We want to  thank Eileen & Tim Leahy for their hospitality in making the Carroll House available to us. We were very happy that Green Drinks was the venue for the preservation and stewardship of Annapolis' "Hidden Gems" awards. They were presented by State Senator John Astle, for the Annapolis Historic Preservation Commission and the Heritage Commission, to Eileen and Tim for Carroll House (photo, left) and to Jose Rubino for Historic Annapolis. We were also delighted that Green Drinks brought so many folks to the Carroll House who had never been there before. Now go back with your guests/friends/visitors for a tour and visit or to arrange for your own private event there. The Carroll House relies on donations to stay open. Let's help them continue to share their history with us!

We had terrific partners for our appetizers, all from past hosts and supporters of Green Drinks:

Galway Bay Irish Pub - One of Sustainable Annapolis' environmental stewards and now the first Maryland Green Travel Restaurant Partner. (Ask them about their composting and extensive recycling efforts!)

Level: A Small Plates Lounge - Creative and hip ... bringing sustainability to everything they do and with such style!

Boatyard Bar & Grill - With their in-house smoked fish that "rocked." Their environmental commitment is huge and ever growing as our latest Annapolis Green Founding One Hundred!

O'Callaghan Hotel's John Barry Restaurant - Also a big friend of MainStreet Annapolis are the newest Green Lodging Partner to be welcomed into Maryland Green Travel! Read more. 

As you can imagine a special event that is not held in a restaurant requires a fair amount of "doing." We are so grateful for our volunteers: Leslie Trott Neff, Karin Hannah Stern of Hannah Studios, Christine Varney (green event planner) and first-timer Elly Tierney of Chez Amis B&B.  And where would we be without bartenders ... ever-reliable Dave Geipe, David Wood, and even Justin Sheppard (New college grad w hoAunt Lynne put to work!). Loews Annapolis Hotel came to the rescue donating linens for our tables. (Watch for the Loews opening of the new Tavern next month!)

St. Mary's Parish partnered with the Carroll House to mitigate storm water runoff from the parking lot with installation of rain gardens, in conjunction with the Spa Creek Conservancy. Former State Senator Gerald Winegrad is very involved in this effort and led two tours of Green Drinkers throughout the property explaining the design and science behind rain gardens. Thank you, Gerald!  

The event photos you see here were taken by photographer and Green Drinks Advisory Committee member Wendy Marxen. See more on her SmugMug site by clicking here.   

At our suggestion the Carroll House had an energy audit conducted by one of our Founding One Hundred Sponsors, Infrared Tools Energy Services. We will let you know what they find and more importantly, what steps can be taken to keep fine buildings like this grand and authentic while saving money and doing good for the environment too.  

Elvia & Lynne  

PS - We debuted our new cork collection box at Green Drinks. At every event, bring us your corks... your natural, not plastic corks for recycling.