Stuart McMillen

In some ways it may be easier to describe Green Drinks Brisbane by clarifying what it is not:

• Green Drinks Brisbane is not a networking event. Sure, everyone is there to meet other people (and most people at the event seem to work/study in the ‘green collar’ spectrum of things), but the vibe is quite relaxed. ‘Networking’ definitely occurs at the event, but the mood is chilled, and people appear interested in holding genuine conversations with the others that they meet. I am thankful for this, as I loathe the sharky, self-interested vibe of certain ‘networking events’ that I have been to in the past. Participants of Green Drinks Brisbane face no risk of paper cuts from business cards being thrust into unsuspecting hands.
• Green Drinks Brisbane is not a political gathering. Certainly, the politics of environmentalism and sustainability are discussed in various conversations across the night, but that is just part of the territory. The decentralised nature of the night means that the group will never come to broad consensus on anything, as there are always a dozen discussions occurring at once.
• Green Drinks in itself will not solve our problems of sustainability. Green Drinks is about introducing people and starting conversations. Great things may come out of the relationships that form at Green Drinks, but they will not necessarily happen on the night. Green Drinks is simply a catalyst.

Photo credit: Gordon Curtis

Green Drinks won’t provide the answer to our sustainability challenges, but it is a great place to start. I have great faith in the serendipity that can come from a critical mass of motivated people getting together in the one place. The number of times I have heard green drinkers say things like “oh, so you are interested in ……..? You should really talk to ……..” is amazing.

If you have any interest in environmentalism, sustainability or related areas, you owe it to yourself to be a part of Green Drinks. Check out the greendrinks.org and search for your city. If your city is listed, join the mailing list. If your city is not listed, it is up to you to start your own event!

These are my personal extensions to some points from the ‘Green Drinks code‘ as listed on the international website.

Barring a 30 second speech on the first night, I have kept the events uninterrupted by announcements of any kind. There are plenty of ‘seminar’-type events where people can join an audience and listen to guest speakers. Those events are great and I regularly attend them, but I also like the idea of serendipitous, agenda-free conversations. To me, Green Drinks should be free-form and purely driven by the interactions of participants.

Photo credit: Gordon Curtis

There is no entrance fee to Green Drinks Brisbane. I am quite against ‘networking’-type events where participants need to pay money for the privilege of entering. I think organisations hosting such events should review their cost-structures and reconsider the benefits that might come their way if they instead provided their functions for free as gestures of goodwill to the community. Thankfully there are plenty of great events in Brisbane that do not charge people for wanting to attend.

I am also determined to maintain the independence of the event. Green Drinks Brisbane will never be ‘presented by’, ‘sponsored by’ or ‘affiliated with’ any organisation. Heck, I don’t even list my name on the official webpage, so this is not even a vanity exercise for me. It is a labour of love; a community service that stands as its own entity without needing the affiliation of any other group. Green Drinks Brisbane just exists.

It’s coming up to the 12 month anniversary of the establishment of Green Drinks Brisbane, so I thought I should publish some insights into the event.

Green Drinks is one of the simplest and best ideas there is. It is a regular night where people interested in sustainability, environmentalism and similar topics meet at a bar and talk to each other over drinks.

Green Drinks happen in hundreds of cities internationally, and are extremely decentralised and localised. Each city’s event is organised by a local resident who is super-enthusiastic about the idea of starting a Green Drinks event in their region. I can only speak from my experiences at Green Drinks Brisbane, but I’m sure the characteristics of the cultures, climates and venues from all around the world lead to very different events.

Initially helped by the like-minded Holly and Morgan, I soon became the sole organiser of Green Drinks Brisbane. Being the coordinator is an easy gig, but also a very rewarding one. As an organiser you just need to make sure the bar is booked, make sure the reminder emails go out on time, and make sure to be the first person at the bar on the night. Other jobs crop up, such as collating a ‘contact details sheet’, organising dorky name tags/stickers for attendees and creating event listings on social networking sites, but these chores are easily handled. Sure beats spending the evenings watching ‘Deal or No Deal’!

Photo credit: Gordon Curtis

Getting the event started out took some time, effort and tenacity; as I was keen to attract as many people from as many organisations around Brisbane. This ambition meant scouring the internet for people and companies that I could invite – exhibitor listings at events like Greenfest were a great starting place. It was worthwhile casting a wide net, as the event feels like an ‘open’ night that is not dominated by cliques of individuals from certain groups.

Normally at least a third of attendees are first-timers, which adds a great freshness to the evenings, and stops things from becoming too familiar. There seems to be an unwritten rule to regularly circle the room and talk to people that you have never spoken to before!

Photo credit: Gordon Curtis

One of the most positive things about attending the events is gaining insight into the range of people that are concerned about environmental sustainability in the modern context. They are certainly not the ‘long-haired hippies’ that envrionmentalists were painted as through outdated stereotypes. The event attracts people from fields as diverse as architecture, engineering, financial planning, fashion, town planning, politics, marketing, science, and many more. Cross-pollination is great, especially when it happens with interesting people who are doing things to address a problem.

It is great to look around the room to see dozens of people in conversation and think “these people may never have met each other if it wasn’t for this event.” I couldn’t be happier about the way the events have turned out so far, and will keep organising them well into the foreseeable future.