Green Drinks, or an eco friendly cocktail hour

Okay, I finally made my first Green Drinks last night and had a great time. For those of you who haven't heard of it, Green Drinks is a monthly cocktail hour for people in green industries. It is organized globally via their site, www.greendrinks.org and locally by eco minded folks in the community. I've been looking for a way to get involved in our local green scene, and this looks like it.

I have been trying to go to this thing for at least 6 months, but things kept coming up. However, since my pal Matt Rathbun was speaking at this one, I made the extra effort to attend. He is our local real estate board's director of education, and he was there to talk about the Green designation for REALTORs that NAR is now offering. Its a pretty fantastic designation, and I wish I could take the class next week. Unfortunately, I'm tied up so will have to try and catch it next time its offered. In a nutshell, the class is designed to familiarize REALTORs with green terminology, introduce them to green concepts and give them the tools to help them become experts in renewable building. As with everything green, there is so much information that it is impossible to learn it all in a 2 day class. However, it is a great jumping off point, and well worth the cost.

The event itself was fun. People were friendly and definitely there to network. I got an intense education from some of the builders I chatted with, and the lighting specialist that was there was especially knowledgeable. I also met an accountant who specializes and understands eco friendly concepts, an stockbroker who understands green investments, a few fellow REALTORs, and a ton of other folks. All in all, it was a great beginning to my green experience. Some of the key terms bandied about were LEEDS for homes, Earthcraft Homes and EnergyStar. Our local green drinks is coordinated by Dan Dukes, who is a rater for Earthcraft and LEEDs for homes. FYI, the rater is a key part of the green building process. The rating is what makes it green, and raters have inspect the homes to make sure they meet certain standards.

At any rate, if you're looking to get your feet wet in the environmentally friendly world, I highly recommend attending a Green Drinks. Its a relaxing, low pressure way to find out who's who in your local green world. As everyone who succeeds in real estate knows, this is a people business, and the people who go to green drinks are knowledgable and approachable. I toast your entry into green building!