Eastside Green Drinks brings business-minded greenies together

Eastside Green Drinks. It sounds like a St. Patty’s Day celebration, but the name actually applies to a new social networking site.

Think Facebook for tree huggers with a 425 area code.

The site features blogs, profiles, and a calendar of green events that range from training and seminars to socials.

Members, of which there are nearly 120, meet once a month at a pre-determined locale to drink free beer and share in a marketplace of ideas for environmental responsibility.

“There’s a yearning for like-minded folks to get together now that some of these ideas are gaining traction,” said Aaron Adelstein, a Green Drinks member and executive director of the Master Builder Association of King and Snohomish Counties' Built Green organization.

Green businesses host most of the events and supply wine and hors d'oeuvres, while the Sierra Nevada brewing company provides keg beer.

Guests generally bring their own mugs to prevent bottle waste.

The Green Drinks concept started in Seattle, but the meetings there tend to serve as a social outlet. The Eastside events have more of a networking flare, albeit alcohol-enhanced.

“There’s a more professional flavor over here,” said Green Drinks member Alexandra Steele, who works with the non-profit group Sustainable September.

Most of the people who show up at the Eastside events represent some form of business or advocacy group.

It's where capitalism meets conscience, with the idea that green living and profit-making aren't mutually exclusive.

“This value system is starting to enter the mainstream business realm,” Adelstein said. “It’s not so much about entrenched environmentalism as it is market-based environmental advocacy. What’s exciting now is that people are realizing it not only doesn’t hurt their business, but it actually helps.”

A growing number of small companies are sending representatives to the Green Drinks meetings to find out how that works.

One answer: Adelstein says employees of environment-minded companies have a higher rate of employee health, happiness, and retention.

Green properties are also outperforming conventional homes in the real-estate market.

Data from the Northwest Multiple Listing Service indicates that environmentally-certified homes in King and Snohomish counties sold for 9 percent more per square foot than non-certified homes between 2007 and 2008.

“Green is not about sacrifice,” Steele said. “It should be about positives. I don’t see it as a give-up kind of a game.”

That doesn’t mean environmental friendliness is an easy row to hoe. Lack of awareness about sustainable practices often creates roadblocks for those putting them to use.

Donna Shirey is a contractor who has made a commitment to environmental responsibility. She and her husband are constructing a zero energy house in Bellevue that creates as much power as it uses.

That shouldn’t be a lot considering all the energy-efficient features included in the designs: things like real-time power monitoring, ductless hydronic heating, and a foam-insulated shell.

But homes with these types of modern green features tend to be undervalued by appraisers, according to Shirey.

“Appraisers don’t get it,” she said. “They don’t have a creative bone in their bodies.”

Permitting presents another challenge, as many inspectors still aren’t informed about the latest green-building techniques.

Green Drinks member Brenda Nunes works as a sustainable-building advisor, which means part of her job is to educate examiners about how environmentally-friendly construction meets building codes.

“If you’re doing something outside the box, they kind of want to say ‘no’ right off the bat,” she said.

For anyone trying to overcome permitting hurdles, or just plain looking for sustainability ideas, Eastside Green Drinks is a place to find advice.

"These are the leaders in the industry," Shirey said. "Everybody here wants to learn."

Joshua Adam Hicks can be reached at 425-453-4290.

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