The coronavirus postponed SSMC’s Annual Awards dinner to July 10 but it didn’t stop our community from coming together virtually. 

Many attendees had marked Thursday, April 2 on their calendars for SSMC’s Annual Awards dinner. When the pandemic upended the celebration and our lives seemingly overnight, our resilient community still found a way to connect. 

That night, 22 attendees gathered for SSMC’s first virtual Sustainable Happy Hour. After a round of introductions, including features of impressive home-made green drinks, the group broke into three smaller discussion groups. The overarching theme was “How do we turn this crisis into an opportunity?” 

Despite the bleak backdrop, attendees weren’t short on ideas or positive energy. As board member Terry Nagel noted, “Everything went very smoothly, and it was inspiring to see so many people share their ideas.” 

Given the success of this first event, future sessions are in the works. The next one is this Thursday, April 16 from 5:00 – 6:30 pm. We welcome all to join and participate. 

Sustainable Silver Linings
From our community

  • Enjoying the clean air and meeting the neighbors for the first time, from a safe distance of course
  • Building our sense of community as we’re all in this together
  • Showcasing a spirit of generosity, volunteering to help neighbors or seniors in need
  • Highlighting our resiliency, as we can make drastic changes quickly when we have to 
  • Unprecedented opportunity to collect data on human impact on the climate
  • Opportunity to analyze our resource needs, from manufacturing through distribution
  • Showcasing the link between health and climate
  • Opportunity to improve public transportation through potential stimulus funding
  • Highlighting yet another reason to slow deforestation, as the rise of zoonotic diseases are linked to deforestation
  • Opportunity to highlight the public health role of plant-based diets

Zesty Garden Delight Recipe
From Christine Christine Kohl-Zaugg 

Ingredients:
1 lemon
A bunch of mint leaves
White wine (pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc work best), or use some soda for a non-alcoholic version
Elderberry syrup

In a mortar, muddle the mint leaves with a pestle. Put into your glass. Pour 1-2 dashes of elderberry syrup. Squeeze the juice of up to 1/2 a lemon. Fill up the glass with white wine (or soda, or a mixture of both). Taste and refine if necessary. Garnish with a lemon slice and/or some mint.

Et voila! Sit back, relax and enjoy!