By Lisa Fogarty
In the last decade, the term "party planner" has conjured up many images, the most popular of which is probably that of a well-heeled debutante who keeps other socialites swilling champagne.
The idea that a professional social butterfly can promote an environmentally responsible, fun and educational event seems to defy the industry norm.
That is, unless the party planners are Astoria-based friends Lynne Serpe and Robyn Sklar and the promotion company is Triple R Events, which stands for Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
Triple R Events is a nonprofit organization that coordinates monthly and bi-monthly free green events in Astoria and Long Island City. Serpe and Sklar founded the company last year after they realized a strong movement toward sustainable living was thriving in Western Queens – and meager efforts were being made to promote and help further it.
Sklar, who ran for City Council in Long Island City in 2005 as a Green Party candidate, teamed up with Serpe, a long-time greenie who works for a local nonprofit organization called Community Environmental Center that is working to solve the energy crisis by weatherizing low-income housing projects. The duo utilized their grassroots campaign backgrounds, knowledge of environmental issues and local contacts to organize eco-friendly events such as gardening parties, eco-crafts fairs, sustainable fabric fashion shows and clothing swaps.
"For us, green living has a really broad definition," Serpe said. "A lot of people feel intimated if they're not perfect – they feel overwhelmed. We try to give them a pat on the back for what they are doing and open their eyes to all the other opportunities out there."
One of the first events the women put together was an organic and local wine tasting at Hunter's Point Wines and Spirits in Long Island City. In addition to sipping wines from the New York region, Serpe and Sklar set up a question and answer session that allowed participants to learn more about sustainable farming techniques and what it means to be a "certified organic" or "biodynamic" wine.
The tasting was so successful that Triple R Events has partnered this year with a similar wine shop in Astoria called Off the Vine Wine and Spirits. While ironing out the details of the event, which will take place Feb. 6, Serpe was pleasantly surprised to discover herself giving back to one of the local businesses that had graciously agreed to sponsor their event.
"They actually had all these questions for me. They wanted to know how they could make their bags more environmentally friendly because they've been thinking about steering away from using paper bags," she said. "They're doing some research now into different organic wines. We decided to do it before Valentine's Day so people could give those they care about the gift of organic wine."
The women also received an enthusiastic response from the community when they hosted two sartorial spectacles: an eco-friendly fashion show showcasing only Queens-based designers and a clothing swap, which they affectionately christened "Swap-O-Rama-Rama."
The first annual "Queens is Green Fashion Show" took place at Green Space Studio in Long Island City last April and featured the work of designers such as Robyn Kelly, who creates dresses with re-used, re-purposed silk, and Karen Overton, an Astoria-based jewelry designer whose bracelets and necklaces are fashioned from recycled bicycle parts. Serpe and Sklar are currently scouting locations and meeting local designers in hopes of producing a Spring fashion show that would coincide with Earth Day.
Triple R Event's Clothing Swap is a bit like raiding your hip sister's closet. If you're an eco-conscious fashion plate who's bored with your wardrobe, but didn't receive a large enough Christmas bonus to justify replacing all of your tired pieces, simply clean out your closet and swap your denim for someone else's organic silk-screened T-shirt. The last clothing swap took place in November at Astoria's A.R.R.O.W. Community Center and drew a citywide crowd.
"We set up different tables for men, women and children – plus a section for handbags and accessories," Serpe said. "We had 120 people show up from all over. When people are troubled over the economy, it's something they become interested in. Also, you can meet other people and just have fun. And anything we have left over is donated to Hour Children charity."
Serpe and Sklar are planning to host another clothing swap in March. In the meantime, the women are cooking up new events and keeping their eyes open to more eco-friendly local opportunities.
"We want to highlight the aspects of green living that exist in Western Queens," Serpe said. "We want to make people aware of what exists here."
For more information about Triple R Events, visit http://3r-events.blogspot.com.
