Hummingbird604.com » Green Drinks

Green Drinks Summer Picnic (July 28th, 2009)

Raul — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 19:30:37 +0000

I’ve written before on my blog how, in spite of the fact that I have a doctorate in Resource Management and Environmental Studies, I have never felt part of the crowd at Green Drinks. Maybe it’s the fact that my line of work and research are not in the mainstream sectors (green energy, climate change, green buildings), or the fact that the event itself has felt “too network-y”, but I had lost any interest in Green Drinks. Up until the last Green Drinks that I attended, where I very publicly and heart-felt-edly vented to Wendy and to Christina. And I felt better.

In spite of anything, year after year, Green Drinks’ summer picnic has been, every year, a consistent hit and I absolutely adore the work that Christina, Lyda and Wendy have put into organizing (in volunteer manner) Green Drinks. Also, I’m trying to get back into the environmental community at large (it’s not like I’ve ever left, but I’m somewhat peripheral, given my strong involvement in social media/PR/tech). Therefore, I’m going to transcribe the email that I received as an invite to this summer’s Green Drinks.

The regular July Green Drinks is being replaced by our annual outdoor event that will take place Tues, July 28 from 6pm-9pm at Jericho Park East. DO NOT go to Steamworks this month. We will be back inside at our usual time and place in August.

Green Drinks Picnic
July 28 (Tues), 6pm-9pm, Jericho Park, Eastern pond picnic area

This is a BYOE (Bring Your Own Everything) event. There will be no cooking or washing facilities at the site so please plan for a basic cold food picnic. The theme of this mission, should you choose to accept it, is local and sustainable food. So bring something appropriate if you can, enough to share if you’re willing…and hey, there might be a contest. Details forthcoming.

Basics to bring:
*yourself and any interested friends or family.
*your own food, drink and necessary dining implements: plates, cutlery,
etc.
*willingness to pick up all of your refuse when you leave.

Other items we’d love someone to bring:
*games or sports equipment (volleyball & net, badminton, bocce, etc).
*a BBQ that you are willing to share – please get in touch if you can for sure bring this.
*non-amplified musical instruments and your singing voice.

What not to bring:
*glass drink containers
*booze – parks officers don’t want to see that
*amplified music or public address systems
*advertising
*electricity
*structures, fences, poles, tents, stages, etc

These are Vancouver Parks restrictions so please see their site for further details:

How to get to the Green Drinks picnic:

We’ll be in the same place as previous years, which is not far from where the back of the main stage at folk fest will have been the week before. See the Vancouver Parks website for details & map of “Jericho Pond”:

Here are the transit options:
*Bus 4 – get off 1 or 2 stops west of Alma along 4th Ave.
*Buses 7, 44, or 84 – get off at Alma & 4th and walk a few minutes
westward.
*Buses 9, 17 or 99 B-line – get off at Alma & Broadway and walk north to
4th and then west to Jericho.

Of course, there is plenty of space to park your bike or kayak!

Christina on behalf of the other Vancouver Green Drinkers/Picnickers

Upcoming events – Nov 16-20th, 2008

Raul — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 07:14:55 +0000

As the Organizer of Vancouver Bloggers Meetup, I have absolutely no qualms in promoting my group and inviting friends to join us for some coffee and good blogging/geek talk. But this coming week is filled with events as well that I think are worth highlighting. I don’t think I’m going to attend all of them, but at least, a few of them.

Meetups:
- Vancouver Sales Performance – Comedy and Technology for Sales Pros at Ceili’s Pub – Nov 17, 2008 (Probably will recap this one)
- Third Tuesday Vancouver – Rebecca Bollwitt speaks on Building a Brand, at Granville Room – Nov 18, 2008 (I’ll be liveblogging this one)
- Vancouver Bloggers Meetup - I’m the organizer, so of course I’m going to be there! – Nov 20, 2008, 6pm, Gene’s Cafe (corner of Kingsway and Main) – I will do a recap, but doubt I can liveblog it.

Non-meetup events:
- Green Drinks Vancouver – As usual, third Wednesday of the month. I’ve been to the past few ones and I’ve felt them really, really “networky” and less social than I have expected them. Sure, I’m on the job market, and sure, it’d probably help if I attended. But I’m feeling ABSOLUTELY NO DESIRE to do so. I’ll see how I feel by the time Wednesday hits.

Upcoming environmental events in Vancouver – September 2008

Raul — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 22:00:12 +0000

Two upcoming events are rather relevant to me and both fall on the same day.

Green Drinks Vancouver happens again on the third wednesday of the month (Sep 17th, 2008) at Steamworks.
The Metro Vancouver Sustainability Breakfasts series continues, and this time, they will focus on the discussions we’ve been having on bottled water. I am SO definitely there!

About the Community Sustainability Breakfast [Metro Vancouver's website]:

Sustainability Community Breakfasts – Nature’s Health Drink – Always on Tap
Wednesday, 17 September, 2008
from 7:30 AM to 9:00 AM
British Columbia Institute of Technology
555 Seymour Street, Vancouver

About Green Drinks Vancouver Sep 2008 [Green Drinks Website]

WHEN the next regular Green Drinks is: Every 3rd Wednesday of the month (except in Dec and July) Our next event is on Sept 17th, 2008
WHERE: Steamworks pub at 375 Water Street on the edge of Gastown near Waterfront Station.
Please be aware that due to changing space availability we cannot guarantee we’ll be in the same room each month – if you can’t find us just ask Steamworks staff which room we are in.
TIME:5:45pm-until?

It’s lucky that both of these events fall on the same day, and that I’ll be back in Vancouver by then! And again, I’ve got a full week booked (Brew 2.0, Green Drinks, Launch Party AND a special day!). Can someone please clone me? Thanks.

The Environmental Movement Needs You – Homer Simpson Has Already Joined – Guest post by Lotus Effect

Raul — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 03:00:18 +0000

This post was contributed by L.E. who blogs at The Lotus Effect.

I love the way Raul phrases his environmental passions: “Being a student of the Environment”. I’ve found myself amongst the dozens of people I know that have put their previous career paths aside and pursued environmentally-related position in hopes of making a difference (and I’ve abandoned any inclination to feel the least bit hesitant to say that making a difference bit regardless of how trite it may be perceived by some).

So I’m confronted with it everyday – people wanting to do something, and we constantly hear.. “Just start anywhere.. it doesn’t’ matter where – the first step will introduce you to a plethora of options, and before you know it, you’ll come across something you’re really exited about.” Well, what if you don’t know where to take that first step? This is where this post comes in, I hope to offer some options of first steps that might lead you to your green passions. So here they go.

1) GREEN DRINKS The perfect combination – environmental geekery and sophisticated discussions with all kinds of people working in, or interested in the environment. I’ve only attended the Vancouver version twice, but it’s been a lot of fun – there is always a mix of veterans and solo flyers that show up without knowing a soul (but that is of course changed after the first beer).

2a) STORY OF STUFF This is a great little description of how the world currently works, some of the problems our actions are causing, and how to get involved in changing these patterns. The point with this one is.. simply reach out and learn more about how the world works, and how we can minimize our impact on the environment

2b) CRADLE TO CRADLE Similar to Option 2), this is a monumental piece of work that redefines the way we approach how we go about building stuff and creating the everyday objects we use. This novel concepts presented in cannot be called short of anything but a paradigm shift in the positive direction of what it means to be human. It’s simple, and beautiful…

If you’re interested in learning more without diving into the book, I’d recommend having a look at the TED talk featuring one of the authors (TED has numerous amazing talks on many other subjects including psychology, art, music, and technology. The one other talk that seems to be somewhat related would a brain scientist experiencing life a stroke in her left hemisphere, leaving her exposed to the raw experience of living life through her right – creative, loving, unified hemisphere – the experience’s lesson – if we use both of our brain real estate (Left AND right hemisphere), then we are much more in tune with others, and the environment around us – have a look).

2c) INCONVENIENT TRUTH If you haven’t seen it yet.. The only thing i gotta say about this one – i think any movie that helps someone win the Nobel Peace Prize might – just might be worth watching.

3) TAKE A HIKE I’m not kidding. Go get outside. Listen to the silence of the air and the stillness of your thoughts. There are many accessible parks in the Metro Vancouver area. Some of my favorites include Lighthouse Park (which is easily accessible by public transit, but surprisingly beautiful and secluded), the Grouse Grind if you’re adventurous, Shannon Falls or Bridal Veil Falls (if you prefer a light walk in the woods), or the Chief if you’re fit and would like a bit of a challenge.

4) LEARN ABOUT WATER Why on earth am i writing about water? An excellent recent film “Flow: For the Love of Water” about water illustrates this resource’s incredible importance. For one second care to entertain the thought of considering how essential water is to our survival, health (as in, the lack of clean water leading to health and survival problems). Climate change is melting glaciers and snowpacks around the world meaning that rivers worldwide are or will be facing water shortages. In 1999, 26 percent of Canadian municipalities reported problems with water availability, including seemingly wet locals such as Vancouver and Victoria (Environment Canada 2001; Boyd 2003). To illustrate the importance of this issue a bit further: 440 of 669 major cities in China face moderate to severe water shortages, and data collected from NASA and the World Health Organization suggest that 4 billion people will face water shortages by 2050 (Lagod 2007).

5) FOCUS ON THE POSITIVE SIDE Learning more about the state of the world can be difficult at times, but one of the most important lessons I’ve learned about environmental issues is the absolute necessity to stay positive, and not let things get to you personally – I’ve just started a blog about this and highlighting the importance of something known as the Lotus Effect (the real definition). Using all the energy generated by anger of learning about humanity breaking environmental laws and transforming it into something positive – action on improving things or leading by example. And last, and most importantly, keeping a sense of humour about it all, and not taking things, and ourselves too seriously.

A great example would be a well-known (and very witty) standup comedian talking about energy and world politics in Robert Newman’s History of Oil (I love it). Another PERFECT example of this would be the words of wisdom by a writer on the Simpsons - Welcoming Homer, the Tree Hugger! I’d like to end on that note, if you don’t visit any other links, visit the last two – I’m particularly fond of always looking at the bright side of things. With Love, L.E.

Upcoming events – Geeky and non-geeky

Raul — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 17:15:47 +0000

Just a quick reminder

- Vancouver Joomla Day 2008 – Saturday June 14, 2008. I will be liveblogging a couple of sessions. Registration is $ 25.00 and $ 30.00 at the door.

- Third Tuesday with Joe Solomon from EngageJoe.com – Tuesday June 17th, 2008 – I might be live-blogging, but I could almost bet that Rebecca will be media sponsor Thanks to Monica Hamburg for organizing! If you follow me on Twitter or read my blog and haven’t introduced yourself to me, this is your chance! I will be wearing a name tag with my blog site!

- Green Drinks Vancouver – Wednesday June 18th, 2008 - Since I’m on the job market AND I volunteered to be a Green Greeter, I *will* most certainly be there. I have to meet Isabella later that day, but at least I’ll be there for a couple of hours!

I have a pretty busy weekend, so I might not accept any more invitations other than what I already have planned for Friday and Saturday evenings. Sunday evening, as you all know, is already booked, so – sorry – next week perhaps!

What I’m up to today: LaunchParty, TechVibes job fair, Green Drinks, VIDFEST 2008

Raul — Wed, 21 May 2008 14:33:54 +0000

I am awake at an absurdly early hour, so I might as well just arrange my calendar and try to see if I can squeeze all the events I am supposed to attend this week (and TODAY), along with doing some of my own work, interviewing Al Pasternak (aka Bokashiman) for my blog, attending a very close friend’s PhD defense AND still doing some of my usual socializing. Will I manage to remain sane? We’ll see. I attended two social media events last night: Third Tuesday AND Vancouver MetBlogs drinks at Library Square and I managed to survive, so let’s see if I don’t end up social-media’d out by Saturday night

So… in the interest of keeping myself sane, let’s see what I am up to today.

- Launch Party IV – Republic, 5:30 – 9:00 pm. Can’t wait to meet Maura and Jordan and all the other folks at Strutta.com. Besides, good chance for a beer with Duane, Ianiv and Arieanna, John and Rebecca, Jenn, Nadia, and I’m pretty sure there will be many other of my social media peeps there.

- Green Drinks – Steamworks – 5:45 – 10:00 pm. This is going to be a tough one. I *really* want to go, particularly since I committed myself to be a Green Greeter (one of those folks who will come to you with a name tag and if I see that you are too shy, I’ll come and introduce you to other people I myself may not even know, but still – create social circles on the spot). But, as you will see, I also have other events the same night. You snooze, you lose. I *may* make an appearance, particularly since I’m on the job market in the environmental field, I kind of have to .

- TechVibes Job Fair – Republic 3:00 – 5:00 pm. I also may show up to this, although this seems to be more directed towards web designers, software engineers, etc. But who knows, there might be something for me. And since I’ve already said that my next job will meld social media with sustainability and social change, this may be a good opportunity. More information on the Career Fair and the schedule of speakers is here.

- VIDFEST and VIGS Opening Reception – Vancouver Art Gallery – 6:00 – 8:00 pm. Well, not sure if I’m going to make it to this (I need to talk to the organizers of VIDFEST, on the one hand, and on the other – I am already double-booked). But it would be nice to make an appearance, particularly since Rochelle Grayson is covering VIGS and I’d love to see her.

Ok, after seeing my schedule, it looks as though the majority of my commitments are after 3pm, which gives me a solid morning to do actual work. That’s kind of awesome, come to think about it. Although I have NO clue where I’m going to sneak in a nap, because I mean, being awake at 6.00am after going to bed at 1.30am doesn’t really jive with me.

The clash of two worlds: Enviro-geek or social media geek?

Raul — Sun, 18 May 2008 21:25:18 +0000

I have repeatedly mentioned that social media is going to have to land me my next job. I want to work on something that will allow me to bridge two somewhat different worlds. Well, the only problem is that this coming week, events of both worlds overlap, and I feel somewhat conflicted (although I’m going to be honest and admit that I’ve made my choices already).

Tuesday May 20th
Environmental event
Living Car Free Cafe – Climate Cafes
Bean Around the World [Main and Broadway] @ 7pm

Tuesday May 20th
Social media event
Darren Barefoot’s talk – Third Tuesday
Century Restaurant [Seymour and Hastings] @ 7pm

I’ve decided to attend Darren’s talk. But if anyone goes to the Climate Cafe, could you please summarize and e-mail me? I’m more than happy to post it as a guest post.

Wednesday May 20th
Environmental event
Green Drinks Vancouver – Wrap up party for 30 days of sustainability
Steamworks @ 5.45pm

Wednesday May 20th
Social media event
LaunchParty IV
Republic [on Granville] @ 5.30pm

I’ve also made the decision to come by to Launch Party for about an hour, go to Green Drinks for another and then come back to Launch Party. It’s going to be a challenging evening but hey, that’s why I’m called hummingbird, right?

I am hoping that in the future, I won’t have two days in a row with important events from both of the worlds I am trying to meld clashing. In the mean time, I hope you’re enjoying the sun!