Women of the Green Generation held their first meeting in June of 2009. Kris Willey felt inspired to start a sustainable networking group for women because she had been attending green events for the past 2 years and suddenly realized that the majority of people she was connecting with were other women. When she mentioned this idea to some of her girl friends in green business, the response she received was an enthusiastic and resounding “YES!”

Women of the Green Generation creates a space where women can share their ideas and passions for solving environmental and social problems with economically viable eco-solutions.  The purpose is to provide a space for professional women to support each other. This can be done by means of sharing resources, business referrals, patronizing each other, sharing knowledge and experience, supporting sustainable community projects & non profits and the by the simple act of volunteering to help each other when help is needed.

Members consists mainly of women who either own or work for green businesses, but the group is not limited to green business women only, in fact they actively encourage other women to get more involved in sustainable business practices or think about creating products or services that reflect the sustainable paradigm of  “good for you good for the planet.”

WOTGG is dedicated to helping women find success in the green business space. Their mission is to inspire, educate, motivate, share resources, and connect with other individuals and organizations that are actively engaged in sustaining our planet and working towards positive transformation.

Their are hosting their Annual Summit at Evo-South in downtown Los Angeles on June 12th, 2010.

You have members all over the country, but you’re mostly based in Los Angeles. How does the business of LA influence the direction WOTGG is taking?

Los Angeles is a great place to be if you really want to connect with others who are actively engaged in the green or environmental movement. But what I have come to realize is that many women that are involved in green business need a place to be able to connect with other women and for various reasons; for support, for inspiration for business leads, to share knowledge and so on.

Tell us about some of the events you are planning, and the audience you’re trying to reach.

Well, on Saturday June 12, 2010, WOTGG will celebrate our first year anniversary with a one-day event. Over 300 women and 50 green businesses will participate in a event will that touch, move and inspire those who feel called to actively participate in a much-needed evolutionary transformation of the individual self, society and our environment.

The event will feature inspiring and powerful women who are passionate thought leaders, visionaries and drivers in making a difference and a contribution to our current environmental threat, economical crises, and social systems.

Speaker topics will include; women who are finding success in the green business space, health and wellness, eco fashion and beauty, greening your passion, getting down to e-business and more!  (Visit website for all details: www.womenofthegreengeneration.com)

LA is a City the world over known for its film industry, yet today, a good portion of that industry revolves around violent video games and the sex trade. How do you reach out to these professionals and help them catch up to the greening of America, and do you even try?

This is a tough question to answer, because I personally have not even been able to connect with these type of businesses yet. Our goal to is to help existing green businesses succeed, but hopefully by setting an example and showing other companies a new paradigm to work out of, we can then influence them to make positive change. Remember Gandhi’s quote, “Be the change you want to see in the World.”

I’m looking at this from a male perspective. There’s an old saying: “What Lola wants, Lola gets!” which means that much of the world goes round inspired by the desires of women. Armies have fought over their whims. Men are too often blamed for military conquest, but in a sense, if there wasn’t a commitment to protecting mother and child, and now the Earth itself, I think we’d rather just hang around and let the time go by. How does WOTGG view its role in the grand green scheme of things? Do you have a relationship with Mothers For Peace and other such organizations?

WOTGG is still relatively a new organization so we have not had a chance yet to connect with organizations such as Mothers for Peace; one of the groups we have connected with has been “Yoga Gives Back” which provides micro loans to women in India and other impoverished countries.

In the grand scheme of things I feel what is starting to take place is a rising of the Divine Feminine energies. This may sound abstract and strange to some people, but the “Mother” energy has been squashed over the past 100 years, especially here in the Western world. Women have had to take on “male like attitudes and qualities” in order to succeed in the business world; not to mention the forming of huge corporations and consumption of oil and plastics and toxic materials have further suppressed the feminine qualities all because we have completely devastated Mother Nature.

In many indigenous cultures, women have to push the men out of the hut to go hunting. It’s not just up to men to stop playing with toys, it’s also up to women to stop associating these toys with male attributes, then these toys would lose their appeal, they’d lose their symbolism. We’d move on to something else to impress. And yet, today, more women are wanting to join the military and play GI Jane. How do you feel about that? Where is it all going? Are male drawn comic books to blame for a woman’s need to identify with Wonder Woman?

I think because women have been told for so long that we can’t do certain things, or at least we can’t do the same things that men are allowed to do, what happened over the past 100 years is we started to buck the currents and demand equal rights. I think it is safe to say, not just for women, but for the human race in general, we always want the things that we can’t have. I am not sure where it is all going and I don’t see anything wrong with women wanting to play GI Jane, but I think what will eventually happen is women will start changing their minds about the type of careers they want to be involved in and our roles in society.

I feel we will want to be more involved in things that we are truly passionate about and want to have success with our endeavors that is equal to men in business.

One of the things we do at Electrifying Times, is stage pin-up shoots with electric cars, using the tried and true to shift male attention away from gasoline. The strategy is working, since nowadays, some say you haven’t arrived in LA unless you drive a Prius, or better yet, a Tesla! Human nature isn’t going to change! Won’t the lure always be there? Don’t things need to be sexy to attract attention?

Sex always sells and not just for men but for women too. But I think the image of what is sexy is always changing. Sexy does no have to be limited to pictures of a half naked woman or man hugging a beautiful horse or straddling a Harley Davidson. Green and eco friendly can be sexy too – This may sound a bit dorky to some readers, but I personally think that rain forests are very sexy. I have been to a real rain forest in Costa Rica and the experience really turned me on, not in the same way that maybe a handsome man would, but you get the point. But as far as the strategy of ad companies, this will definitely take some time to change. I think when consumer’s attitudes towards the type of advertising they are exposed to changes, then the ads will change ~ right?

Right! In mythology, you have Gaia, and you have the Green Man, they compliment each other. They come at stewardship of nature from a different perspective. How do you relate environmentalism with feminism?

Everyone has heard the term “Mother Earth” women in general, are naturally more sympathetic to Planet Earth and many of us are feeling threatened right now by what is currently happening on a global scale. Women are also usually the decision makers for the family and I am seeing more and more women who want their children to have something to look forward to in the future; other than rising tides from global warming, plastics in our ocean, toxic chemicals in our air, so called “incurable diseases” and foods that have been heavily doused with pesticides and GMOs. So women right now are leading the way in the environmental movement at a grass roots level. At least that is what I have been seeing.

During World War 2, Americans were urged to start victory gardens, to help with food production. Then after the war, all caution was thrown to the wind, with chemical agriculture. Today, small organic farms are springing up all around us with markets everywhere, like in Europe, and the rest of much of the world. It took us this long to realize our mistakes, how disconnected we had become from the fruits of the land. We can decrease smog with alternative fuels, increase oxygen and remove CO2 with more trees and vegetation, redesign our neighborhoods with new urbanism, especially in LA where things are so sprawling. How do you get all the different communities in LA involved, how to you cross ethnic barriers? How do we get to green low riders?

I think one way we can accomplish this is for each community to have someone who can be an “Ambassador” a person that “rallies the troops” so to speak.  Sadly most people feel that they don’t have the capacity to be a leader. I think taking the first step is always the hardest, but after you have taken the first step things begin happen and when things start to happen we find the courage and momentum to continue on. Every community or neighborhood should have a leader who can inspire and motivate others to get involved in creating sustainable communities. And maybe it starts within your own family and friends and then expands from there.

Tell us more about Evo-South. What makes it such an extraordinary building in the heart of downtown LA? How did you get involved with them, and can a building in fact, have a mission?

Evo-South is the only “LEED silver certified” eco luxury high-rise in down town Los Angeles. For those who don’t know what LEED means – LEED is Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. Basically this means that the Evo-South building has been built in accordance to specific environmental guidelines. Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), LEED provides building owners and operators a concise framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions. To learn more about these guidelines you can visit the US Green Building Council at www.usgbc.org.

Evo boasts stunning city views, designer amenities, a roof top pool, private gym, and a helipad for those who like to fly around town in their helicopter. And to top things off Evo is conveniently located 2 blocks from the Staples center in waking distance from all that down town Los Angeles has to offer – such as world famous restaurants, music halls, nightclubs, movie theaters, the Urth Cafe (my favorite place to get a cup of organic coffee) and so much more!

I got involved with EVO because they were looking to partner with a green organization that could produce some events at their space. Thanks to my friend Daniel Vanderbark of Dezine, LA. He recommended WOTGG to Evo and the rest is history.

I want to thank you for your time, and for your patience with my confused approach to things. Is there anything you want Greenloop readers to know? What can they do, and how can they get in touch with WOTGG?

With the current global threat and economic downfall the time is ripe for the possibilities of forming new partnerships, teams and intentions of coming together for the prosperity, health and sustainability of individuals, businesses, projects and causes in our immediate neighborhood and globally.

Ultimately we are preparing to usher in a new paradigm of working and co-existing together in this beautiful place we call Earth, by becoming conscious stewards of our planet, our communities and our own self.

We welcome suggestions and would like to encourage more women to step up and manifest successful green businesses and products and become leaders in their communities.

(Promo video for Evo-South)

Readers can contact Women of the Green Generation at: info.wotgg@gmail.com

or visit their website at www.womenofthegreengeneration.com

What was your central focus previous to Project Green Search?
I work with clients as a holistic nutritionist and I also have a well-respected program called the Avalon Cleanse.

Did the win come as a surprise to you at all?
Of course! My friends, family, and clients were incredibly confident in me winning, but I’m sure you could say the same for all the contestants involved. I could’ve seen the judges go a couple directions for various reasons and at the same time I knew my eco ability, knowledge, and commitment was strong. So, I guess I wasn’t totally shocked either that I did win. I just felt filled with gratitude.

What inspired you to enter Project Green Search?
I saw the opportunity to have a larger platform for raising awareness around much needed eco, social, and animal welfare values. On a personal level, I also thought it could benefit my holistic health practice, lecturing engagements, hosting jobs, and the book I’m working on.

How does your practice as a holistic health practitioner effect your view of planetary health and long term sustainability?
Our bodies and the planet have a lot in common. So many people are overloaded with toxins and are out of balance. The same is true with the Earth. In my profession I witness first hand how people suffer with suppressed immune systems, chronic diseases, cancer, weight gain, inflammation, and emotional challenges. The body is always seeking balance and will sometimes take drastic measures to try and accomplish that. I think there’s a parallel in what we’re seeing with climate change and a number of other planetary symptoms. The key is to find the gift in the symptoms, whether with our personal health or the environment, and make the necessary changes.

What do you think is the greatest impact you can make as the face of Project Green Search?
I suppose time will tell, but I like to think that I have an ability to help people see the big picture. So often people get swept up or overwhelmed by statistics or selecting various products. In my opinion, when you teach someone the real value of making green and holistic choices that value clarifies what questions to ask and what decisions to make. I always say to my clients that I teach what Mother Nature teaches, balance and variety. When people really get that, their habits change for the better.

Time will tell indeed, as this Green It Girl continues her press junket and prepares for her PGS promise to volunteer with favorite environmental group, Heal The Bay. As a holistic nutritionist and champion of superb health and wellbeing for all, Rachel Avalon is unwavering in the face of her win. “My focus has been, and will continue to be, to help people care for themselves and the world around them by honoring the mind, body, spirit, and planet connection.”

Last Friday, the green community of Los Angeles gathered for the Project Green Search Wrap Party. The PGS Top 10 finalists were all gorgeous, well educated, and talented women. From extremely diverse backgrounds, the PGS Top 10 consisted of:

• Jessica Williamson, Host of Zaproot
• Leilani Munter, Racecar Driver
• Ariel Clay, Global Exchange
• Rachel Joy, Host of Ecopop TV
• Juliana Tran, Eco Student Activist
• Rachel Avalon, Holistic Nutrition Expert
• Erika Schmidt, Model & Environmentalist
• Zion Francis, Model/Actress & Civil Engineer
• Karen Pannocchia, Environmental Science Teacher
• Vanessa Meier, Water Quality Task Force Director for Surfrider Foundation

As the contestants mingled around the room in sustainable fashions by Deborah Lindquist, Charmone, and Stewart+Brown amongst others, the judges got to experience the women on a social level. Co-Creators of Project Green Search, Remy Chevalier and Aysia Wright, got to enjoy the culmination of many months of hard work. For Remy C., child of the haute couture world and longtime environmental advocate, creating Project Green Search was a natural step for the Sustainability Movement. After several attempts at founding a green division at an established modeling agency, Remy decided to go at it from a different angle.  “I brought the idea of a green modeling competition to Aysia, who immediately saw what I saw…and here we are three months later, with 10 finalists and a winner. We’ve been strengthening our relationship with Global Green USA and hopefully next year, we’ll be back for round 2.”

***To find out who the Project Green Search winner is, check out the video above.

What inspired this husband and wife team to take on such a massive production, in addition to all their other projects? “Chicago has some of the most amazing eco-designers in the world, yet there was no show during Chicago Fashion Week to promote their work.  We basically saw that if we didn’t take responsibility for putting on a sustainable fashion show during Chicago fashion week that it wouldn’t happen. The city’s Director of Fashion, Melissa Gamble was also extremely supportive in helping to bring this show to fruition, and we have received a tremendous outpouring of support from Chicago’s conscious community.”

Vert will be featuring fresh designs from up-and-coming green seamsters Vaute Couture, Frei Designs, Elise Bergman, and Bryant McLemore Smith, along with veteran eco fashion line Mountains of the Moon. Conscious Planet has ensured that stylish examples of sustainability reach way beyond the runway. Vert Couture is contributing to the new Greensburg, Kansas wind farm by purchasing travel and energy offsets for the show through Native Energy. All their printed promotional material from posters to press kits is printed on recycled paper with eco-friendly ink. And for every organic Veev-spiked “Treetini Cocktail” served, a tree will be planted. Even getting your swerve on at Vert Couture is green. Bottom’s up people, let’s save this great planet.

We asked Bianca and Michael what kind of impact they most hoped to make on CFW, and their answer was very appropriate to their new home-it was full of HOPE. “The City of Chicago and Mayor Daley are extremely committed to making this the greenest city in the country. Given the waste and un-sustainability inherent in the fashion industry, we feel that by producing VC and highlighting the amazing eco-designers that are comparable to what you would see on runways in Paris, Milan and New York, that we can not only influence consumer demand for eco-fashion but that designers and buyers will see that you can have amazing style and be green. In doing so, we hope that several years down the road all the shows and designers will be green.”

We hope so too.  If you’re a Chi-town fashion hound, be sure to get your ticket to Vert Couture and support the sustainable evolution of Chicago style.

Actually, only seven… three of them already live in Los Angeles;  Vanessa Meier, Rachel Avalon and Jessica Williamson. Both Zion Francis and Juliana Tran are from Austin, TX. Ariel Clay is coming from San Francisco. Leilani Munter from Cornelius, NC. Rachael Joy from Mount Rainier, MD. Erika Schmid from Portland, OR and Karen Pannochia from Miami.

It wasn’t easy for Project Green Search to narrow it down from 130+ entries to just ten. The online voting was a bit of a confusing mess, because the design platform we chose to build the web site only offered that voting option as a preset. Many people ended up voting by mistake while they were simply trying to access a contestant page… there was no instruction manual or practice run, but it was the only option we had. WordPress or nothing. We were dead set on launching this competition, so we made it work. We will do better next year.

We  asked the judges not to look at the number of stars, the rating, only consider how many votes each entry received. All things considered, online vote popularity didn’t feature all that much into their decision. They looked closely at modeling potential, education, screen presence, media background and experience. It boiled down to running averages on each judge’s top ten submission in order of preference, inviting to the finals those who featured most frequently, the highest on each judge’s list.

We’re confident that the ten women picked to participate in the finals represent the best expression of majority verdict by the judges. It wasn’t easy. Competitions create more losers than winners, that’s what I want to address here. We don’t cast Project Green Search in the same light as your run of the mill cut throat reality TV show. PGS is much more of a collaboration, developing talent to bring attention to issues all dear to our heart. In a sense, the winner, should and will, represent all the other contestants, become a spokesperson for all the women who entered this contest, which isn’t a contest really, it’s more like a direct action!

Our Project Green Girl is not going to be someone who wins by exterminating the competition. She’s going to win because all other nine girls are going to consider her to be the best candidate for the job, become her support network. The judges are going to pick up on that. We’re creating a family here, a team, a green model army. We’ll leave the cat fights, petty jealousy and superior attitudes to the slew of mind numbing reality TV shows which are only interested in rehab, temper tantrums, and suicidal tendencies. It’s already evident from the communications we’ve had with each finalists, that they are easy going, smart, with a funny bone.

LED artist and engineer Robert Van Winkle Jr., with a lot of help from Jessica Feuer, designed our trophy… in the spirit of recycled muffler art. He lives and works in Poughkeepsie, NY. Robert handed it to me at the Green Market Exposition in Bridgeport, CT. I’ve been debating whether to bring it with me on JetBlue or ship it. It’s got a rechargeable lithium ion battery pack powering three green LEDs, made from reclaimed industrial wire, sure to set off every Homeland Security alarm. But don’t worry, we’ll find a way to get safe and sound to ECCO Ultra Lounge on November 6th.

Tulle-clad models from Ford and Q did their egret-like walks down the runway in the most gorgeous eco collection yet. Not only that, in classic Linda Wong style, “they are clothes you could run away in,” meaning you could eat, sleep, party, or get chased in…or perhaps all of the above.

Linda’s attention to detail was what made The Battalion’s Spring 2010 such a stand out. It seemed she took the extra mile on each garment in the collection. The “Pete” faux denim vest of grey bamboo seemed simple until you got a good look at the tuxedo lapel and the classic jean jacket V applique on the back shoulders. The comfy white tee got asymmetrical sleeves. Oh, and the fringe! Linda created an uber glamorous effect with super fine razor fringe draping provocatively down the front of an otherwise casual top or slinking down just one side of a black evening dress. (One of my favorite examples of this was the Luxe vest which looked a bit like angel wings.)

L’Atelier De Danse remained true to a Kirov Ballet rehearsal palette: black, white, amaranth pink, heather grey, and some renegade navy. Unusually subtle for spring, but refreshing in its unpredictability.

The Wong sisters describe their season with impeccable self-awareness. “Spring 2010 is about fluidity, transparency, and movement. We imagine dancers in a naturally lit atelier, dressed up in various costumes that are made of tulle, fringe, and paper thin jersey. If women are going back to basics in the coming seasons, we want their clothes to be simple but sincere. We want their wardrobe staples to be wearable, but dreamy. We want them to dance, dream, and fall in love like the dancers who have inspired this collection.”

Well, this dancer simply can’t wait to dance, dream, and fall in love…in her new Battalion threads.

Sadly Defyance was not the only designer suffering from DJ trainwreck hell. Sportswear line Icebreaker was murdered by the tasteless 90′s classic “Ice Ice Baby” crashing into some whimsical Indie Rock jam. And then, WHAM!

Sorry to do that to you, the innocent reader of In The Loop. Thank goodness WHAM was there to finish it off. I never realized how soothing George Michael could actually be.

Please leave a comment and let me know what you think. Am I crazy or does the whole situation just make you go, “WTF?! Just pay a professional DJ!” Sorry to go Perez Hilton on you, but it’s fashion week y’all. C’mon.

Mayor Villaraigosa has one major thing on his mind for this LA Fashion Week this year, and that’s green.  A far cry from last year’s eco-fashion preview on the lawn of the mayoral mansion, the “green” Villaraigosa pontificates about these days is more the cold, hard kind.

“Fashion is a $28 million industry, and it’s the fourth largest basic industry in the region. More than 200,000 people are employed in work which involves designing, producing and selling,” stated Mayor Villaraigosa at yesterday’s press conference at the California Market Center.

The Mayor’s singular focus was also illustrated in his only tweet regarding the press conference,”Kicking off LA Fashion Week – great to have creative talent, 53k buyers and sellers, and $50 million coming to LA!“

Though the press conference this year focused on the positive economic impact of supporting the LA fashion industry, there is actually a positive ecological impact as well. As one of the few thriving centers of manufacturing left in the USA, Los Angeles not only designs, but produces many of the country’s garments right in the middle of Downtown. Stimulating the LA economy through encouraging the local fashion scene results in significant reductions in carbon-heavy shipping on foreign imports. It turns out both shades of green will be in fashion for LAFW 09 after all.

If you’ll be in town October 12-20 or the 28-31, be sure to reserve your spot at one of the many events of LA Fashion Week.

***The most exciting runway show for us at LAFW 09 is of course, the eco rockstars of the LA fashion world, The Battalion. Sisters Linda and Chrys Wong will be showing their Spring 10 line on Thursday, October 15 at 5pm at MOCA (Museum of Contemporary Art).

Kristi Turnquist of The Oregonian recently gave the rundown on Paloma’s ideas on bloodthirsty pin-up girls and her early suspicions of nice people in the land of milk and honey…

Paloma Soledad
Age: 31
Hometown: Los Angeles; the family moved to Oahu, Hawaii, when she was 4

Experience: Graduated from the California Institute of the Arts; designed costumes for the movies “Cabin Fever” and “Hostel”; did costumes for the Portland dance troupe tEEth; worked in the costume department on the stop-motion animated feature “Coraline.”

Design visions: Soledad’s mother was a seamstress. “She would have me thread the elastic through her waistbands when I was little.” Youthful discovery of “Conan the Barbarian” and Alberto Vargas glamour-girl illustrations also formed her aesthetic. “It’s like a 1940s pin-up dancer — she’s going to dance on the table, and then jump down and slit your throat. We all have the power to be as sexy as we want to be.”

Signature pieces: Custom-made corsets, mixing sumptuous silks and velvets with leather and metal details, for a mix of masculine and feminine influences. “The boning is flexible, so you can eat in it, you can dance in it. It’s like a piece of art.”

Why Portland? “I was living in L.A., and the energy there’s so manic, it just makes you really crazy. My mom lives in Northern California, and she said, ‘You should check out Oregon.’ I moved here in 2006. When I first got here and people were nice to me, I thought, ‘What do you want from me?’ This is the land of milk and honey.”

Read more of Local Designers Take Over The Catwalk at OregonLive.com…

For years, the crème de la crème of American foodies have feasted on locally-raised dishes presented by “farm-to-table” restaurants around the country. These leaders in gastro-sustainability have cut out the middlemen and gone straight to the farmer for the best selection and pricing on organic local produce and meat. The Farm-To-Table movement has bolstered the number of American family farms while ensuring the highest quality product for culinary connoisseurs. In 2009, this trend is actually spreading from a culinary circles to catwalks.

At the upcoming Portland Fashion Week, eco fashion eminence Anna Cohen will be presenting an entirely new concept for both the worlds of fashion and sustainability: Ranch-To-Runway. Through her visionary partnership with the Imperial Stock Ranch in Shaniko, Oregon, Anna Cohen is bringing the highest quality sustainable wool to her fashion-forward clientele while enriching the lives of ecologically sound local ranchers.

Though fashionistas and farmers make a unique juxtaposition, both stand to benefit grandly if Anna’s concept catches fire. Perhaps we’re right around the corner from Cavalli cattle ranches and Comme des Garçons cotton farms. If not, we’re at least that much closer to being right around the corner from where our clothes come from, thanks to Anna Cohen.

The Imperial Collection by Anna Cohen will premiere Sunday, October 11th at 8pm at the Vigor Industrial Shipyard; arrive at 6 for the pre-party.

If you’re interested in experiencing your own version of Ranch-To-Runway, take a gorgeous 2-hour drive through the Oregon countryside for a stunning tour of the Imperial Stock Ranch before hitting Anna’s show on Sunday night.