We are well into the holiday season now and we want to urge everyone to consider giving Green gifts -particularly those that "give back" like the ones we exhibited at the last Green Drinks. And, we encourage you to Shop Local, Shop Small.

Tomorrow is national Shop Small day, when we should all show our support for locally owned small business... and Eastport is kicking it off tonight. Local businesses are the lifeblood of our local economy! More about that below.

Green Drinks on November 13 was a wonderful time - we'll get to that in a moment - and we have our next two events scheduled already.

December's Green Drinks will be held on Midnight Madness night, Thursday, December 6, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m., and we will return to the Maryland Inn at the top of Main Street so you can celebrate with us and then hit the street - Main Street and Maryland Avenue in particular - to shop and have fun! The Maryland Inn staff will have a wonderful buffet lined up for us, as they did last year, with the world-famous potato bar. Enjoy several stick-to-your-tummy-and-keep-you-warm potato and sweet potato dishes along with organic wines at the cash bar.

We are looking for an acoustic musician, duo or trio to make our event even warmer. If you know musicians who would like to donate their talent and perform some seasonal music, please let us know.

Midnight Madness is a tradition in downtown Annapolis when the shop keepers welcome you with open arms, sales, and goodies to snack on and drink. There will be a festive mood in the air, music on the street, and the chance to visit with friends you are sure to run into - at Green Drinks and on the street. Do join us first, to "get your Green on" at the Maryland Inn! Remember, parking is free at metered spots downtown (but you can't stay longer than the meter allows) through January 1.

Green Drinks will once again be the after party for the Maryland Environmental Legislative Summit on January 29 to "continue the conversation" of issues raised at the Summit. It will be held at the Loews Annapolis Hotel, with our times changed just for this one event. Instead of beginning at 5:30 p.m., we will begin at 6:30 p.m. and continue to 8:30 p.m.

The Environmental Legislative Summit is a yearly event that sets the tone for the year on environmental issues for the state. Hundreds of people attend, including residents, elected officials, and environmental advocacy groups. It is a bipartisan event, focused strictly on the environment and sponsored by 1000 Friends of Maryland, the League of Conservation Voters, and other environmental organizations. If you haven't attended before, please consider going this year and then close the evening out at Green Drinks. The Summit will be held in one of the General Assembly conference rooms. More details to come. Save the date!

Thank you to Phillips' Crab Deck!  

 

We had a wonderful Green Drinks at Phillips' Crab Deck on November 13. In addition to yummy appetizers and organic wines, we enjoyed a display of "Gifts that Give Back" from a number of local companies - just to get our Green Drinkers in the holiday spirit before Thanksgiving.

Phillips is one of the most iconic seafood restaurants linked to the Bay and the Crab Deck is a great space with great views. It's causal and fun ... Phillips' staff - especially manager John Maske, Jenna Hendrick and Michelle Torres - worked hard to make us feel welcome and they are a company that also works very hard to operate in a sustainable manner. Click here to learn about their practices.  

Thank you also to our exhibitors:

• Chesapeake Bay Roasting Company
• Clean Currents
• Cleaning Corps
• Diane Holland, author
• Infrared Tools Energy Services
• National Wildlife Federation
• Oyster Recovery Partnership
• South River Federation
• Urban Adventures

We'll see you in just a couple of weeks and at local businesses as we all shop local! 

 

Elvia & Lynne  

 

PS - Visit our Facebook page (link at the left, at the top) and share your Green opinions, articles, whatever. Let's make it a community forum.