020: Socially distanced gathering in a local park
July 1, 2020: Plastic Free July discussion. Meeting via Zoom.
June 3, 2020: Planet of the Humans. Discuss this very controversial documentary about the alternative energy industry. Meeting via Zoom.
May 6, 2020: Safer at Home, Safer for Nature. What new habits have you developed while you're waiting out COVID? Which will you keep? Meeting via Zoom.
April 1, 2020: No Foolin'--Rocks. Bring your rocks and tell their stories. Meeting on our Facebook group page.
Meetings listed below were pre-COVID and most were held at Casey's, 628 Huron Ave., Port Huron
March 4, 2020: Green Apps. Bring a list or examples of your favorite apps or websites for saving the planet.
February 5, 2020: Food February. How do the foods we choose and the ways they are grown impact the planet? An organic farmer will lead this discussion.
January 8, 2020: Green Resolutions. What will you do this year to make your life and community better and the planet a better place to live?
December 4, 2019: Green Holidays. Let's celebrate in a fun, green way!
November 6, 2019: Non-Consumer November. How can we reduce our consumerism in this season of more, more, more?
October 2, 2019: Weeders Anonymous. Bring your tales of weeds, wonder and woe that you experienced this year, or offer support to our weary weed warriors.
September 4, 2019: Environmental Good News. Bring some upbeat eco-news or earthy gossip to discuss.
August 7, 2019: Green Giving. Which environmental charities do you contribute to and why? Earth 911 has a few suggestions: https://earth911.com/inspire/nonprofits-clobbering-climate-change/
July 3, 2019: Declare Your Independence From Plastic! Come share your tips and tales of reducing your reliance on single-use disposable plastics. Here's an article to get the conversation started: https://blog.nwf.org/2013/07/declare-your-independence-from-plastic/
June 5, 2019: Strictly Social. Casual conversation about whatever's on your mind.
May 1, 2019: Get Fit, Don't Sit, Give a Whit! It's National Get Fit Don't Sit Day. At tonight's gathering, we'll talk about the linkages between what's healthy for the planet and the people.
April 3, 2019: Compost Convo. Would you like to know the right way to rot things? Composting means managing the process of organic matter decay in any way, so you’re probably already doing it! Expand your rot knowledge at Green Drinks!
March 6, 2019: This month we spoke with Jim Lyons about Big Jim's Auto, his triple-bottom-line auto repair business. His single biggest triple bottom line action was to convert his shop heating system to a waste oil heater. This saves money and helps the planet by taking the fuel from the waste stream.
February 6, 2019: Community Enterprises - Electronics Recycling."Our mission is to support people with disabilities to live and work in the community as valued and included citizens." Learn from Shaylyn VanMilligan and Mychal Fearncombe how Community Enterprises creates opportunities around electronics recycling and shredding. Visit Community Enterprises of St. Clair County on the web at: https://www.cescc.org/
January 2, 2019: Green Resolutions. What will you do this year to make your life and community better and the planet a better place to live?
December 5, 2018: The Ghosts of Green Drinks Past, Present and Future. We'll talk about how the international, world-famous Green Drinks got started, how the Sarnia and Blue Water chapters evolved, and do a little planning for what's next.
November 7, 2018: Why is it so complicated? Bring your curbside or drop off recycling guidelines and we'll compare them to each others.
October 3, 2018: Green Drinks Blue Water visits Green Drinks Sarnia! Meet Ontario's Environmental Commissioner, Dr. Dianne Saxe, who will present her latest report.
September 5, 2018: Environmental Good News. Bring some upbeat eco-news or earthy gossip to discuss.
August 1, 2018: Green Drinks Sarnia visits Green Drinks Blue Water!
July 11, 2018: Green Drinks Blue Water visits Green Drinks Sarnia!
June 6, 2018: Measuring Earth Fair's environmental footprint, with Kirsten Lyons: The Earth Fair's staff, participants and volunteers have been working on shrinking the event's environmental footprint for the last several years, beginning with a low-waste effort. This year, our goals included expanded outreach and source reduction. How did we do?
May 2, 2018: Get Fit, Don't Sit, Give a Whit! It's National Get Fit Don't Sit Day, and to celebrate, we're going for a walk along the Blue Water River Walk in the afternoon, then heading over to Casey's for our usual first Wednesday Green Drinks gathering. We'll brainstorm ideas for greening our fitness routines, including reusable water bottles, investing in gear that's durable, supporting green races and more.
April 4, 2018: Tips for eco-travelling: How can we get around, enjoy the journey, and savor the destination in the most sustainable way? We also celebrated our two-year anniversary of Green Drinks Blue Water!
March 7, 2018: Goodwill's green work: What's going on in the world of textiles recycling? What happens to your donations after you drop them off at Goodwill? What items are most in need? What do we need to know to do better when we donate to Goodwill? These are just a few of the questions we'll be asking our discussion leader, John Middleton, at our March gathering.
February 7, 2018: Earth Fair Green Guardians: Nominate a green school, individual, group or business to receive the Blue Water area's only sustainabilty award!
January 3, 2018: Green Resolutions: What will you do this year to make your life and community better and the planet a better place to live? Sometimes when we share a goal publicly, we are more committed and accountable.
December 6, 2017: Let's have a green holiday: Green Drinks Blue Water and Green Drinks Sarnia members shared tips for environmentally-friendly gift giving or alternatives, green gatherings with friends and family, enjoying food and beverage, and seasonal decorating.
November 1, 2017: Vote with your $$$: Even if you've made the conversion to a non-consumer or "green" lifestyle, you still have to buy things. How do you decide? Bring your list of purchasing criteria or tell us what things you consider, other than the price.
October 4, 2017: The Non-Consumer Lifestyle, with Christine Danner: A non-consumer lifestyle relies on minimizing purchases, reducing waste, and sharing as much as possible.
September 6, 2017: Environmental Footprinting: Compare and contrast online footprinting tools and results
August 2, 2017: Delicious, destructive, or deadly: Invasive animal species and why they're so successful, with Amy Meeker-Taylor.
July 5, 2017: What are you declaring independence from? Single use disposable plastics? Dryer sheets? GMO's? We're all working on reducing our environmental footprints in ways large and small. Come share your successes and challenges and swap sustainability stories!
June 7, 2017: 125 Years of Sierra Club, with Martin Habalewsky, Sierra Club is celebrating its 125th anniversary and the Sierra Club Michigan Chapter is observing its 50th anniversary. We'll focus on what Sierra Club has done with environmental advocacy in the last 100 years and how you can be part of this great tradition.
May 3, 2017: Measuring Earth Fair's environmental footprint, with Kirsten Lyons, The Earth Fair's staff, participants and volunteers have been working on shrinking the event's environmental footprint for the last several years, beginning with a low-waste effort.
April 5, 2017: Walkability is Sustainability with Judy Lindberg, We're capping off National Walking Day with a conversation about walking and it's importance to human, economic and environmental health, and how a community can invest in walkability.
March 1, 2017: Eat Green, with Jeanne Mackay, We'll talk about how small changes in diet and subtle shifts in thinking can help us transition to a more planet- and people-friendly way of eating.
February 1, 2017: The new Earth Fair Green Guardian awards program with Amy Meeker-Taylor, Do you know an individual, family, business, group, school or classroom doing great things for our environment in the Blue Water Area?
January 4, 2017: The State of Solar with Aaron Faust, How does solar work? Where is solar working?
December 7, 2016: Non-consumerism, Voluntary Simplicity and Minimalism, Voluntary simplicity means consuming less and rethinking some of our materialistic tendencies. Chris Danner led us in conversation about her journey down this path.
November 2, 2016: Lambton Wildlife's 50th Anniversary Celebration
October 5, 2016: Being Green on Vacation, Planning with a purpose, packing green, getting there and back, experiencing the place, eating and sleeping and shopping, and evaluating your trip after you’ve returned.
September 7, 2016: Share Your Environmental Good News!
August 3, 2016: Pollinator Health, using this article and video to kick off our discussion: http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/news/local/2016/07/22/declining-wild-bee-populations-threaten-states-fruit-industry/87242152/
July 6, 2016: Food Waste, We kicked off our discussion by discussing this short video about the subject: https://youtu.be/IoCVrkcaH6Q
June 1, 2016: Microplastics in the Environment, focusing on recent research on microplastics. If you'd like a preview, you can review Kirsten's summary of the Microplastics in the Great Lakes workshop: https://docs.google.com/…/1cUbR_HWI1m--Bh4atoEhHOGrXs…/edit….
May 4, 2016: Plastics in the Environment, using this video, narrated by Jeff Bridges, to kick off the discussion. Our own Andy Northrop has written some articles on the subject so we talked about those, too.