Raising A Glass To DC EcoWomen At The Ten Year Gala
Written by DC EcoWomen President Christina Sorrento
EcoWomen had its first ever EcoHour the year I moved to Washington DC. The year was 2004 and the speaker was Alisa Gravitz, then the Executive Director of Co-op America. I was not aware of EcoWomen at the time and did not attend the event but little did I know how that night would impact my life for years to come. After that first EcoHour where Alisa laid out a roadmap for success, EcoWomen continued to grow.
I attended my first event in 2007 and I was hooked. The EcoHour was so inspirational and I was in a place in my career where I wanted a deeper connection with the environmental community. I asked one of the Board members at the time, Anne Richardson, whether EcoWomen needed any help. I was immediately drafted into the then Speaker Coordinator role where I was responsible for scheduling the monthly EcoHour speakers. I have been on the DC Executive Board for EcoWomen ever since that moment of volunteering my services in 2007.
Over the past seven years, I have held five positions on the Board, attended 72 EcoHours, eight professional development workshops, numerous potlucks, happy hours, clothing swaps, book clubs, holiday parties, and volunteer activities, one conference, and soon to be two galas. In addition to attending events, I have made long-lasting friendships and connections. I have been to the weddings, baby showers, birthday parties, and housewarming parties of fellow EcoWomen as well as celebrated their promotions and career achievements. My involvement in this organization has had a life-long impact and I know I’m not the only EcoWomen who feels that way.
The amount of growth EcoWomen has experienced is incredible. When I joined back in 2007, we only had EcoHour every month, a once a year fun event, and a yearly fundraising auction. Now, EcoWomen is a national organization with new chapters in Colorado, San Francisco, Seattle, and Baltimore.
The Washington D.C. founding chapter has 18 Executive Board members and four committees — Communications, Membership, Professional Development, and Programs — and we average 42 events a year; that’s almost one event a week! Of course none of this could happen without the dedication of the DC Executive Board and the support of our members. We all have something to celebrate as we look back over these last ten years. I’m excited to see what the next ten will bring!
Don’t forget to get your tickets to the gala on April 24!