Green New Drinks finds new home for environmental activism at St. John's brewery | Local | News | The Telegram

Green New Drinks finds new home for environmental activism at St. John's brewery | Local | News | The Telegram

Green New Drinks finds new home for environmental activism at St. John's brewery

Social Justice Co-operative of Newfoundland and Labrador operations co-ordinator Lea Mary Movelle (left) and project co-ordinator Neria Aylward. - Contributed

First event of new year this Wednesday at Bannerman Brewing

ST. JOHN'S, N.L. —

If you want to hear people talk about pressing environmental concerns while enjoying some local craft beer, the Social Justice Co-operative of Newfoundland and Labrador (SJCNL) has you covered.

The group, in partnership with Green Drinks St. John's, has hosted several Green New Drinks gatherings at various venues in St. John's over the last few months, bringing in speakers from a variety of backgrounds to tackle topics relevant to the environment and social justice.

Memorial University associate professor of anthropology Robin Whitaker speaks at the first Green New Drinks event in St. John's last August.

For the new year, the event has found a new permanent home, with the Bannerman Brewing Company agreeing to host the monthly talks, which are held the first Wednesday of each month.

"Our goal is to bring all the people who are interested in environmental activism in the community together in an informal setting, because there are so many people in this city who are interested in doing something about the climate crisis," SJCNL project co-ordinator Neria Aylward told The Telegram. "It's never really felt more pressing."

The event can serve as a sociable starting point for people curious to learn more about what people locally are doing to help make St. John's and Newfoundland and Labrador as a whole proactive in addressing the effects of climate change.

The first Green New Drinks gathering at Bannerman Brewing takes place this Wednesday from 7-9 p.m. and will focus on local transit. Coun. Ian Froude and Kirsten Morry, both from the St. John's Transportation Commission, will be joined by Liam O'Neill from the Memorial University Students' Union executive for Wednesday's talk.

St. John's Transportation Commission members Kirsten Morry, left, and Coun. Ian Froude are among the guest speakers at Wednesday's Green New Drinks event at Bannerman Brewing in St. John's. - Contributed

Green New Drinks enables attendees to learn about what the speakers are doing, and serves as a networking opportunity, and the audience for the monthly event has grown considerably over time, Aylward said.

In addition to being a wheelchair-accessible space, Bannerman Brewing as a venue allows for Green New Drinks to be an all-ages event. Madison Acker, a member of SJCNL, works as a science interpreter and creates themed activities for kids as part of Green New Drinks.

"It's not just that the kids can come, it's that they'll have things to do as well," Aylward said.

Future topics for Green New Drinks this year include democratic reform (Feb. 5), anti-environmental racism (March 4) and food sovereignty (April 1).

Twitter: @CBNAndrew

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Tags: Green New Drinks, The Telegram