[Editor's note: OnEarth is partnering with the Green Edge Collaborative to bring you stories of local environmental events and personalities.  This post was first published in the GEC's newsletter, The Leaflet.]

It's mealtime and you're hungry. But you're not just hungry for food. You're hankering for tasty conversation with other sustainability-minded people. You've got a deep yen for eco-enrichment. You want to pass heaping platters of helpful and healthful ideas around to your neighbors. What do you crave? A Green Edge Supper Club

"The Supper Club potluck is the foundation of what Green Edge is all about," says founder Carolyn Gilles. It also was a fitting way for this natural foods chef-turned-green-roots-activist to get started on her mission to create a "Community for a Sustainable Future".

"I hosted the first Supper Club in my apartment in Park Slope. And the idea snowballed," says Carolyn, who estimates that the most recent City Wide Supper Club held at Housing Works Booskstore Cafe in SoHo drew nearly 60 hungry environmentalists. "At my last Neighborhood Supper Club, people brought a local wine and cheese, and talked about where it came from and who produced it."

The expressions of a Green Edge Neighborhood Supper Club are as varied as the people who host them. This is the first in a series of articles featuring the unique activities of the Green Edge Supper Clubs across the 5 boroughs.

Flatbush Supper Club

One of the most active and creative Neighborhood Supper Clubs is affiliated with Sustainable Flatbush, which brings neighbors together to discuss, educate, and advocate for sustainable living. This energetic and dedicated group coordinates a much-appreciated Brooklyn green activity calendar on their website, and organizes events such as a regular film/discussion series, FreeMeets, Street Tree Walking Tours and, since last November, monthly Flatbush Supper Clubs.

Anne Pope, Founder/Director of Sustainable Flatbush, was immediately hooked by the idea of a supper club - and so were many of her neighbors. "We had no trouble finding one person, then a couple to make their homes available" says Anne. "And it's fantastic. People invite their friends and often people outside the neighborhood come with friends."

The first Flatbush Supper Club happened last November, and its popularity has grown. "At the last event we had a seed starting workshop with kids there. We had over 30 people. We actually had a camera crew from Brooklyn Independent Television."

Anne notes that the Supper Club is particularly attractive to certain people. "Micki Josi, for example, just took the Supper Club gauntlet and ran with it."

Micki is a public school teacher and co-founder of Educating Tomorrow, an organization dedicated to environmental education and zero waste in public schools. For her, the Supper Club has broad appeal: it encourages her to eat healthier, home-cooked food and offers a venue to meet and share with people in the neighborhood.

Guess who's coming to supper?

Micki's most recent Neighborhood Supper Club featured some unexpected guests. "I wanted to harvest my worm bin, so I hosted an event focused on indoor worm composting," says Micki, who is a Master Composter. "People got really into it. We finished harvesting the bin in half an hour. If I'd tried to do it on my own, it would have taken about 5 hours."

Anne Pope confirms that everyone had a great time. "Even the people who at first were freaked out about the worms ended up okay with them. Some people went home with leftovers, compost, and even worms to start their own kitchen composting bins."

In the future, Anne envisions more brunches ("I'm a brunch fanatic -there are so many food options!") with discussions based on films and books, and more outdoor activities. "I'd love to bring the Supper Clubs to some of our more public spaces, to bring it out into the neighborhood."

And, according to Anne, "it was surprisingly easy to get the Supper Club started using the model that Green Edge had set up. " Green Edge offers a pamphlet outlining step-by-step how to host a Supper Club, from selecting a topic to setting up recycling. You can also check out the Green Edge website for Supper Club events already planned in your neighborhood. And yield to your cravings for meaningful conversation, community, and food.

Interested in joining your Neighborhood Supper Club? Visit our website and find your group!

About the Author
Marietta Abrams Brill is a mother, writer, and green advocate who lives with her family in Park Slope, Brooklyn.