Green Drinks and Green Links

March 17, 2008

On February 28th, I attended North Bay Sustainable Business Alliance’s Green Drinks Networking Social. For twenty bucks, you get a drink ticket, finger food, the ability to enter yourself in a raffle, and the opportunity to network with local Green Business people. This is a monthly event held at the Marin Inn in Novato.

The organizers have formal networking exercises at each table where people describe what they do, what they need, and how you can assist that person with their goals. Their speaker was Seth Nickinson, Account Manager at Saatchi & Saatchi (Formerly Act Now), who worked with Walmart employees to change the culture of their workplace to fight global warming. Nickinson presented video interviews of these employees to show that change can happen from the bottom up and can capture the imagination of those on top of the organization. Nickinson also announced that Saatch & Saatchi is expanding and looking for employees.

Guess what? I won one of the raffle prizes which was a Green Zebra coupon book, which offers impressive deals on Green business products and services. I would like to thank Diane Boivie from Catalyst Coaching & Training for reaching out to me and sending an invitation to this event. Kudos also goes to Diane and Mary O’Connor of Grow Your Green Business for putting this event together.

I also got an awesome chair massage from Gail Orchier of Fluid Hands at (415)312-3112. That was a little piece of heaven right there. I really, really needed it.

I met Srikanth Seelin, a local representative of Solar Venti a device that reduces humidity, provides ventilation, and free space heating with zero running cost and reduction of your carbon footprint. He tells me that this solar powered device actually improves the air quality and is good for people with allergies.

I made the following contacts:

Stacey Marvel of Inner Genius Communications (415-596-8985). Inner Genius Communications specializes in sustainability and CSR consulting,business plan development,marketing plans, digital communications strategy, website development, and website project management.
Leonard H. Weingarten (415-492-8802). Leonard H. Weingarten is a marketing consultant who is an experienced project manager.
Michael Beutel of Avalon Practical Green Builders.
Eric Fenster of Back To Earth Catering.
Scott Gaidano of Drive Savers Data Security, a Bel Marin Keys Green data recovery company.
Beata C. Lewis of Isagenix a supplier of health suppliments.
Alexis Halbert of Equinox Landscape, which designs and builds sustainable landscape management.
Christine Jager of Kerching Consulting in Novato, who has a green business that helps people organize and redefine space, project management, office and paper solutions, estate liquidation, and event set up. They also provide real estate staging.
Carrie Bachelder of The Away Station, a proposed “shopping center” of reuse, which I will be blogging about shortly.

The next NBSBA Green Drinks event will be on Thursday, March 28th at 6:00pm to 8:00pm. They will be meeting at the Novato Oaks, The Redwood Room, 215 Alameda del Prado in Novato. The fee will be $20 which includes appetizers and one glass of wine. RSVP here.