Caribbean Sea hosts Save Water, Drink Wine benefit

Fundraiser helps support Student Environmental Alliance

Save Water, Drink Wine includes sampling wines from two regional winers and bites from local restaurants. The fundraiser will be held at the Barn Nursery on Feb. 10.
Save Water, Drink Wine includes sampling wines from two regional winers and bites from local restaurants. The fundraiser will be held at the Barn Nursery on Feb. 10.

If you go

› What: Save Water, Drink Wine› Where: The Barn Nursery, 1801 E. 24th Street Place› When: 6-8:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 10› Admission: $45 in advance; $50 day of event for individuals; $90 couples in advance, $100 day of event› For more information: www.caribbean-sea.org/save-water/

Stream-bank erosion at Red Bank Elementary School almost destroyed the back-road entrance to the school, but Mary Beth Sutton, founder of the Caribbean Student Environmental Alliance, intervened.

The erosion made trees slide into the stream bank, says Sutton. Left unchecked, the water would have disturbed the foundation under the road causing it to collapse. Sutton got residents and businesses involved with a stream-bank stabilization project to hold the bank in place.

Sutton and the Caribbean Student Environmental Alliance, also known as Caribbean SEA, helped preserve the rear entrance to Red Bank Elementary, and she wants to continue protecting streams and waterways throughout the city.

"We're trying to first do education, because people don't realize what they do impacts the water," she said.

Caribbean SEA will host its sixth annual fundraiser, Save Water, Drink Wine, on Saturday, Feb. 10, at The Barn Nursery from 6 to 8:30 p.m.

She hopes to raise $20,000 to continue projects such as water testing, restoration of eroding stream banks and education.

Guests attending the fundraiser get a souvenir glass and are invited to walk through the nursery and taste all of the wines. Each wine table will represent a different watershed in Hamilton County including Citico Creek, the Tennessee River Gorge and South Chickamauga Creek Greenway Alliance. People knowledgeable about these nonprofits will discuss their work during the event.

Guests at the benefit will sample wines from Chateau Meichtry and The Fainting Goat wineries, both in North Georgia, as well as Lookout Winery near Hale's Bar Marina.

Mrs. B's Reggae Cafe, Conga Latin Restaurant, Sluggo's North Vegetarian Cafe, Mike's Hole In the Wall, Ovalle's Mexican Cafe, Kabob-ster and Pigeon Mountain Grill are among restaurants providing food.

Sutton says about 250 attended the event last year, which raised about $14,000. She hopes the crowd this year will be even larger.

"Anything we raise helps us take care of our streams," said Sutton.

Contact Yolanda Putman at yputman@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6431.

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