Video: Green Business Mixer Draws a Crowd

Close to 70 people turned out to Mar Vista’s first ever green business mixer last week.

The event, organized by Open Neighborhoods together with the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal campaign in Los Angeles  took place in the courtyard behind and on Sept. 21.

The evening was an opportunity for local businesses and professionals to come together and talk about local green initiatives, and there was a lot of talk about the upcoming Sustainable Works business greening program, which starts on Oct. 5.

Mar Vista Community Council Green Committee Co-Chair Sherri Akers was among the attendees. She told Patch, “I met six people here tonight who have been working on green initiatives in this community and yet I’ve never met them before.”
Akers said the event was the perfect opportunity to talk to people about green opportunities, and she’s hoping that Mar Vista will be able to develop a system that will allow people to recognize green businesses – in much the same way restaurants can be Zagat-rated.

“We really need a way to share that information,” she said. “I love the idea of coming up with some kind of branding.”

Christy Wilhelmi – aka The Gardenerd – who also writes a weekly farmer’s market column for Mar Vista Patch, said, “For me it was great to see the enthusiasm [at this event] in Mar Vista for green initiatives.”

Open Neighborhoods’ James Brennan, said while Mar Vista is known for its residential green initiatives, it was great to see an event that focused for the first time on green businesses. He also touted the Sustainable Works program with its offer of free consultations to green businesses. 

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