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Summary
A Green Social is an informal monthly gathering at a
local pub or similar venue to enable people to get more
involved in their local community and to get to know
other people within it. The two main aims of Green Socials
are to bring local people with similar interests together
into a social network and to make ethical issues (from
organic food schemes through to participation in campaign
groups) more accessible to the wider public.
Green Socials can be run in any village, town or city
- regardless of size. All you need is one person to
get the ball rolling - simply to get in touch with others
in the local area who may be interested in such an idea
- and the evening can be arranged instantly.
The Worthing Green Social began when the founder invited
local people to attend an informal gathering at a pub
- on the first evening over 50 people turned up. From
this initial event, a group of attendees became involved
in running the scheme and a monthly Green Social was
organised at a local venue. This monthly event has been
going strong for several years now, and as well as the
usual informal social evenings it has featured special
events focussing on local ethical shopping, local music
and many other areas. Friendships have been formed,
and various aspects of the local community have been
strengthened, including arts, campaign groups and local
traders.
Why were Green Socials
started?
The first Green Social was set up in Worthing, West
Sussex, because the founder had lived there for some
time but felt that there was little opportunity to meet
other people in the town or develop a sense of community.
There was also very little information or infrastructure
within the town for people who were interested in issues
such as nature, ethical living, culture, arts etc.
The aim of the Green Social was therefore to hold a
social event for all that would address these issues.
No such scheme appeared to exist within the UK to do
this, so the Green Social was formed.
Clearly, this situation (or specific aspects of it)
is the same in many locations throughout the UK - whether
small villages or large cities. In many cases, a sense
of local community has disappeared - people hardly know
those living nearby, and individuals have become increasingly
isolated, particularly if their taste is not solely
for the products, values and entertainment offered by
mass culture. Green Socials are a small and informal
step towards reversing these trends, and act as a catalyst
for the growth of other initiatives within communities.
What are your ambitions?
We aim to build a national network of local groups,
and the purpose of this site is to publicise the scheme
and provide people with support to make it as easy as
possible for them to set up and run their own local
schemes.
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