St. Patrick’s Day seems like a good time to promote an organization called Green Drinks, which is not a group that gathers to drink green beer. Rather, it’s an opportunity to meet — and raise a glass with — other people who are interested in sustainability issues.

Launched informally in the UK nearly two decades ago, the group now claims more than 450 chapters in nearly 50 countries, including all the major Canadian cities.

Many members work in the environmental arena (and use the group as a networking opportunity), but many simply enjoy meeting and chatting with other folks who are concerned about green issues.

Vancouver has an active Green Drinks group that meets regularly on the 3rd Wednesday of every month at Steamworks in Gastown.

Toronto‘s group also gets together monthly on the 3rd Wednesday, meeting at The Bedford Academy in the Annex.

In Montreal, Green Drinkers assemble on the last Tuesday of the month in the Thomson House restaurant at McGill University.

Other Canadian Green Drinks groups meet in:

• Quebec City (1st Wednesdays)
• Ottawa (2nd Wednesdays)
• Calgary (3rd Tuesdays)
• Edmonton (2nd Wednesdays)
• Victoria (2nd Tuesdays)

For the complete list of Green Drinks chapters, with their meeting times and locations, check out GreenDrinks.org.

Photo by pengrin (flickr)