Sustainable Networking Group Starts Up in Petaluma

Green Drinks, the environmental networking group with chapters all over the world, has started in Petaluma.

Organized by Petaluma residents Dale Wannen, and Alena Marr, the group will meet monthly to discuss everything from eating local to alternative energy to socially responsible investments— and serve as a gathering place for people working in the sector or are simply interested in learning more.

“I go to a ton of networking events and a lot of them are really stuffy,” says the 36-year-old Wannen, a portfolio manager at Harrington Investments, a socially and environmentally responsible investment firm with offices in Napa. “There’s something nice about just having a beer and chatting and I believe it actually brings more out in people.”

The group will meet every second Thursday of the month at Taps on Kentucky Street from 5:30pm to 7:30pm. Each event will give attendees a chance to meet people working in, studying or studying sustainability issues and feature different speakers. (Organizers are currently seeking ideas and suggestions, so send yours.)

Wannen is a recent graduate of the Presidio Graduate School, where he received an MBA in Sustainable Management, while the 31-year-old Marr is a nutritionist who previously worked at an environmental nonprofit in Connecticut, where she started a Green Drinks group. 

“Petaluma has many community-minded people that care about the environment, and demonstrate this daily either professionally or in their personal lives at home,” she said. “Green Drinks Petaluma is an ideal way to bring these folks together to build a stronger and greener community.”

Green Drinks Petaluma will host an event every second Thursday of the month at Taps, 205 Kentucky St., from 5:30-7:30pm. For more information, contact Dale at dale.wannen@gmail.com  or  Alena at alenamarr@yahoo.com