Heart of Green

Mother's Day Gift Ideas

We have all been there. You have to get a present for someone and have no idea what to buy. The clock is ticking. Panic starts to set in. It can be even harder if you want to buy a beautiful, eco-conscious present that will delight, which of course we hope that you do!

Bluebell Giving

I would like to share a solution which is proving to be a lifesaver. It is a new ingenious service called Bluebell Giving. You choose a card and a donation amount, and the lucky recipient chooses the charity. It is hope in a card. No running around to stores. No new stuff that the recipient has to negotiate. Just a pure gift that does good in the world.

The attractive cards are printed on 100% recycled paper, and there is a new one just in time for Mother’s Day that says “Wow Mom.” I still love beautiful stationary, and so I appreciate that their cards are eco-friendly. You can also go completely virtual and request an e-card for tech-savvy Moms.

Step 1: Buy a card online at Bluebell. The cards are mailed to you in a very timely fashion

Step 2: You activate the card online with a donation amount using the card’s unique code

Step 3. You give the card to your Mom in this case, and she goes online and chooses her favorite charity. Now you have a gift that both of you can feel good about!

There are excellent causes to select from, and more are being added weekly. In the field of the environment, you can donate to Teens Turning Green, Healthy Child Healthy World, Architecture for Humanity, Sierra Club, the Rainforest Alliance, and Oceana for instance with many more options listed. In the category of animals, you can choose the World Wildlife Fund or the Humane Society for example.

I am beginning to see the wisdom of ordering a stack of cards and having them on hand for emergency presents. Why give a normal card when you could give a Bluebell? It is a gift with a Heart of Green. 

More Eco-Conscious Gift Ideas

Here are a few more of my favorite gift ideas for the women in your life:

Organic flowers by Organic Bouquet

Healthy skin care that delivers amazing results from Weleda

Eco-friendly makeup from Jane Iredale or Vapour Organic Beauty

A gift basket from Teens Turning Green such as their current Magnificent Mom Conscious Collection

Organic or Fair Trade dark chocolate from Endangered Species, Divine, Green and Black’s, Alter Eco and others. Let’s face it. You can never go wrong with dark chocolate. 

Please also see the ecofabulous Mother's Day Gift Guide for more fabulous ideas. Happy Mother's Day to all of the Moms out there and to our Mother Earth too!

Message in a Bottle: Plastic Pollution Solutions

You write a message, put it a bottle, and toss it out to sea in the hopes that someone on the other side of the world will read it and respond.

This is a romantic dream, and one could argue that it has gotten out of control unintentionally with a mountain of plastic trash bigger than the state of Texas now floating in the Pacific Ocean. This is known affectionately as the Pacific Garbage Patch. 80% of the trash comes from land, and the other 20% comes from sea (ships). When plastic is not recycled in the city, it can travel down storm drains and end up floating in the ocean. There it might be consumed by birds, whales, and other animals who have never seen a plastic cap before and think that it might be good for breakfast. You can guess how that ends. So perhaps the message in the bottle should read "Please recycle me!" 

All of this can be easily remedied if we can commit to using resusable items more (instead of single-use plastics) and to recycling all of the disposable items that we do use. That straw that comes with your water in a glass? Not needed. The Starbucks cup that ends up in the trash? No thank you. We can order our for-here drinks in a ceramic mug, and it tastes better too. Sending a package? Avoid Styrofoam peanuts which will annoy the recipient and end up blowing down the street. Let’s use biodegradable peanuts instead that dissolve completely in water.

In general, it can be boiled down to two principles: 1) There is no such place as “away” as in throwing something “away” and 2) What would nature do?  In nature, there is no waste. Everything is reused. This is how society must learn to act if we are not going to become like the characters in the movie Wall-E, forced to move to a spaceship because our trash has taken over the planet and made it uninhabitable. Wall-E is the cute trash-compacting robot who has been left behind to clean up the mess. He falls in love with Eve, the robot sent to Earth periodically to search for life . I highly recommend seeing this film!

How To Save The Planet From Plastics

Here are a few simple steps we can take:

1. When at a café, ask for your drink in a ceramic mug. Let's create a national For Here movement. Ordering a drink to go? Bring your own tumbler or at Starbucks, buy the new reusable BPA-free cup for only $1 and save 10 cents per drink

2. Take a water bottle with you and fill it up at a drinking fountain or TapIt station. Great solutions exist from Lifefactory, Earthlust, Klean Kanteen, Brita FilterForGood and more

3. Take your own bag to the store and save 10 cents in many areas

4. Recycle all plastics that you do use. Recycle other people’s too who might not be hip to the program

5. Use compostable bags for food waste or food-soiled paper such as BioBags or the new ocean-friendly biodegradable plastic bags from EarthVision

6. Filter water at home instead of buying bottled water, which often has hidden contaminants

7. Harness innovative solutions for your business like the Ecopia bio-plastic bags made from tapioca starch that is organic and Fair Trade

8. Use biodegradable peanuts when sending a package, not Styrofoam

9. Participate in a beach clean-up day

10. Ask for “no straw please”

And of course the most important, have fun while implementing solutions to keep our planet beautiful and inhabitable for all living things.

For more information, please visit Plastic Pollution Coalition, 5 Gyres, and Stop Plastic Pollution by the NRDC. Also, don't miss the upcoming movie Midway by famous environmental artist Chris Jordon.

Watch this incredible TED talk by Boyan Slat about an innovative solution pictured below for cleaning up the Pacific Garbage Patch.

Ocean Cleanup Array Prototype by Boyan Slat

Gorgeous & Green 2012

Please join me at the star-studded Gorgeous & Green on Tuesday December 11th in San Francisco celebrating glamorous sustainable lifestyles and benefiting Global Green USA and green schools nationwide.

GORGEOUS & GREEN GALA

WHEN:
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
6:00 pm VIP Cocktail Reception
6:30 pm Cocktail Reception
7:00 pm Organic Dinner & Eco-Accolades
9:00 pm Fashion Show, Dessert Reception & Party

WHERE:
Bently Reserve (LEED-certified)
301 Battery Street
San Francisco

FEATURING:

• Celebrity Hosts
• Singer Michelle Branch
• Organic Dinner by Michael Mina & Joseph Humphrey (Dixie)
• Absinthe’s Pastry Chef Bill Corbett
• Runway Fashion Show
• Eco-Accolade Awards to Google, DLR Group, PwC
• Winter Wonderland Decor by Blueprint Studios
• Beats by DJ Donovan
• Cocktails by 360 Vodka
• Wine by CADE and Iron Horse Vineyards
• Korbel Organic California Champagne
• Beer by MateVeza
• Photo Booth by Drew Altizer and Torso Vintages
• Dessert Reception by Miette and The Only Cookie
• Glamorous Post Party
• VIP Gift Bags from Ecopia
• Showcase of Top Sustainable Companies & Designers

CELEBRITY HOSTS:
Actress Cody Horn, singer Michelle Branch,  Gavin Newsom & Jennifer Siebel Newsom, Dan Vickrey (Counting Crows), actress Dawn Olivieri (House of Lies), others to be announced

HOST COMMITTEE:
Chair:  Christopher Bently
Event Founders:  Zem Joaquin & Nadine Weil
Host Committee:  Matt Petersen, Lily Achatz, Sophie Azouaou, Andrew Beebe, Caren Brooks, Chelsea Brown, Cher Chronis, Lisa Durant, Robert Fountain, Porter Gale, Anthony Gilmore, Kiki Goshay, Moira Hanes & Marco Krapels, Jordan Harris, Deirdre Holbrook, Sig-Britt Ivey, Trish & Karl Jacob, Lynda Lucero, Jorge Maumer, Lisa McFadin, Clarissa Nicosia, Heidi Pettit, Kimberly Rider, Claudia Ross, Sarah Shaw, Marla Steuer, Karen Tamblyn, Elisabeth Thieriot, Julia Vasic

DRESS CODE:
Cocktail Attire (Winter White optional)

ECO-FASHION SHOW:
The runway fashion show produced by Lily Achatz and Clarissa Nicosia showcases top eco-conscious fashion designers including Oliver Tolentino, Prophetik, Mina+Olya, Cari Borja, Amour Vert, and PACT, with a special segment from the Vintage a la Mode boutique in San Francisco. Hair by Pureology. Makeup by Daniel Keith and Vapour Organic Beauty. Music by DJ Donovan. Models by Stars Model Management.

Eco-Couture Gowns by Oliver Tolentino, Gorgeous & Green 2011

WHO'S THERE:
Rabobank, Bently Enterprises, The 11th Hour Project, Google, DLR Group, PwC, eBay, Pureology, Catamount Ventures, Earth Vision Industries, Michael Mina, Dixie, Absinthe, 360 Vodka, Miette, The Only Cookie, CADE, Iron Horse Vineyards, Guayaki Yerba Mate, Korbel Organic California Champagne, MateVeza Beer, Rosemira Organics, popchips, Judy’s Breadsticks, Lifefactory, TATCHA, Seventh Generation, Edible Goddess, StyleNow, Earth Friendly Products, Numi Tea, A Band of Wives, Speedpro Imaging Marin, Leftwich Event Specialists, Blueprint Studios, San Francisco Department of the Environment, Omni San Francisco Hotel, Las Alamandas Resort, Cavallo Point, Post Ranch Inn, Drew Altizer Photography, Uber, Bauer's Intelligent Transportation, Ecopia

MEDIA SPONSORS:
San Francicso Magazine, Step Into My Green World, San Francisco Examiner Green Living, ecofabulous

TICKETS:
Benefiting the nonprofit Global Green USA
$1,000:  1 VIP Dinner Ticket
$2,500:  1 Patron Dinner Ticket, VIP Reception, Gift Bag, Recognition
$     125:  1 Fashion Show and Party Ticket (9:00 pm arrival)

RSVP:
To purchase tickets, please visit www.globalgreen.org/sf
or call 310-581-2700 x159

ABOUT GLOBAL GREEN:
Global Green's mission is to create a global value shift toward a more secure and sustainable future. They help schools, urban environments, and affordable housing to go green in the San Francisco Bay Area and nationwide, with the goal of improving the public's health and mitigating climate change. Global Green is the national arm of Green Cross International, Mikhail Gorbachev's international environmental organization. They started the famous Red Carpet-Green Cars Campaign at the Oscars, are facilitating the green rebuilding of New Orleans, and are helping the areas of San Bruno and New York rebuild in a sustainable way.  www.globalgreen.org

We hope to see you at this glamorous celebration!

Cradle To Cradle Gala

Join me for a celebration honoring legendary green architect William McDonough with special guests Susan Sarandon and Meryl Streep in San Francisco. A party for the Cradle to Cradle Institute, the evening will celebrate product innovation that makes the world a better place.

Reserve your place here

Bill McDonough is a hero for the planet. If all products were Cradle to Cradle, they would be healthy for people and the environment, be powered by renewable energy, and be waste-free as materials would either be biodegradable or reusable. This is design the way nature intended. We look forward to hopefully seeing you at what should be an extraordinary night!

Lions, Elephants & Zebras, Oh My!

If you are an animal lover, then I highly recommend the famous Wildlife Conservation Network Expo happening Saturday October 13 in San Francisco. The saving of the world’s elephants, zebras, lions, cheetahs, penguins, wolves, painted dogs, snow leopards and more will be on display in full living color. Plus you may learn about a few new animals, such as the exotic cotton-top tamarin and the stunning okapi.

Much like a VC firm has a portfolio of companies, Wildlife Conservation Network (WCN) supports a portfolio of wildlife conservationists. At the Expo, you will meet 20 of these impressive pioneers who risk their lives daily to save the world’s most endangered animals. You can also walk through the inspirational booths of 50 acclaimed conservation entities, everyone from the Red Panda Network to Save The Frogs. And of course, you will get to see my favorite wild animal, the head of WCN, Charles Knowles, in conversation with Saba Douglas-Hamilton of the popular BBC series Big Cat Diary on the topic of “Are Zoos Doing Enough?"

Wildlife Conservation Network Expo

WHEN:
Saturday, October 13, 2012
10 am to 6 pm

WHERE:
Mission Bay Conference Center
1675 Owens Street
San Francisco

Expo Invitation & Schedule

Tickets:
Admission $60
Students $30

RSVP:
Reserve your place here

The WCN Expo was one of the first events I went to upon starting Heart of Green in 2004, and I have been a fan ever since. Hope to see you there!  wildlifeconservationnetwork.org

Green Chamber of Commerce Gala

You have heard of the Chamber of Commerce. But have you heard of the Green Chamber of Commerce?  They are an excellent national organization headquartered in San Francisco that serves businesses with a commitment to profitability and the planet. Come find out more this Thursday evening at their annual event, and don’t forget to wear black and white!

Back to Basics: Black & White Gala
Celebrating Sustainable Business Leadership

WHEN:
Thursday September 20, 2012
6 pm VIP Cocktail Hour
7 pm Main Party

WHERE:
EEFG Inc. Headquarters
657 Mission Street, Suite 200
San Francisco

Black & White cocktail attire requested

This year’s annual event will be a simply delicious evening! Sample tasty treats from local green business food and beverage vendors including Delicious Catering, Blue Heron Catering, and micro-breweries such as Speakeasy Ales & Lagers. Connect with over 300 leaders representing sustainable business and policy from around the Bay Area and beyond.

You will hear an exciting keynote from speaker Chris Librie, HP’s Director of Environmental Initiatives, and a special address by Dave Barthmuss, Group Manager for General Motors. See also who wins the Green Chamber’s 2nd annual Peer Evaluated Green Chamber Sustainable Business Leadership Award. Overall, it will be a fabulous opportunity to celebrate socially and environmentally-responsible business leadership and have a fun night in the City. See full event invitation

RSVP:
Reserve your spot here

Proceeds of the event directly benefit the Green Chamber of Commerce’s development of sustainable networking, education, and advocacy programs for the sustainable-minded community. We hope to see you there!  greenchamberofcommerce.net

The Beginning Is Near

The Mayan calendar ends in December 2012. So what does this mean for us mere mortals? Some people say it will be the “end of the world.” But others connected to the Mayans themselves say that 2012 represents the beginning of a new era. A moment for transformation. A break in the matrix. A shift in consciousness from the myopic to the expansive. An opportunity to realize that we are all connected – humans, animals, and nature – and that as conscious sentient beings, we can chose the higher path.

Commemorating this once-in-a-lifetime occasion is the Day of Tikkun (meaning “repair”) being held in San Francisco on Saturday October 6, 2012. This not-to-be-missed, historic event will bring together top talent from the musical and spiritual worlds. Think of it as a much-needed day off from our otherwise furious pace. An opportunity to breathe and become rejuvenated. A chance to celebrate the best that human beings have to offer each other and the planet. Come for the afternoon, evening or entire day!

Day of Tikkun

WHEN:
Saturday, October 6, 2012
12:30 pm – 6:30 pm: Afternoon program
8:30 pm – 10:30 pm: Evening concert

WHERE:
The Nob Hill Masonic Center
1111 California Street
San Francisco

TICKETS:
Free or optional donations from $10
VIP levels also available

RSVP:
Reserve your spot here

A Philanthropic Event

Thanks to the generous support of author and entrepreneur Eric Greenberg, you can attend this event for free. Yes, an entire day of gifts completely complimentary! If you like, you may also make a donation (scale $10 and up) to one of ten local charities that are making a difference in the community. You pick your favorite organization from an impressive list including Friends of the Urban Forest, Meals on Wheels, Off the Mat Into the World, Global Green USA, the Edible Schoolyard, Spirit Rock, and many others. There is also a VIP level that features reserved seating.

The Lineup

What exciting elements await you and your guests at the Day of Tikkun? There will be a beautiful concert from famous kirtan singer Snatam Kaur whom Oprah Winfrey calls “one of the most amazing surprises of my life.” You will hear talks from top spiritual teachers and performers including Marianne Williams on miracles in today's world, Alberto Villoldo on soul repair, poet and Rumi translator Coleman Barks, Grammy award-winning musician David Darling, and Eric Greenberg on spiritual quests. You will experience a healing prayer ceremony from the Q'ero shamans of Peru, the last un-broken lineage of the Incas, who will bless each individual participant, call for healing, and create powerful collective energy for the repair of the world. Every great event needs a great soundtrack, and DJ Dragonfly will provide one for this special day.

“We have a choice to evolve or devolve during these most challenging times in human history,” says Greenberg. “My hope is that people take the powerful energy of the day out into the world and help their fellow brothers and sisters.”

The Day of Tikkun is a production of EG, a spiritual portal dedicated to awakening the global community to their divine aspect and the power of a soul-driven life. Author, entrepreneur and philanthropist Eric Greenberg was a pioneer of the commercial Internet. A personal crisis launched him on a seven-year spiritual journey where he remade his life. He is dedicated to lifting the collective consciousness and making the world a better place. To this end, he started the popular healthy takeout restaurant in San Francisco called Beautifull which I personally love. His award-winning book Generation We became a rallying cry for the millennial generation of youth in the United States, and I am looking forward to his forthcoming book on spiritual repair.

For more information and to sign up for the Day of Tikkun, please visit www.dayoftikkun.com

Day of Tikkun Facebook Page

EV Week Debuts in San Francisco

Electric vehicles are back and better than ever. For evidence, look no further than the first-ever EV Week Expo in San Francisco happening September 17-18 at Justin Herman Plaza.

Please join Charge Across Town, the SF Department of the Environment, the Business Council on Climate Change, San Francisco business leaders, and leading electric vehicle manufacturers and charging stations for this electric vehicle bonanza. Come see and drive the latest electric and plug-in hybrid cars and learn about San Francisco’s commitment to become the EV capital of America.

Charge Across Town
EV Week Expo

WHEN:
September 17 - 18, 2012
11 am – 5 pm

WHERE:
Justin Herman Plaza
San Francisco

FEATURING:

• Luxury electric cars Fisker Karma and Tesla Model S
• Toyota’s new RAV4 EV and Prius Plug-in
• Nissan’s popular Leaf electric car
• BMW DriveNow ActiveE premium car sharing service
• Honda’s  FitEV
• Electric (eREV) pickup truck from PG&E and VIA Motors
• EV charging stations with SunPower clean energy
• Zipcar & City CarShare electric vehicles
• Ford Focus EV and Mitsubishi MiEV

Entrance is complimentary.

For more information and to sign up for Ride & Drives, please visit chargeacrosstown.com/ev-week

Look forward to seeing you there for this electrifying event!

SAMSARA Opening Night

We are all interconnected. This is the message that comes through the extraordinary new film SAMSARA opening this Friday in cities across the nation. Named for the Sanskrit word that means “the ever turning wheel of life,” the film offers viewers an unparalleled visual feast for the senses.

"Powerful,” “visually breathtaking,” and “stunning pure cinema” are just a few of the words used to describe this work of art of the moving image. Filmed over a period of five years in twenty-five countries, SAMSARA takes us on a tour of the world covering natural wonders, sacred grounds, modern marvels, and more illuminating the links between humanity and nature and showing the amazing rhythm of our planet.

SAMSARA reunites director Ron Fricke and producer Mark Magidson, whose award-winning films “Baraka” and “Chronos” were acclaimed for combining visual and musical artistry. SAMSARA was filmed entirely in 70mm with a custom motion control time-lapse camera. The result is a showcase of mesmerizing images of unprecedented clarity.

For Heart of Green readers in the San Francisco Bay Area, we have a special invitation. We have 3 pairs of tickets to give away to the opening night of SAMSARA this Friday September 7th in San Francisco and Berkeley playing at the times below.

SAMSARA Opening Night
Friday, September 7, 2012

San Francisco
Landmark Embarcadero Theater
Times:  12:10 pm | 2:30 pm | 4:50 pm | 7:15 pm | 9:50 pm

Berkeley
Landmark Shattuck Cinemas
Times:  12:40 pm |3:00 pm | 5:15 pm | 7:35 pm | 9:55 pm

Update:
Congratulations to the lucky winners of the tickets!

The film is also playing across the country in cities including New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, San Diego, St. Louis, Denver, and many more. Find a theater near you. Happy viewing!

Samsara Film Web Site

Center for Environmental Health Gala

Please join me at the Center for Environmental Health’s annual gala in September, celebrating 16 years of championing corporate responsibility and public health. This year, the famous environmental author Paul Hawken will be in the house to give an inspiring keynote.

Center for Environmental Health Annual Gala

WHEN:
Monday, September 10, 2012
5:30 pm: VIP Reception
6:00 pm: Cocktail Reception
7:15 pm: Program
8:15 pm: Dessert Reception

WHERE:
Jewish Community Center of San Francisco
3200 California Street
San Francisco

Enjoy hors d'oeuvres, sustainable wines and beers, and the good company of the eco-conscious community in the Bay Area.

RSVP:
Reserve your spot here

What I love about CEH is that they are often out in front of issues that come into the mainstream several years later. In short, they are a trailblazer. Their goal is to make the world a safer place to live, work, learn, and play.

For example, CEH exposed the lead in toys, baby bibs, candy, lunchboxes, diaper creams and more, forcing recalls and changing the way entire industries make children’s products. Then the Center helped write and pass the first-ever federal law banning lead in children’s products.

Other important issues the Center has taken on include GMO food labeling, nanomaterials in sunscreens, methyl iodide pesticides on strawberries, and ensuring that “organic” personal care products are truly organic.

I am thrilled to be serving on the host committee for the gala again this year. Please come and support this outstanding group, and let’s toast to a safer, healthier world. www.ceh.org

Are Nanoparticles Safe in Beauty Products?

I am becoming alarmed by the number of new high-end skin cream using nanoparticles.  Nanomaterials are untested and could be dangerous especially when ingested or applied to the skin.  It seems irresponsible of skin care companies and department stores to sell beauty products with nanoparticles.  Someday I suspect they may be banned due to their harmful and irreversible effects on human health and the environment.

You see, once a nanoparticle enters your body, it can be very difficult to find it and get it out. A recent case in point is a paint factory in China that was using nanoparticles.  In August 2009, two Chinese workers at the factory died and five more young women suffered permanent lung damage from breathing in nanoparticles.  Their lungs all contained nanoparticles of 30 nanometers in diameter. 

Even though they have left the factory, the five women’s lungs are still in trouble.  Why?  Because it can be impossible to remove nanoparticles once they penetrate human cells.  "Their tiny diameter means that nanparticles can penetrate the body's natural barriers, particularly through contact with damaged skin or by inhalation or ingestion," said Yuguo Song from the Chaoyang Hospital in Beijing.

Once a nanoparticle goes in, it is unlikely to come out. The effect is cumulative over time, and eventually the body might not be able to cope.  "There may be some novel mechanisms for toxicity that nanoparticles might produce," says Kevin Ausman, executive director of the Center for Biological and Environmental Nanotechnology at Rice University.

There are new reports of silver nanoparticles accumulating in plants, animals and water, and even interfering with human sperm development. Here is a recent study showing that women are inhaling nanomaterials when putting on cosmetic powders like those from Colorescience.

Therefore, I am concerned about the increasing presence of “luxury” nanoparticle face creams and sunscreens.  Using the precautionary principle, no one should use these products.  They could do permanent damage to the unsuspecting citizens who buy them. At least  70% of what you put on your skin is absorbed into your body. Would you eat nanoparticles for dinner?  If not, then let’s just say no to nanoparticles in beauty products.

Products To Avoid:

Chantecaille Nano Gold Energizing Cream ($420):  “Pure 24 karat gold is wrapped around silk microfibers and delivered directly to your skin”

Euoko Eye Contour Nanolift ($300):  Contains synthetic bio-engineered ingredients. The founder Dr. Rammal was previously involved in nanotechnology R&D for cosmetics with Dow Corning.

Chanel Calming  Emulsion

Christian Dior DiorSkin Forever Compacts and Extreme Wear Flawless Makeup:  “Inspired by nano-technology”

L’Oreal Revitalift:  Contains patented Nanosomes that “transport the Pro-Retinol A deep into the epidermis.”  L'Oréal is one of the largest nanotechnology patent holders in the US.

Lancome Renergie Morpholift  (owned by L’Oreal)

Kerastase Nutritive Oleo Fusion Treatment:  “Penetrates the hair fiber thanks to the Nano-Emulsion technology”  (owned by L’Oreal)

Many Mineral Sunscreens:  This is the most prevalent area of nanoparticle use to date. Nanoscale zinc oxide and titanium dioxide were detected in most of the US-marketed mineral sunscreens products tested by Consumer Reports. Ironically, these mineral products are often labeled "chemical-free" or "for sensitive skin" so consumers think they are buying the healthier alternative. If a sunscreen contains zinc oxide or titanium dioxide and says "goes on clear," beware of nanoparticles ahead. Offenders include Avon, Pond’s, Nivea, The Body Shop, SkinCeuticals, Burt’s Bees Chemical-Free, Colorscience, and many others. Be especially careful of sprays and powders (easy to inhale) and lip products (easy to ingest).

The safest sunscreens right now tend to be mineral sunscreens that go on white and chemical sunscreens that contain Mexoryl SX. Avobenzone (Parsol 1789) is less bad than oxybenzone, a known endocrine disrupter.

In general, try never to put a nanoparticle product on broken skin. Also, do not inhale or ingest a product with nanoparticles because it will more easily contaminate the body's living tissue.

For more products, please see this Database of Nano-Products

Say No to Nano, Say Yes to Eco

A certain luxury department store in San Francisco told me this week, “The demand for these nanoparticle creams is high.”  Ok but so is the demand for cigarettes and guns.  This reminds me of the line General Motors CEO Rick Wagoner used to say:  “The demand for SUVs is high. We are just building the cars that people want to buy” -- regardless of their impact on the planet.  He is now out of a job.

The nano defense normally sounds like this:  “Because the particles are so small, they are absorbed much more into the skin.”  That is precisely what makes them so dangerous.  No company has studied the long-term effects of this experiment.  We need more tests and regulations now.  Companies should have to indicate on labels when their products contain nanoparticles.

It is time to stand up for human health.  Just as we can eat organic food without pesticides, we can use many ecofabulous beauty products that harness the best of nature’s rejuvenating talents.  My favorites to date are Weleda, Amala, Ila  Spa, Eminence, REN, and Jurlique.  For example, the Amala Rejuvenate Cocoa Bean Treatment Oil contains 98% organic ingredients. You can be a natural beauty and protect your health at the same time. 

For more information about nanoparticles in sunscreens and other popular products, please see these reports from Friends of the Earth.

See also "Nanotech An Environmental Threat" posted in Popular Science. It is good to know that I am not the only one worrying about this! 

To see the growing list of products containing nanomaterials, please see this impressive Nanoparticle Product Database from the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies.

Nanomaterials in Food

There is growing evidence that nanoparticles are now appearing in food. For example, the organization As You Sow has discovered nano-sized titanium dioxide used as white food coloring in powdered sugar Dunkin' Donuts. Read the full story in Scientific American. Testing of additional products by As You Sow is underway. The precautionary principle would say to avoid these items until they are verified to be safe. A nano-scientist said to me recently, "We have no idea if nanoparticles are safe for human consumption in the long term or not." Just as with GMO food, we need labeling so that consumers can at least make an informed choice. In an ideal world, products would be designed to be safe and healthful from the beginning. Why make a toxic product when you could make a beneficial one?

Where did the Jobs for College Graduates Go?

I keep meeting college grad after college grad who cannot find a job. These kids are young, eager, bright, and ready to work. They have boundless amounts of energy, but no one will hire them because they don’t have any “experience.” This is a catch-22, because they can’t get any experience if they can’t get a job. So they are driving cars, making lattes in cafes, doing anything they can to survive. They are moving back in with their parents because they cannot afford basic rent and living expenses. Something is wrong if you rack up over $100,000 in student loans, do well in school, and there are no jobs for you when you graduate.

Today 53.6% of bachelor's degree-holders under the age of 25 are jobless or underemployed according to statistics from the Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Labor. This is the highest share in at least 11 years.

What is going on here? First of all, the Great Recession obviously took its toll, and one theory is that we are still working through a backlog of experienced workers who were laid off in 2008. But look at the billions of dollars in cash that the technology companies are sitting on for instance, and one comes up scratching their head.

We hear often that our universities are not graduating enough students with engineering degrees to fill all of the jobs in Silicon Valley, and that is certainly true. Encouraging more young women (now over 57% of enrolled college students) to pursue math and science is part of the solution. I went to the all-girls Presentation High School in California, and there it was not weird, un-cool, or intimidating to be in the Honors Calculus and Physics classes. When I got to Stanford and majored in engineering, it was a slightly different story. Women were in the minority, and the pace was fast and furious with very little help offered. It was sink or swim, and somehow I swam, but if I had not had the confidence-building experience at Presentation, who knows what would have happened. I also give a lot of credit to my parents who always took an interest in my schoolwork, from term papers to extra credit physics problems to science fair projects.

What Happened to Training?

But if we go a little deeper, we learn that companies are no longer providing the level of training they once did. When I first entered the workforce, I remember weeks of intense training sessions at Arthur Andersen & Company (long before Enron, thank you), Wells Fargo Bank, and LEK Consulting. We learned everything from sophisticated spreadsheets, financial modeling, strategy formulation, presentation software, and much more. These skills have served me well for my entire career, and I still use most of them today. These companies were smart in that they understood that if you hired an intelligent, energetic 21-year old, you could teach them just about anything and have a dedicated, hard-working employee for years.

Skills Now Essential

If companies are no longer offering this level of training, then colleges are going to have to step in. Otherwise, they are doing their students a disservice. It is all about skills. Are college students today learning spreadsheet software (and I mean not just the basics, but formulas, macros and more), graphic design, presentations, databases, basic web programming, English grammar? I include that latter one as I see more and more students leaving out periods between sentences, and confusing it’s and its for example. It’s is a contraction, short for it is. Its is the possessive pronoun like his and hers. But I digress. Colleges must also form alliances with corporations and enable students to work in summer internships so they will have the now-mandated “experience” when they graduate and apply for jobs.

Incentives Needed

The government could also help spur the job market for recent college graduates through incentives. I have always believed that what you incentivize is what you get. Right now, companies are primarily hiring people who already have jobs. The same people are being recruited from company to company, thereby leaving the unemployed and underemployed in a circular loop. The government could stop this cycle by providing a tax break for companies that employ students right out of college. Then companies would hopefully restart their training programs.

Skip College?

I would be remiss if I didn't mention Peter Thiel's new Fellowships in which students are "given a no-strings-attached grant of $100,000 to skip college and focus on their work, their research, and their self-education." Mentors included. I can certainly appreciate the intention behind this initiative and look forward to seeing what amazing things the 2012 fellows do. And I don't think we should give up on college just yet. Even for engineering majors, Stanford demanded a liberal arts education. Some of my favorite classes turned out to be philosophy, Italian, and art history. Those experiences made me a more well-rounded person and expanded my brain and life in important dimensions.

Concluding  Thoughts

So this is my plea. Hire a college graduate, even if they don’t have any “experience.” Take a short amount of time to train them if needed. You won’t be disappointed. These kids are bubbling over with energy and a desire to become productive members of society. They want to work, if only someone would give them a chance.

Related Links:

Readyforce

Maykah

Techbridge

National Lab Network

Green Dream Jobs

Mark Ruffalo Flexes Muscle for Renewable Energy

The eco-glitterati came together to bask in the glow of Empowered By Light’s second annual Light Up The Night party, a sold out affair in San Francisco. Fresh off his movie premiere of "The Avengers," Oscar-nominated actor Mark Ruffalo flexed his celebrity muscle and co-hosted the party held at the venue Roe to bring renewable energy to rural Zambia.

Mark Ruffalo hosts Light Up The Night with Marco Krapels

A beloved advocate for the environment, Ruffalo told the cheering crowd that it is time to move beyond fossil fuels and harness the power of sunlight. "I support Empowered by Light because they are bringing light and renewable energy to those who don’t yet have it. They are teaching whole nations that we don’t need fossil fuels to be modern," exclaimed Ruffalo.

The actor is a green superhero (The Hulk) not just on the big screen but also in real life, where he has a solar array on his New York home and spends many weekends battling the polluting practice of extreme natural gas drilling called fracking.

Guests at the party sipped on eco-friendly cocktails from VeeV Acai Spirit, sustainable varietals from eco.love Wines, and organic yerba mate beer from MateVeza. VIP partygoers received stylish Lifefactory glass bottles and RunRunRun bags made, coincidentally, from recycled water bottles.

Empowered By Light was founded last year by Marco Krapels, Moira Hanes and Gianluca Signorelli to improve lives through clean, renewable technology. With their Solar: Zambia project, they are delivering thousands of solar-powered LED lights and cell phone charger kits to rural African families and schools.

A recent trip to Zambia in May showed that the LED lights are not only eliminating the hazards and pollution of open-flame kerosene lamps but also helping children improve their performance in school. The Ministry of Education in Zambia recently told Empowered by Light the good news that school children using the LED lights improved their test scores by as much as 236 percent.

“During our last deployment, we saw first-hand the incredible impact our lights are having,” said Krapels.  “It’s richly rewarding to think that tonight, 8,000 children in rural Zambia are reading because of our efforts, where previously they would have been in total darkness.”

Krapels also announced the organization’s plans, in partnership with Suntech America, to install a sun-powered, micro grid system for Sioma High School in Zambia. As a highlight of the event, Andrew Birch, the CEO of solar company Sungevity, presented Empowered By Light with a $40,000 donation in support of the new grid. “There is a universal need for electricity, but a fundamental lack of access,” said Birch. “Empowered by Light is making a difference in rural Zambia, and we are proud to be making a difference with them.”

The festivities’ sponsors and partners including such environmental heavyweights as Rabobank, the Clif Bar Family Foundation, Suntech, Lemnis Lighting, CleanPath Ventures, Global Green USA, and SHFT. Overall, it was a blockbuster, star-studded evening where guests left feeling on cloud nine about their ability to make the world a lighter and greener place.

www.empoweredbylight.org

All photos by Drew Altizer

Light Up The Night on June 21

I am thrilled to invite you to a cocktail party for Empowered by Light, improving life with renewable energy technologies, with actor Mark Ruffalo (most recently the Hulk in The Avengers).

WHEN:
Thursday, June 21, 2012
6:30 pm  VIP Reception
8:00 pm  Party

LOCATION:
Roe
651 Howard Street
San Francisco

CELEBRITY HOST:
Actor Mark Ruffalo (The Avengers, The Kids Are All Right, Shutter Island)

HOST COMMITTEE:
Moira Hanes, Marco Krapels, Patrick Crane, David Gottfried, Danny Kennedy, Warner Philips, Nadine Weil

DRESS CODE:
Cocktail Attire

TICKETS:
General:  $50 (includes hosted bar, party +)
VIP Reception:  $200 (includes VIP Reception, delicious food, hosted bar)
Friend Sponsor:  $1,000
Eco Sponsor:  $2,500
Green Sponsor:  $5,000

RSVP:
Spots are limited. For tickets, please visit ebl2012.eventbrite.com

FEATURING:

• Eco-friendly cocktails courtesy of VeeV
• Sustainable wines by eco.love Wines
• MateVeza yerba mate beer
• Stylish glass water bottles by Lifefactory

PARTNERS:
Sungevity, Roe, SHFT, Drew Altizer Photography, Global Green USA, Concept PR, Skadaddle Media, Heart of Green

SPONSORS:
Rabobank, Lemnis Lighting, MateVeza, eco.love Wines, VeeV Acai Spirit, popchips, Lifefactory, CleanPath Ventures, Clif Bar Family Foundation

ABOUT:
Empowered By Light’s mission is to improve lives and the environment with renewable energy technologies. They are currently lighting up schools in Zambia, Africa with sun-powered LED lights, thereby replacing heavily-polluting kerosene lamps and enabling clean access to illumination. For more information, please visit www.empoweredbylight.org

We look forward to seeing you!

A Gorgeous & Green Night

It was a glamorous night for the environment as the eco-glitterati turned out at the Bently Reserve in San Francisco for the Gorgeous & Green Gala benefiting Global Green USA and the greening of schools nationwide. My fellow co-chair Zem Joaquin and I want to thank everyone who helped to make this year’s sold-out event the best Gorgeous & Green ever.

This year, we were inspired by classic dinner theatres of decades past. After pouring over photos of Paris and the Moulin Rouge, we worked with Blueprint Studios to design a décor that we hoped would be “Spectacular, Spectacular.” It turned out even better than our wildest dreams with a red carpet runway, crystal candelabras, velvet curtains, sensational banquettes with front-row seating, live trees, sumptuous lighting, and more. See photos below. Everything was rented and returned with the help of Blueprint Studios for a full circle eco-design experience. We even had the Moulin Rouge movie playing on the bar. I am not sure anyone noticed that last detail, but it didn’t matter because it meant that people were having too much fun!

The star-studded night began with a gourmet organic Patron Dinner by celebrity chefs Michael Mina, Michelin 2-star Joseph Humphrey of Dixie, and Bill Corbett, the master pastry chef at Absinthe. The eco-friendly and talented Taste Catering served up delicious, farm-to-tray hors d’oeuvres during the cocktail receptions. Raves about the food were heard throughout the night, and things were just getting warmed up!  VIP guests sipped Korbel California Champagne made with organically-grown grapes, our local favorite Mateveza beer, Numi teas, and specialty cocktails made with 360 Vodka (organic of course). We are deeply grateful to Rutz Cellars and Keith Rutz for the phenomenal high-end wines and encourage everyone to visit their legendary wine cave in the Russian River Valley.

Celebrity Chefs Bill Corbett, Michael Mina & Joseph Humphrey

Notable guests on the green carpet included Jennifer Siebel Newsom and California Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom, Omar Miller from CSI:Miami, and multi-platinum recording artist Michelle Branch. With a passion for the environment and healthy living, Michelle Branch wowed the crowd by singing beautiful ballads while strumming on her guitar. Actress Rosario Dawson Skyped in from London to show her support for the event, while DJ Donovan serenaded the guests with his French-inspired beats.

Levi’s and eBay were thrilled to win the inaugural Eco-Accolades for their Water<Less Jeans Collection and Common Threads program respectively. Matt Petersen, President of Global Green, announced that the Texas School for the Deaf in Austin had won the National Green School Makeover Competition presented by Pureology. In an ode to Silicon Valley, a new Green School Mobile App powered by Lincoln MKZ Hybrid was unveiled. I have to say that the MKZ Hybrid is one very handsome car, and it is a hybrid to boot with 41 mpg!

A lively and spirited auction orchestrated by Lenny Broberg saw guests outbidding each other for eco-luxury packages including the Post Ranch Inn, a custom sustainable suit from Tailored San Francisco, a Bay Area organic farm tour with a suite at Cavallo Point, VIP tickets to the Global Green Pre-Oscar Party, and more.

The magical night culminated with the Gorgeous & Green Runway Fashion Show. The dazzling models from Stars strutted their stuff in the eco-fashions of California designers Minolya, Karen Caldwell, Sara Shepherd, and Oliver Tolentino. A favorite of Hollywood actresses, Tolentino debuted hand-woven couture gowns made of sustainable pineapple fiber and water lily fabric from his native Philippines. Eco-fashion has never looked so stunning. The show was produced by Lily Achatz and Clarissa Nicosia with hair by Pureology, makeup by Vapour Organic Beauty, accessories by Make Love Not Trash and Amber Marie Bently jewelry, and music by DJ Donovan.

Gorgeous & Green Eco-Fashion Show

I know that the real reason people attend Gorgeous & Green is for the VIP gift bag (wink), and this year’s ecofabulous goodies did not disappoint. Guests were treated to a stylish bag by Make Love Not Trash containing Earthlust chandelier water bottles, eye cream from 29 Cosmetics, Essence of Vali essential oils, popchips, Miette fudges and caramels which are truly to die for, Vapour Organic Beauty’s fabulous cream blush, the very popular Green Ocean cleaner, a fashionable handbag by Envirosax, and beautiful bamboo notecards from Bambootility Media and Smock Paper.

We raised over $250,000 for Global Green USA’s green schools program and could not have done it without our generous sponsors and partners including Rabobank, Lincoln MKZ Hybrid, Pureology, Intel, The 11th Hour Project, Bently Holdings, Catamount Ventures, PG&E, Speedpro Imaging Marin for eco-friendly signage, Alyssa Warnock Design Studio for the beautiful graphic design, Miette, Virgin America, New Leaf Paper, Cross Marketing for the expert PR, Leftwich Event Specialists, and the incomparable LEED-certified Bently Reserve. We are grateful to our media partners SFWire, ecofabulous.com, Drew Altizer Photography, San Francisco Magazine, and SF Examiner Green Living.

To see all of the fabulous photos from the event, please see the web site of Drew Altizer Photography.

Media Coverage

San Francisco Chronicle:  Global Green USA's annual gala Gorgeous & Green

The Examiner:  A glamorous gala for green living in San Francisco

SF Wire:  Global Green USA’s 7th Annual Gorgeous & Green Gala

Ecofabulous:  Gorgeous & Green Gala 2011 – The Highlights

SF Examiner:  Green event of the year Gorgeous and Green 7th annual gala

SF Examiner Green Living Slideshow

The Sop:  Global Green Dazzles with their 7th Annual Gorgeous and Green

Haute Living:  San Francisco Gets Gorgeous and Green

SFLuxe:  Time to be Gorgeous and Green

Fibre2Fashion:  Oliver Tolentino shows Eco at Gorgeous & Green

San Francisco Magazine:  Gorgeous and Green Eco-Fashion Gala

Ecouterre:  Eco-Fashion Galore at Global Green’s 2011 Gorgeous & Green

Nob Hill Gazette:  Global Green Gala

Gorgeous & Green Photos

 
Stunning Minolya Gowns                        Zem Joaquin, Nadine Weil 

 
Artist Michelle Branch                             Designer Oliver Tolentino

Gorgeous & Green 2011 Invitation

You are invited December 6, 2011 for the star-studded Gorgeous & Green Gala at the Bently Reserve in San Francisco celebrating glamorous green lifestyles and benefiting Global Green USA. We'd love to see you!

Mina+Olya Launches

Please join us for the fashionable launch of Mina+Olya, the new gorgeous collection from Mina Yazdi and Olya Dzilikhova made locally with sumptuous fabrics. Sustainable couture fashion has never looked so good!

An Electric Movie Premiere

Don’t miss the San Francisco Bay Area opening premiere of the highly-anticipated film "Revenge of the Electric Car.” The film chronicles the space race for electric cars and is fantastic with unprecedented insider access. Join us for opening weekend, meet the director and stars, and celebrate.

Revenge of the Electric Car
Opening Weekend & After Party in San Francisco

WHEN:
Sunday November 6
5:10 pm show - Director Chris Paine in person

WHERE:
Landmark Embarcadero
1 Embarcadero Center Cinema  (Battery & Clay)
San Francisco, CA 94111
www.landmarktheaters.com

SF Showtimes:
(12:15), 2:50 pm, 5:10 pm, 7:30 pm, 10:00 pm

AFTER PARTY:
Sunday, November 6
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
For ticketholders from 5:10 pm show on 11/6

Le Meridien
333 Battery Street
San Francisco

A short walk from Landmark Embarcadero cinema just over the bridge, celebrate opening weekend with the director, stars and local eco-glitterati at the After Party Reception at the beautiful Le Meridien.

For entry, show your Revenge movie ticket stub from the 5:10 pm show on Sunday November 6 and receive the first beverage complimentary that evening plus delicious appetizers.

Hosted by Nissan and Heart of Green.

RSVP:
Buy your movie tickets early to ensure a seat!
www.landmarktheaters.com  or  www.moviefone.com

REVENGE OF THE ELECTRIC CAR:
www.revengeoftheelectriccar.com

NISSAN LEAF:
The winner of World Car of the Year at the 2011 New York International Auto Show, the revolutionary Nissan LEAF is the new coveted 100% electric car that offers the holy grail of zero emissions, a 100-mile range, lithium-ion batteries, a sporty design, and room for 5 passengers plus cargo. It is the world’s first affordable, mass-market, all-electric vehicle for the global community. www.nissanusa.com

2011 Nissan LEAF 

SPECIAL APPEARANCES:
“Revenge of the Electric Car” is playing everywhere starting November 4. Find a theater near you. There are many special appearances happening as detailed below. Let's make it a huge opening weekend for electric cars!

SF - Landmark Embarcadero:
11/4: Stars in person at 5:10 pm, 7:30 pm
11/5: Special Guest Appearances at 7:30 pm
11/6: Chris Paine and stars

Berkeley - Landmark Shattuck:
11/4: Special Guest Appearances at 7:30 pm
11/5: Chris Paine and stars at 3:00 pm

Palo Alto - Landmark Aquarius:
11/4: Special Guest Apperances at 7:30 pm
11/5: Chris Paine and stars at 5:15 pm, 7:30 pm

San Rafael - Christopher B. Smith Rafael Center :
Daily

San Jose - Camera 3:
Daily

On a personal note, I am thrilled that Chris Paine has made a victorious sequel to his first movie, “Who Killed The Electric Car.” While at Harvard, I accepted a summer internship with General Motors/Saturn and worked on the original EV1. It was hard not to fall in love with that futuristic sports car. Admittedly, it was first generation technology with lead-acid batteries, a short range, and a proprietary charging system. It is exhilarating to see electric vehicles coming back with a vengeance in so many people-pleasing shapes and sizes, and perhaps most importantly, with more attractive ranges that enable drivers to zip around town without anxiety. And the best part is, if you have a pure EV, you never have to go to the gas station! I think EVs are here to stay this time.

Seeing Green at OG '11

This year, I am excited to be serving on the Steering Committee for the dynamic Opportunity Green 2011 Conference in Los Angeles in November. Opportunity Green is one of my favorite conferences of the year because it combines the star power of Hollywood with the top thought leaders in sustainable business and design.

Opportunity Green will take place on November 10-11 at the Los Angeles Center Studios, the site of many Hollywood productions including “Mad Men.” This 5th Annual Opportunity Green conference will bring together 1,000 professionals for one of the largest B2B sustainability gatherings in the U.S. focused on driving profitability through business and innovation. Past and current participants include Patagonia, Nike, Dell, Universal Studios, BMW, eBay, Office Depot, Gensler, Siemens, Method, Barneys, Fuseproject, Oprah Winfrey Network, and many eco-conscious celebrities.

This year’s theme is Accelerate, so get ready for lots of fast electric cars on the lot. Gensler is heading up the design, and I can tell you from the sneak peeks that it is going to be ecofabulous.

I am thrilled to report that actor Adrian Grenier and Peter Glatzer will be receiving the Eco-Maverick Award for their groundbreaking work creating SHFT to make sustainable living cool, appealing and possible. Check out all of the great videos and goods at SHFT.com

Looking forward to seeing you at Opportunity Green in LA!  www.opportunitygreen.com

Lighting up Africa with Solar and Star Power

The green glitterati recently celebrated the launch of Empowered By Light, a nonprofit foundation that is delivering renewable energy light to Africa. Held at Roe in San Francisco’s SOMA, the sold-out launch party was co-hosted by SHFT co-founders actor Adrian Grenier and Peter Glatzer and raised funds for the organization’s first project Solar: Zambia.

Warner Philips with Pharox, Moira Hanes, Nadine Weil, Marco Krapels

More than 250 guests sipped VeeV eco-friendly cocktails and sustainable eco.love Wines while ogling the Pharox solar-powered LED light kits with built-in phone chargers that traveled to Zambia in Africa this month. VIP guests received stylish Lifefactory glass water bottles as a special gift, while a forest green Tesla electric sports car marked the party’s entrance.

SHFT.com, the Webby-award winning web property founded by Adrian Grenier and Peter Glatzer to make eco-conscious living cool, is partnering with Empowered By Light to enable citizens to buy one Pharox solar light and gift one for free to Africa. Many inspired guests elected to make donations on the spot with Square, the hit technology from Twitter-founder Jack Dorsey that helps people pay via their mobile phones and iPads.

The Empowered By Light Foundation was founded by Rabobank EVP Marco Krapels, Moira Hanes, and Gianluca Signorelli, Rabobank’s VP for Renewable Energy Finance. They were inspired by a New York Times article by Elisabeth Rosenthal describing how children in Africa improved their grades when given access to solar-powered light. When Warner Philips and Alex Nigg from Lemnis Lighting shared their Pharox Solar kit (an innovative product that combines an LED light, solar panel and phone charger), the foundation launched its first project to send 5,000 solar-powered LED light/cell phone charge kits to families.

If you haven't seen one yet, the Pharox by Lemnis Lighting is really the coolest LED light on the market. It has the soft light and shape of an old incandescent, yet it is a thoroughly modern LED bulb.

Marco Krapels, fresh off the plane from Zambia, gave a passionate speech at the launch party about how the solar-powered LED lights are already making a difference for communities in Africa. Instead of spending over 20% of their income on toxic kerosene lighting which causes lung cancer, families are now able to gather around the clean light from the Pharox kits and study and read into the night.

“Over 1.5 billion people worldwide do not have access to electricity,” said co-founder Marco Krapels. “And in rural Zambia, only 2% of people have grid power. With a relatively small investment, we can give back to Africa and dramatically improve the lives of Zambian children and farmers, allowing families to leapfrog decades of technology and participate in the benefits of the modern world.”

SHFT co-founder Peter Glatzer said, “Adrian and I are thrilled to be a part of this initiative. Empowered By Light is an inspired, environmentally-sound way to empower so many families who live without electricity. Every so often a project like this comes along that we feel compelled to be a part of."

Moira Hanes, Marco Krapels, Peter Glatzer, Adrian Grenier, Nadine Weil

A special shout out to the event's sponsors who included Rabobank, Lemnis Lighting, Sungevity, the Clif Bar Family Foundation, CleanPath Ventures, SHFT, SPG Solar, Roe, W San Francisco, Opower, the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute, A Band of Wives, and Global Green USA.

If you are interested in becoming involved, SHFT is offering a wonderful opportunity. If you buy one Pharox solar light kit, you can gift one free to Africa. See the Pharox on SHFT here.

I was thrilled to serve on the event steering committee for Light Up The Night. A huge thank you to everyone who participated and attended this spirited and inspirational party!  www.empoweredbylight.org

Press Wrap Up

Here is a collection of stories on Empowered By Light and the event:

San Francisco Chronicle:  Empowered By Light's Solar Zambia

San Francisco Examiner:  Stars power efforts

944 Magazine:  Light Up The Night in San Francisco

The Bold Italic:  Lighting Up The Night

Vivanista

Eco.love Wines

Blue Practice

Vimeo Video

Photos by Drew Altizer