A new season is here. Maybe for you that means a new hobby, household project, or interest to explore. This month's Green Drink is for all those who dabble without a place for your dabbling. Enter our next Green Drinks speaker and host, Able Trade.

Able Trade is a 24,000 sq. ft. shared industrial maker space in Knoxville where woodworkers, metalworkers, artists, builders, and entrepreneurs work side by side, sharing professional tools, workspace, knowledge, and opportunities. Our shared-shop model not only makes it more affordable for small businesses and independent makers to access the equipment and space they need but also helps reduce waste and unnecessary consumption by sharing resources instead of everyone needing to own their own shop. That same spirit of making and sharing extends to our Brew Lab, where members and the community can learn the craft of small-batch brewing and make their own beer in a shared space rather than needing to invest in the equipment themselves. Our host, Melody, will share some of the principles she has learned along the way and how the shared-resource model can work at home, among friends, and in the workplace.

Able Trade isn’t where the Ratliffs’ passion for sharing resources began. Founders and owners Spencer and Melody Ratliff have been part of a neighborhood food group for nearly twelve years—one that has grown from sharing meals to sharing yard tools and, during the pandemic, even an above-ground pool. For the Ratliffs, sharing resources has always been about more than saving money; it’s about building community and making life work better together.

Conveniently, Able Trade has a brewer on site and if we are lucky, we might just get a taste test or two. But let's be gracious guests plan to BYOB!

Join us for a beer, and a chat about what Able Trade has done so far and what else they plan to do to try and reduce their footprint while building a more collaborative, sustainable creative community