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Behind the Scenes of the Project Green Search Model Competition Finals
Project Green Search, the first-ever green model competition, has a winner! Rachel Avalon hails from Los Angeles, California, and beat out over 130 other serious contenders for her new title as Green It Girl (read more about Rachel and her plans here). But before the winner was chosen, there were activities, photo shoots and some very good times.

The Ten Gorgeous (and Green to the Core!) Finalists Photo by Courtney Dailey.
Judging Project Green Search was lots of fun; I got a chance to go to most of the activities with the finalists and got to know them; what an impressive group of young women! From an Indy racecar driver to a natural nutritional counselor, to a college activist and an environmental educator, this was a talented and driven group of contenders. And as you can see, all of them were gorgeous too! The judging crew and I (see below) had our work cut out for us.

The judges! From left to right: Michael Zaliski, CEO of Omniquest Media, Anna Griffin, editor-in-chief of Coco Eco Magazine, Starre Vartan, author and publisher of Eco-Chick.com (I’m wearing an organic cotton dress by Doie), Remy Chevalier, Co-founder of Project Green Search, Deborah Lindquist, ecofashion designer, Josie Maran, former model and force behind Josie Maran Cosmetics, and Darren Moore, host of AlterEco and founder of Ecovations.
Day One: I got a chance to meet all the girls at a breakfast at our hotel, The Standard on Sunset Boulevard. Everyone was so excited to be there, and Taryn from EcoDivasTV started filming right away, and off we went!

Vanessa Meier even looks gorgeous in curlers! At Shades salon in LA. Image by Remy Chevalier for Lu Magazine.
art, bamboo, cashmere, community, contest, cosmetics, cotton, denim, design, designer, dress, Eco-Chick, ecofashion, electric, environment, farm, Fashion, fur, Furniture, garden, green model, greens, Hair, hemp, Home, interview, it girl, Josie Maran, Los Angeles, magazine, media, model, natural, nontoxic, Organic, organic cotton, pictures, skin, Starre Vartan, tv, videoZITE FIGHT!
Zite Fight is a website that lets people like you and me go head-to-head by submitting photos and letting the rest of the world decide which is better. There have been many zite fight contests, but this week they are launching an ECO FASHION FIGHT!
You can participate in a couple ways. First, you can visit the site and vote. Second, you can submit your own photos of yourself in eco fashions for a chance to be crowned the winner! (And while you’re at it, send me a photo of yourself in eco fashions so I can post it in the Fashion, Evolved Fashion Show).
Go check it out–it’s a great way to waste time when you should be doing something productive!
eco style, ecofashion, fashion show, organic fashion, organic style, photographs, pictures, sustainable fashionQuality, Not Quantity: Organic and Natural Toys
When we first started to register for baby gifts we knew that we wanted to avoid being inundated with primary colored hunks of plastic that scream encouraging jargon (“great job!!” said the machine…) whilst playing a neon light show that could stimulate anyone into a state of ADD. Now that my kids are playing more and starting to cruise around, I have been looking into more wholesome toys they can interact with; nibble, drag, pummel, hug and so on. There are a few toy sites that have good, quality toys. With today’s toxin scares, purchasing well-made, non-toxic toys takes a bit of research but is worth the effort. Here are a few toys and sites that we love. Sometimes it costs a bit more to buy something sustainably produced, but to us it is better to have a few good toys than hundreds of pieces of landfill fodder. Not all toys on these websites are organic or ‘natural,’ (depending on what that means for you) so, as with all things, read the fine print. There are a few sites that have mostly organic and natural items, such as Tiny Bird (see below.)
This dragon from Lana Organic is colorful and well-made.
Under the Nile makes quality toys and clothing that seems to last forever, surviving many washings. These stuffed grapes have been in our house since the babes were born and they still play with them. Under the Nile also makes fantastic organic swaddling blankets that really make the best baby burrito!
Tiny Birds Organics carries lots of environmentally conscious toys. Plan Toys, the company that makes this rolling snail, has won many awards for their eco-friendly toys that stimulate imaginations and promote development.
This organic ball, made by Sigikid looks soft and inviting. All of their products are made using traditional Bavarian craftsmanship and are machine washable.
Uncle Goose blocks use naturally derived inks and sustainable wood. These blocks are well made and have so much to look at: pictures, numbers, letters. We love them.
awards, Baby, birds, car, clothing, cotton, Crafts, farm, Home, kids, Organic, pictures, plastic, produce, rape, sustainable, sustainable wood, woodHappy Green New Year!

I get more excited about New Years Eve than I do about Christmas or my birthday combined, seriously. So I always throw a party, and my parties always singlehandedly undo every environmental effort I put forth the entire year before. Invitations, garbage, lights, tons of food… etc. So this year, I changed it! The top things I did to make it a more eco-friendly New Years Eve party:
~ internet invites; usually I’d go a little nutty and make invitations with pictures on the front from the year and the whole shibang, this year I did e-cards
~ location; I’ve always lived in the outskirts of town, so people would have to take the their cars or a taxi to get to my house – this time, we moved the party to my friend’s loft downtown so everyone could take public transit
~ good china; I don’t really own good china, but I’m allowing people to use my regular glass cups instead of busting out good old plastics, and there will be no plates
~ local eats; everything we bought food wise is from the local market, which is dwindling since it’s winter, but we still managed to get enough food to do the trick
~ group eats; we’ve opened up the party as a potluck! Everyone can bring their own, and we’ve restricted it to vegan only food.
~ lighting; we changed all of the light bulbs to CFLs… my entire house already is, and I even bought the light bulbs just for him, to encourage the switch
~ dummy proof; we have made recycling bins that can be seen from across the room, and added “yellow let it mellow” signs to the washroom doors – although we’re not sure that one will float
~ entertainment; didgeridoos, guitars, drums and organic painting! no movies or electronic music for us!
They all seem like simple efforts, but it’s going to be a green, and fun, New Year! ![]()
Happy New Years everyone!!
car, cars, Christmas, Entertainment, Food, garbage, Lighting, local, movies, Music, New Year, Organic, parties, party, pictures, plastic, plastics, plates, Recycling, rum, Tea, veganMy Dream (Hobbit?) House

My friend Chris Baskind says this house is for “upwardly mobile, fashion forward hobbits.” I THINK that describes me….
OK, I’m having a severe case of house lust. Have you ever seen a cuter little abode? Check the website for more pictures, as well as plans and details of the sustainable aspects of the this “Low Impact Woodland Home”, which include:
* Dug into hillside for low visual impact and shelter
* Stone and mud from diggings used for retaining walls, foundations etc.
* Frame of oak thinnings (spare wood) from surrounding woodland
* Reciprocal roof rafters are structurally and aesthaetically fantastic and very easy to do
* Straw bales in floor, walls and roof for super-insulation and easy building
* Plastic sheet and mud/turf roof for low impact and ease
* Lime plaster on walls is breathable and low energy to manufacture (compared to cement)
* Reclaimed (scrap) wood for floors and fittings
* Anything you could possibly want is in a rubbish pile somewhere (windows, burner, plumbing, wiring…)
* Woodburner for heating – renewable and locally plentiful
* Flue goes through big stone/plaster lump to retain and slowly release heat
* Fridge is cooled by air coming underground through foundations
* Skylight in roof lets in natural feeling light
* Solar panels for lighting, music and computing
* Water by gravity from nearby spring
* Compost toilet
* Roof water collects in pond for garden etc.

Not only is it so cozy and inviting, it is gorgeous inside too!
And in case you were feeling like a productive member of society, to top it off, this couple built the house for around $6,000 with a baby and a toddler to distract them! (I guess now I’d feel bad about kicking them out and moving in, since it would just be me and my cats and dog. But not that bad, ha ha!)














