Enjoy a drink and plan for a green tomorrow in McHenry

On the first Wednesday of each month, environmentally minded people gather upstairs at Duke's Alehouse & Kitchen to network and talk about “greening” the future with like-minded people. Everyone is welcome to attend the McHenry County Green Drinks from 5 to 7 p.m. at Duke's, 110 N Main St. in Crystal Lake.

Learn about the U.S. Green Building Council and how they are changing the way the world looks at homes and buildings. It is a national nonprofit composed of leaders from every sector of the building industry working to promote buildings that are environmentally responsible, profitable and healthy places to live and work. Its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high performance green homes and buildings.

LEED provides a road map for measuring and documenting success for every building type and phase of a buildings life cycle. Scott Kuykendall, an environmental scientist with Hey and Associates Inc, will conduct the presentation. Kuykendall has helped prepare sustainability plans for the cities of Woodstock and Elgin, earned a graduate certificate in environmental management and sustainability from the Illinois Institute of Technology and is an active member with the USGBC-Illinois Chapter.

The Illinois Chapter furthers the work of USGBC locally through more than 150 annual programs, events, education and research initiatives, advocacy campaigns and resources throughout its network of seven local branches: Central Illinois, Chicago, Fox Valley, North/Northwest Suburban, Rockford/Northern Illinois, South Suburban, West suburban. For information, call the USGBC–Illinois Chapter office at (312) 245-8300 or visit usgbc-illinois.org.

There will be an information table set up, and you are welcome to bring information about your green products or services to share. Additional parking is available at the train station.

For information on Green Drinks, visit www.greendrinks.org/IL/Crystal Lake or send an e-mail to GreenDrinks@mcdefenders.net.