Hey Smarty Pants! A Weekend of Learning. March 29 - April 1

March 29-31: EcoFest Conference and Festival

Tulsa Community College will host their EcoFest Conference and Festival, focusing on "Our Changing Environment: Increasing Sustainability, Empowering People."  Multiple lectures will focus on a variety of topics, including Building a Sustainable Green Community and a panel focused on alternative energy during the two day conference.  The final day of the three day event will be a festival including children's activities, presentations on ideas for living green, vendors showcasing green products and cooking demos.

March 29, Center for Creativity

6:00 - 6:50 p.m.  Dr. Dorceta E. Taylor  Racism, Inequality, and the Environment:  Building a Movement and Seeking Justice

7:00 - 7:50 p.m.  Richard Mabion  Building a Sustainable Green Community

7:50 - 8:30 p.m.  Q & A

8:30 - ? p.m.     Reception

   

March 30, Northeast Campus Seminar Center

9:00 - 9:50 a.m.    Dr. Steve Pueppke  Our Nation's Alternative Energy Challenge:  What's It Got to Do with You?

10:00 - 10:45 a.m.  Alternative Energy Panel with Dr. Daniel Crunkleton (University of Tulsa), Tommy Henderson (Tulsa Community College), Dr. Steve Pueppke (Michigan State University)

11:00 - 11:50 a.m.   Dr. Taiawagi Helton  Tribal and State Rights to Water at the Dawn of Freshwater Scarcity

12:00 - 1:00 p.m.    Lunch

1:00 - 1:50 p.m.     Dr. Jennifer Turner  Choke Point China - Understanding the Tightening Conflict Between Water and Energy in the World's Fastest Growing Economy                    

2:00 - 3:00 p.m.     Panel Discussion plus Audience Q & A with Taiawagi Helton, Steve Pueppke, Dorceta Taylor, Jennifer Turner

March 31. Festival, sponsored by Whole Foods, AEP/PSO, and Sustainable Green Country
    -Vendors and exhibitors with information to share about what you can do to live "green."
    -Cooking demonstrations with samples!
    -Live Music!
    -Kids activities including camel rides, horse-drawn wagon rides, and Wii games.
    -Presentations on urban farming, best uses of solar energy, composting and canning.
    -Tree giveaway!
    -Tours of the Center for Excellence in Energy Innovation.
    -Health and Fitness – Take time to get your blood pressure and other important health indicators tested by the “Know Your Numbers” team.
Festival Presentations
10:15 a.m. Oklahoma Farmers Markets, Justin Whitmore
11:00 a.m. Soil Yourself: A Guide to Homemade Compost, Michael Patton

11:45 a.m. The ABC’s of Solar Energy, Todd Stephens
12:30 p.m. The Truth about Urban Farming, Jenny Thompson
1:15 p.m. Green and Safe Living, Tim Lovell
2:00 p.m. Permaculture, James Spicer

Festival Cooking Demonstrations
11:15 a.m. Chef Remmi, Cooktime with Remmi

Noon Anner, Anner’s Wellness Works
12:45 p.m. Chef Remmi, Cooktime with Remmi
1:30 p.m. Denise Madeja, Raw Intentions

Ecofest Festival Performer(s)

11:00 a.m. Bluegrassahol

Noon Dan Butchee & John O’Neil

1:00 p.m. Dr. Charlie Hill
2:00 p.m. He and She

Festival Vendors/Exhibitors
AEP-PSO
Color of Oklahoma
Flowerbeds R Us / S & M Seasonal Produce & Flowers
Land Legacy
The M.e.t.
My Rain Barrel
Natural Evolution
Newsome Farmers Market
Oklahoma Centennial Botanical Garden
Oklahoma Conservation Commission
Oklahoma Dept. of Agriculture, Food & Forestry
Oklahoma Native Plant Society
OSU Extension
Pace Applied Technologies
Raw Intentions
Roses, Inc. Tulsa
Sustainable Green Country
Transit Matters
Transition Tulsa
Tulsa Area Daylily Society
Tulsa Community Garden Association
Tulsa County Conservation District
Tulsa Health Department
Tulsa Master Gardeners
Tulsa Master Recyclers Association
Tulsa Partners
Tulsa Recycle & Transfer
Tulsa Rose Society
Up with Trees
Whole Foods Green Mission Team
Worms Eat My Garbage

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April 1st: The World in 2050: Four Forces Shaping Civilization's Northern Future

The American Association for the Advancement of Science’s Southwestern and Rocky Mountain Division will present Laurence C. Smith in a lecture, 7:30 p.m., on Sunday, April 1 in the Lorton Performance Center on The University of Tulsa.

Smith, a professor in the UCLA Department of Geography, will discuss his book, The World in 2050: Four Forces Shaping Civilization’s Northern Future, which presents a science-based projection of what the world might look like in the future. The first part of the book (“The Push”) identifies key world pressures and trends, for example in urbanization, population aging, energy technology, water supply, immigration, and a historic transfer of wealth and power from west to east. The second part (“The Pull”) describes the emergence of a new region, coined the “Northern Rim,” comprised of the northern United States, Canada, Greenland/Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and the Russian Federation (named the “NORCs”). The last part (“Alternate Endings”) explores some more extreme, but less likely potential outcomes; and the power of societal choice in shaping our future.

Smith’s research interests focus on hydrology and the effects of climate and environmental change in northern environments. His recent awards include the Walter P. Kistler Book Award, a John D. Rockefeller Bellagio Residency, a Guggenheim Fellowship, Discover Magazine Top 100 and a NASA New Investigator.

He holds a doctorate in earth and atmospheric sciences from Cornell University.

For more information about the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s Southwestern and Rocky Mountain Division or the lecture, please contact: David Nash at dtnash@aaas-swarm.org or call 918-631-2715.

January: Happy Hour @ Cosmo Cafe

January 16, 2012 we'll be at Cosmo Cafe for a "no agenda" happy hour, beginning at 7 pm.  Taking it back to the roots of Green Drinks, this will be an informal, laid-back get together.  Come share a bite to eat and a drink with like-minded folks; chat, connect, get inspired or just socialize.  Cosmo Cafe has great drink specials, the super yummy Madras Vegan Chili & a wall-size assortment of tea; seriously something for everyone on their diverse menu.  (Have a local business? Skip the awkward build up to "here's my card" and bring your business cards for our Connections Table.)

Planning for Green Drinks events in 2012 is underway!  There are always opportunities to be involved beyond simply attending an event.  If you want to be in the spotlight as a speaker or host location for Green Drinks, let us know.  Your ideas are wanted, so drop us a line to send us your inspiration.  (Want to help make the fun happen? Volunteers & planners needed too!)

Thank You 2011!

Cleaning out the digital camera photos from 2011 brought on a big grin and innumerable thank you's.  Tulsa is a great place to be!

Check out the pictures of the Topéca Coffee Roastery party and Q&A, along with other Green Drinks Tulsa events on Facebook.

Thank you to the local people who helped us spread the word and the fun this year. To Kinfolkz Kreationz, SIAME, Eats2U, Marshall Brewing, Ann's Bakery, Topéca Coffee, Mayfest and all the fabulous Tulsans, we love you! 

The organizations and businesses that are sprouting up create more excitement for our community.  2012 is looking great, Tulsa.  We continue to grow and are lucky to have so many organizations working to spread ideas for a better community.  Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

September Event: Topéca Coffee

Come see where the "seed-to-cup" magic of Topéca Coffee happens and celebrate the grand opening of their new roastery location!

Thursday, September 22nd, 7 pm, Green Drinks will be spotlighting the sustainably grown, fair trade operated and super yummy Topéca Coffee at their new roastery, located at Peoria and Admiral.  Festivities include the Grand Opening Party, latte art competition and Q&A discussion with President, John Gaberino, & El Salvador coffee grower Emilio López Díaz.

Tour the operation and participate in a cupping demonstration by Topéca baristas.  Check out the incredible art of Kinfolkz Kreationz and party with local bands, Project Huckleberry and Move Trio, provided by arts foundation SIAME.  Eat dinner from the Eats2U Street Eats food truck.  Enjoy Tulsa crafted beer from Marshall Brewing and dessert by Ann's Bakery. The roastery will open to the public at 7 pm and an organized question and answer session will start at 8 pm, with latte art competition to follow.

Come celebrate this Tulsa original with a night of great music, great food, great people, great art, and you guessed it - great coffee!

Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food

There seems to be an inundation of fads that support fresh, organic, free-range, cage-free, no GHB, eco-friendly, hybrid, conflict-free, all natural living, and the list goes on. From the automobile industry to your household cleaning products, companies everywhere are modifying their approach by a little, or by a lot, to appeal to the generation of conscious and careful consumers. The food industry, especially, has jumped on this band wagon. There are countless books and documentaries on this topic that have climbed the best sellers lists in recent years. But why? People have begun to realize the radical changes that have taken place in the last few decades. What used to be dominated by family farms (and this was only a little over 30 years ago) is now run by the industrial agriculture giants. In fact, according to Jonathan Safran Foer, less than 1% of farms in this country are family farms. That’s almost hard to grasp. Even more startling is the fact that "the average distance our meat travels hovers around fifteen hundred miles" (Eating Animals, Jonathan Safran Foer). It seems the real issue is that most people simply don’t know the ins and outs of what all transpires in order to deliver your family’s food to the grocery store or neighborhood restaurant. Every day, more and more Americans are shocked when they discover what really goes on behind the scenes. Perhaps this is the first time you’ve been brought into the conversation, or maybe you’re a seasoned expert. Whatever the case – you’ve got questions and you aren’t alone.

"The choice-obsessed modern West is probably more accommodating to individuals who choose to eat differently than any culture ever has been, but ironically, the utterly unselective omnivore - "I'm easy; I'll eat anything" - can appear more socially sensitive than the individual who tries to eat in a way that is good for society" (Eating Animals, Jonathan Safran Foer). One way to eat in a way that is good for society is to eat local.

Local farming is important for so many reasons. Some of which we have just laid out for you. But if you’re unfamiliar with the vast differences between factory farming vs. family farming, industrial vs. small scale, organic vs. conventional, it’s in your best interest to educate yourself. Stop by Tulsa Green Drinks’ first event of the year: "Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food". Held on May 21st at 6pm during Mayfest in the Williams Towers on 3rd and Boulder, we will be hosting a panel of local farmers from the Green Country region. Come prepared to listen, learn, and most importantly, ask questions that are vital to sustaining Tulsa’s local farming system.

Kris Carr event cancelled

We regret that due to a scheduling conflict, the Kris Carr event scheduled for February 5th at Whole Foods has been cancelled.

Kris Carr comes to Tulsa

Greetings to all of you and Happy New Year!! Green Drinks has been on a bit of a hiatus, but there are some great things in store for 2011. For the first event this year, I am beyond happy to say, we will welcome actress, author, and film maker Kris Carr!

When: February 5th at 7:30pm
Where: Whole Foods Tulsa - 1401 E 41st St - Tulsa, OK 74105



Back in 2003, Kris released her documentary on The Learning Channel: Crazy Sexy Cancer. She was diagnosed with an incureable, inoperable cancer - epithelioid hemangioendothelioma (EHE). It is so rare that only 0.01 percent of the cancer population has it. The cause is unknown. When Kris was diagnosed she was in stage IV. There is no stage V. But instead of sitting back and waiting for her time to run out, she took matters into her own hands and began her journey to wellness.

TV appearances '07 from Crazy Sexy Life on Vimeo.

Since there was no medication or treatment, Kris looked to nutrition and lifestyle for the answers. She began a raw vegan diet, loaded with juicing, wheatgrass, smoothies, and lots & lots of veggies. She meditated, did yoga, swang from the trapeze, danced, jumped on trampolines, met with gurus....and she is still doing all that today, in 2011. almost 8 years later Kris is not only still alive, but she is ROCKIN'! Since the release of her film, her tumors have shrunk, she got married, adopted a rescue dog (Lola), has been on Oprah, worked with Donna Karan's Urban Zen Foundation,
established a website with a super star panel of contributors (AND which won the website launch of the year in 2009 with Vegnews Magazine), and has spoken all over the country inspiring millions. This year she releases her third book, Crazy Sexy Diet: Eat Your Veggies, Ignite Your Spark, and Live Like You Mean It!



As you can see, this woman is a red hot spark of illumination & awakening. Over the last 5 years or so, I have followed her blogs, read her books, and put her DVD in the hands of countless friends looking for inspiration. Much like Kris, I prefer to not sit back and wait. When the breeze has been taken out of my sails I search for trade winds. A few months back, I was looking to the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health and the Omega Institute for Holistic Studies for retreats. Along the way, I also looked for speaking events Kris might be holding. That was when I discovered her upcoming release and book tour. Being the literary hot spot that Tulsa has become (thanks to our favorite Tulsan Jeff Martin and his killer line up at Booksmart Tulsa), I figured she would want to make a stop here. A few emails with her publicist later and there you go - Kris Carr's last stop is on February 5th, at 7:30 pm at Whole Foods Tulsa! She'll be speaking about the new book, answering questions, and signing. This is another great partnership with Booksmart Tulsa. Some of our most exciting events have been with this organization, which is making it's indelible mark on our fair state. I encourage you to check out their site and show your support.

Though you may want to run out and buy her book ASAP, Kris is asking that you wait until January 16-22. Those are the (only) dates that count towards getting her onto the best sellers list. So hold your horses, cowgirls and cowboys. Let's help a sister out!