After nearly 15 years of hosting our monthly Pittsfield Green Drinks gathering, we are expanding our Green Drinks from Pittsfield to county-wide, making it ‘Berkshire Green Drinks’.

Before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Pittsfield Green Drinks took place exclusively at a restaurant or pub in Pittsfield, MA. Starting in 2023, BEAT will begin changing the location of our in-person gatherings to different towns throughout Berkshire County every month. We’re also changing the monthly events to the second Wednesday of every month instead of the third Tuesday.

We hope to offer Berkshire Green Drinks as a monthly hybrid event, starting in February 2023, by hosting in-person gatherings with the speaker and a virtual Zoom meeting where online participants can ask questions.

The first-ever Berkshire Green Drinks will take place on Wednesday, January 11, on Zoom at 6 PM.

Robin Sears, the executive director of Williamstown Rural Lands, will speak about the mission, activities, and duties of local land trusts. She will outline the ways our natural environment and local demographics are changing and consider management options for land stewards to respond to and anticipate the needs for ecosystem resilience.

Williamstown Rural Lands (WRL) is a non-profit, member-supported land conservation trust. It was founded in 1986 to address the loss of open space and public access, the disappearance of family farms in the Williamstown area, and to encourage responsible development. WRL conserves and promotes a diversity of natural habitats and working landscapes in our region for the benefit of biodiversity, our communities, and future generations.

Robin Sears is the executive director of Williamstown Rural Lands. She came to the position in early 2022 after decades of working as a research scientist in the international sphere on topics related to natural resource-based rural livelihoods, forest management, and forest policy. Robin holds a doctorate in ecology and a masters in forestry and is happiest when working at the interface of people and the landscape.

Berkshire Green Drinks (formerly Pittsfield Green Drinks) is an informal gathering on the second Wednesday of the month. These nights are free and open to everyone with any environmental interest. The drinks aren’t green but the conversations are. Bring your curiosity and questions!

Pre-registration is required to attend the virtual presentation. Register at: tinyurl.com/Jan2023-Berk-Green-Drinks

DATE: Wednesday, January 11

TIME: 6 PM – 7 PM

LOCATION: Online

What is Berkshire Green Drinks? Berkshire Green Drinks is an informal gathering on the second Wednesday of the month. A guest speaker talks for about 30 minutes beginning at 6 PM, and the presentation is followed by a discussion and Q&A. These nights are free and open to everyone with any environmental interest. The drinks aren’t green but the conversations are. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to join and bring along questions!

What is Green Drinks? Green Drinks is an international forum where people who work in the environmental field meet for a drink and snacks at informal sessions. There will be a lively mix of people from non-profit organizations, academia, government, business, and the general public. Green Drinks is a great way of catching up with people you know and for making new contacts. These networking events are very simple and unstructured. Come along and you’ll be made welcome.