174 expert profiles
Adam Gardner
Greening the Rockers
Being green is what's so rock n’ roll these days, and musician Adam Gardner, along with his wife, Lauren Sullivan have been helping bands plug in to ways to green their shows, tours and even backstage with their non-profit, Reverb, www.reverbrock.org, based in Portland, Maine. Gardner rode his bike into work and then talked with Sprig's celebrity reporter Jac Chebatoris about biodiesel trucks, John Mayer's kind of green and why Gardner's green guitar is red-hot.—Jac Chebatoris Read more »
Jered Lawson
Dessert Farmer
Can pies change the way people eat? Jered Lawson—co-director of Pie Ranch, a farm in San Mateo, California dedicated to teaching urban dwellers about sustainable agriculture and healthy food—thinks so. Education programs allow students to help grow and harvest the eggs, fruits and grains used to make the pies at San Francisco's youth-staffed Mission Pie, where freshly baked goodies show city dwellers just how delicious local, sustainable desserts can be.—Patrick Reilly Read more »
Dory Ford
Smart Chef
When you think of corporate food service, you probably think of gummy school lunches or dreary institutional cafeterias. Think again. Dory Ford is the chef of Monterey Bay Aquarium's restaurant, which is contracted to Bon Appétit Management Company (BAMCO), a corporate family that provides "food service for a sustainable future" for over 40 companies, colleges and museums, from American University to Yahoo!, and that values food in the same way Ford was taught as a kid growing up on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Drawing on the amazing local, seasonal ingredients available, including produce and fish, Ford creates thoughtful and delicious menus and meals for the masses including school groups, tourists and lovers of (live) fish. Ford counts himself a steward of the ocean, following the guides set by the Aquarium’s successful Seafood Watch Program.—Diana Horowitz Read more »
GoodSearch Engine
Search the Web, Give to Charity
In 2005, brother-sister team JJ and Ken Ramberg had a thought about the annual $8 billion generated by search engine advertisers. What if some of this money could be directed towards organizations trying to make the world a better place? With this in mind, the sibs founded Goodsearch.com, a Yahoo.com-powered search engine that donates 50% of its revenue to the charities and schools designated by its users. With over 58,000+ nonprofits on-board and 100 more joining daily, Goodsearch.com is tapping into people's desire to do good, without changing their everyday online behavior.—Margaret Teich Read more »
Sandy Lawrence
Gourmet Yoga
"I'll have a side of risotto with my downward dog…." Imagine a sustainable restaurant that moonlights as a yoga studio. Ubuntu is a restaurant serving regular meals, daily yoga classes and provides a holistic healthy lifestyle experience for special occasions and parties. Ubuntu, the brainchild of founder and owner Sandy Lawrence located in Napa, California, was recently named the second "Most Intriguing Restaurant in the US" by The New York Times.—Margaret Teich Read more »
Scott Gold
Conscientious Carnivore
Scott Gold has eaten just about every part of a cow that you can—including some parts that don't sound very edible (blood, brains and testicles, anyone?). While researching his book The Shameless Carnivore, he also dined on squirrel, kangaroo, and rattlesnake, proving himself a meat eater of merit. Sure, card-carrying PETA members will be taken aback by his actions, but Gold's argument is that if you choose ethically-raised meats, you can eat without guilt. That's a message any eco-friendly, non-vegetarian can get on board with.—Megan O'Neill Read more »
Lyndon Rive
Rent-a-Solar Panel
SolarCity founder and CEO Lyndon Rive likes to ask everyone he meets: "Dollar for dollar, if you had the option of using clean solar power or dirty power, which would you choose?" The answer is almost always "clean," but with follow-up commentary along the lines of: "But it's too expensive" or "But it's too complicated to install and maintain." SolarCity is changing the landscape of solar power by addressing such objections with their SolarLease progam, allowing consumers who want to use renewable energy the option to lease at a price they can afford—and they feel the utility-bill savings from Day One. Financing, installation, performance guarantees and lifetime support are all included. Think of it as your cable guy, for clean energy.—Margaret Teich Read more »
Lauren Bush
Magnanimous Model
This Princeton grad (and niece of George) explains her unusual path—vegetarian by 4, humanitarian by 22.—Amanda Millner-Fairbanks Read more »
Josh Bernstein
The Eco Indiana Jones
Though busy amassing the sorts of job titles that somehow failed to come up during any of our own visits to the campus career center (explorer, survival expert, TV host, archeo-babe), Josh Bernstein has also spent the past several years eco-crusading. And in his new role at the Discovery Channel, his ever deepening green streak will be on view for all the world—or at least his audience—to see. —Abbie Kozolchyk Read more »
Liz Earle
British Beauty Queen
The co-founder of Liz Earle Naturally Active Skincare chats about being green, beauty ingredients, and life on an organic farm. Read more »
Philippe Gounel
Parisian Perfumer
Philippe Gounel works with farmers in the south of France to distill the oils from the most fragrant plants and herbs for the certified organic perfume and body care line Patyka. Patyka, which means "apothecary" in Hungarian, is a favorite from Taipei to Qatar. Sick of synthetic perfumes, Gounel traveled the world to suss out the finest botanical extracts in his quest to offer up a luxury option in organics.—Allison Reynolds Read more »
Shades of Green
Extraordinary Eco-Landscapers
Tyler Fishman Manchuck and Ive Haugeland epitomize "gorgeous and green" with their stylish design (think contemporary Scandinavian), bold colors, diverse materials and sustainable landscape practices. The LEED-educated, San Francisco-based designers created Shades of Green as a solution for what they call (wink, wink) "greener pastures."—Allison McCarthy Read more »
Michelle Kaufman
Pre-Fabulous Architect
Architect and designer Michelle Kaufman is on a crusade: to start a consumer movement for affordable, beautiful eco-friendly pre-fab houses. And it's starting to spread like wildfire. Her award-winning designs, such as the Glidehouse and the Sunset Breezehouse, are as drool-worthy as they are eco-smart with space, material and relationship to their surroundings. Even if you're not on the West Coast, you can consider Michelle Kaufman Designs as a great resource for energy efficient, sustainable home ideas.—Allison Reynolds Read more »
Michael Cannell
High-Design Dweller
If Dwell.com covers modern architecture and design, highlights sophisticated concepts in style, and showcases the ultimate in interior décor, what would the editorial director of such a site do? Turns out, the job requirements are pretty dreamy: Michael Cannell scours the country for innovation in design, electronics, and home furnishings, and has slowly but surely been moving much of the online magazine's content in a green direction. Coincidence or canny editorial strategy? We had to ask.—Margaret Teich Read more »
Neil Sims
Farmer of the Freshest Fish
Aussie transplant Sims, president and co-founder of Kona Blue Water Farms in the deep ocean off of Hawaii's Kona coast, trained as a marine biologist and zoologist and worked for years in the pearl farms and hatcheries of the South Pacific, Middle East and Australia. His experience watching wild crops of shellfish over-harvested by the populations that had depended on them for generations pointed him in the direction of open-ocean aquaculture, which involves increasing fish yield by farming them out in the open ocean. Now, he relishes escaping from the office and donning fins and tank to visit the open ocean tanks where his company grows the succulent hatchlings of sashimi-grade (mercury-free and omega 3-full) Hawaiian yellowtail called Kona Kampachi. Now that is fresh fish.—Maria Ricapito Read more »
Kimberly Danek Pinkson
Super-Mom Saves the Planet
Think of the EcoMom Alliance as a modern-day book club crossed with a mom-powerment activist coalition. Kimberly Danek Pinkson's group is an ever-growing network of moms who, together and through a series of small lifestyle changes, are committed to help alleviate the climate crisis. As a former dancer and freelance writer, Kimberly is challenging countless moms to do what moms do best— getting things done.—Amy Palanjian Read more »
Mischa Hedges
Mindful Moviemaker
Mischa Hedges showed he was hip to the complexities of our agriculture industry with his first documentary, the visually poetic, award-winning Sustainable Table: What's on Your Plate? Hedges is changing gears with his second, still-in-progress movie, which is all about your driving habits. (Psst: He wants you to curb them.) Hedges, 23, sold his car and now counts on his bicycle and the Los Angeles County public transportation system to get him from points A to B. As the main character in his movie, he rolls with all kinds of issues, from fuel consumption to pollution to the overcrowding of our highways and byways. Hedges' movie should be an eye-opener for everyone who doesn't think twice about gassing up, turning the key and hitting the (smoggy) streets.—Brit Liggett Read more »
Mia Hanak
Museum Eco-Curator
For Mia Hanak, there's no contradiction between art and science. In fact, their combination could lead to revolutionary change. In 2001, Hanak started the Natural World Museum to raise awareness about environmental issues through the sensory experience of art. Now the museum is partnering with the United Nations Environment Programme to bring its latest show, "Melting Ice/A Hot Topic," to the Field Museum in Chicago. The show features work by artists such as Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Yoshiaki Kaihatsu, and David Buckland, who uses time-lapse photography to document a melting iceberg in his video, "The End of Ice." With dripping glaciers and disintegrating ice shelves headlining the news, the show, which kicks off April 22nd, couldn't be a timelier call to action.—Kate Foster Read more »
Gay Browne
Green City Guide
Born on Earth Day in Kentucky, Gay Browne told her astrologer that she wanted to help the environment, which, according to him, just happens to be her dharma karma, or mission. So she's doing just that, with her wildly popular Greenopia urban guides, which are loaded with great tips; small, insightful bios of green leaders; and reviews of local businesses. Already on the second edition of her Los Angeles and San Francisco guides, Browne is just getting started. Greenopia: New York City hits the shelves in Whole Foods and Barnes & Noble next month, on her day…Earth Day. Denver and Chicago are the next cities to get green-guided.—Allison Reynolds Read more »
Peter Kallen
Fresh Take on Fashion
Peter Kallen loves to smile, and that's because he loves his job as the design director of Nau (pronounced "now"), a Portland, Oregon-based apparel company. Nau was founded in 2005 by colleagues of Kallen's from his days designing at Nike; everything must pass a three-tier criteria of sustainability, beauty and performance. According to Kallen, whatever's wonderful about Nau's designs is strongly attributed to the character of the person wearing the clothes: It's not just about the look and feel, it's also about the story of the person who wears it and brings it to life. So in our minds, the story is: This is healthy, outdoorsy, stylish, eco-remarkable you in Nau clothing.—Brit Liggett Read more »
Green Design Summit
Q&A Round Table
A supergroup of green-minded interior and landscape designers came together to talk eco-chic spaces and resources in Los Angeles with Monica Gilchrist of Global Green, a national organization that focuses on climate change, nuclear power and safe drinking water. Sprig was there and learned more—from Green and Greener's Alegre Ramos (pictured, left), Kelly Van Patter of Van Patter Design (middle), Vernare's Daniel Vandenbark (right)—about what it means to be in-the-know about wonderfully stylish design options that are also earth-friendly.—Jennifer Prediger and Allison Reynolds Read more »
Echoage Parties
Kids' Gifts Guide
Hyped up on sugar and good times, the last thing the birthday boy or girl needs is a pile of twenty or more gifts to tear into and get overwhelmed by. To deal with the presents that can get out of control for both the giver and receiver at kids' parties, Alison Smith (right) and Debbie Zinman (left) started ECHOage.com, a new Toronto-based party company with a fresh take on giving.—Kate Foster Read more »
Deirdre Imus
Children's Health Crusader
Through her work giving children with cancer a safe, fun and healthy place to play at the 4,000 acre Imus Ranch, to the countless green initiatives she's launched at The Deidre Imus Environmental Center for Pediatric Oncology, Deidre Imus is an eco-force to behold. While it may seem like she has enough on her plate, she'll tell you she's just getting started. Next up? Greening schools, hospitals and even doctors.—Amy Palanjian Read more »
Monique Péan
Alaskan-Fabulous Jewelry Maker
Inspired by Alaskan Native art and culture, and with simple, sculptural forms that showcase the beauty of a single, perfectly set semi-precious gem, jewelry designer Monique Pean is creating a whole new flavor of style: Aleutian chic. Also: recycled-gold and conflict-free eco-chic. She's gone from Wall Street to Fashion Avenue with ease, and has already been celebrated on the pages of Vogue and Huffington Post.—Jennifer Prediger Read more »
Andy Cummins
Sea-Saving Surfer
When you picture a surfer, you may imagine an athletic, wetsuit-clad body running in slow motion across a pristine beach. Add some cigarette butts, a piece of trash every couple of feet, and the stench of inadequately treated sewage, and you'll have a clearer picture. In 1990, responding to the realities of riding waves of effluent, a group of English surfers from Cornwall started the nonprofit group Surfers Against Sewage. After spending time at sea, SAS members would often get sick—mainly with ear, nose, throat, and gastric infections, but sometimes with scarier sicknesses, like meningitis. Today, the surfers are getting landlubbers to sit up and listen, about not just sewage, but also climate change, eco-friendly packaging, and nuclear waste. Andy Cummins, an SAS campaign officer, explains why surfers are natural advocates for the environment.—Kate Foster Read more »
Majora Carter
South Bronx Brainiac
One of Sprig's favorite environmental leaders and activists, Majora Carter was born and raised in the South Bronx, a New York City neighborhood with 15 waste transfer stations, a 39-acre sewage treatment facility, multiple power plants, and a child asthma rate of nearly one in four. Unwilling to see her neighborhood as the city's junkyard, Carter established the environmental justice group Sustainable South Bronx in 2001. She has received the MacArthur Genius Award for her innovative work, which includes spearheading the South Bronx Greenway Project, a network of paths for pedestrians and cyclists. Last October, Carter had local green roofers plant flowers and baby sedum on top of her own Bronx brownstone. She explains why the Bronx is at the cutting edge of the environmental movement and why green roofs make sense.—Kate Foster Read more »
John Paul DeJoria
Hair-Care Guru
We're a little bit crazy about the Paul Mitchell Hair Care's carbon-neutral Tea Tree line, and what it does to our locks. Here, a quick chat with the product line's founder John Paul DeJoria, a nearly thirty-year beauty industry veteran, who has just gone from gorgeous, to gorgeous and green.—Jennifer Prediger Read more »
Jack Uldrich
Squeaky-Green Money Man
To make green, follow the green. Jack Uldrich, author of Green Investing, has concrete tips for making money through environment-friendly stocks, especially alternative energies and clean technologies. To win at any kind of investing, however, you still need to study the market. Jack walks us through the kind of homework that needs to be done to learn whether or not a stock is going to be bullish or bearish.—Allison Reynolds Read more »
Brian Mahan
Eco-Chic Concierge
Until recently, there wasn't one person you could go to and ask about organic chefs, personal healers, celebrity eco-stylists, all-natural doulas, and psychics. Now, at least in Los Angeles, there is. The go-to guy among his friends and acquaintances for recommending innovative, quality services for them to try, Brian Mahan has spent years searching for such resources around the world. A few years ago it dawned on him that he could take this special expertise and turn it into a viable business as the Enlightened Concierge. Talk about eco-luxury: Brian can curate and execute a personal-needs calendar for you with little fanfare—and no fee.—Allison Reynolds Read more »
Craig Calfee
A Bike of a Different Color
When Calfee, a bike builder from Santa Cruz, California, started making bamboo bicycles about ten years ago, they were a novelty for his friends and relatives. It turns out that bamboo is not only eco-friendly, but also super-strong, non-corrosive, and vibration absorbing. In other words, the perfect material for a bike frame. Now his bamboo bikes are in high demand, and Calfee is finding out how his eco-friendly design could impact life in rural Africa.—Kate Foster Read more »
All Edibles
Eat-Your-Lawn Designers
Can you change the world one yard at a time? Sara Weihmann and Kirk Saunders are looking to do just that. Armed with Sara's green MBA and Kirk's fine-arts background, the duo have created All Edibles, a design and installation company that landscapes edible lawns. Located in the East Bay area of San Francisco, the company was born from a simple walk around the neighborhood, examining the space between streets and homes. Just think: You could be six steps away from a customized edible landscape that's a mere stone's throw from your own back door. We sat down and talked turnips (and other lawn veggies) with Sara.—Allison McCarthy Read more »
Stewart+ Brown
Eco-Fashion Front Runners
Karen Stewart and Howard Brown, the dynamic duo behind fashion company Stewart+Brown, started making hip sustainable clothing long before the eco-fashion industry even existed. These days, they remain firmly ahead of the clothing curve by scouring the earth for genius new fibers, while remaining committed to their original goal of making the most beautiful clothes they can with minimal impact on the environment.—Amy Palanjian Read more »
Ellen Sandbeck
Spick-and-Span Sustainability
Her book Green Housekeeping is loaded with techniques for maintaining a chemical-free, sparkling and spotless, all-natural home. Armed with a bottle of vinegar and an old toothbrush, Ellen Sanbeck is ready to take on any patch of greasy grime. Sitting by her eco-friendly pellet stove on a minus-10-degree day in Duluth, Minnesota, Ellen takes a few minutes to remind Sprig readers why they should avoid the dry cleaners (unless they're green) and how to get a red wine stain out of the white couch without using stuff from a bottle with a bald guy on it.—Allison Reynolds Read more »
Allegra LeGrande
Global-Warning Scientist
Call her the Day-After-Tomorrow dame. Hailing from a fourth-generation Texas oil family, and working through a collaboration of Columbia University and the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, paleoclimatologist Dr. Allegra LeGrande studies ancient climate patterns, applies them to our present, to help predict what our future might be. May the crystal ball of one of the few female scientists in her field stay ever clear and true.—Elizabeth McMullen Read more »
Jessica Gulati
Beautiful Giver
Beauty is even more beautiful when it's shared—that's the charitable philosophy behind The Shanti Project, which produces Lotus Love Beauty products, as well as contributes supplies to schools in India and feeds the homeless in 33-YEAR-OLD founder Jessica Gulati's San Diego neighborhood. A dreamer whose business is nestled downtown with a portal's-eye view of the Pacific Ocean, she's apt to send home an employee in a bad mood because it might affect the energy of the hand-soap batch of the day—quite a difference from when she used to make beauty products for humongous corporate private labels. Here, she shares with Sprig some of her grandma's beauty secrets and her goal to pick up after others on the beach.—Allison Reynolds Read more »
Caroline Bennett
Sushi's Sugar Mama
Food fads tend to come and go, but sushi has proven to have major staying power—too bad the same can't be said of our oceans' fish stocks, which are depleting as we speak. Caroline Bennett, owner of the U.K. sushi chain Moshi Moshi, is doing her part to preserve fish populations by striving to serve only sustainably sourced seafood. Bennett has even been working with her competitors, helping other London-area restaurant owners locate small-scale, sustainable fisheries, and organizing the Pisces Responsible Fish Restaurants group. She's saving sushi, one piece at a time! Here's hoping her plans include bringing Moshi Moshi stateside.—Megan O'Neill Read more »
Helen Lessick
Time and Tide Artist
She's written "poème" on the side of a cow, made a habitable house out of straw and hay bales that deteriorated over three autumn months, and carved doll-size salt houses to sit on melting ice pillars. L.A.-based conceptual artist Helen Lessick uses transient materials and situations to tell us something about the permanence of change—in art, life and the environment. Her projects ask you not only to engage your eyes, but also your sense of time and thoughts of the future as well. The best thing we love about her? She might even ask you to grab a tree trimmer and lend a hand to one of her masterpieces.—Brit Liggett Read more »
Anna Getty
Green Heiress
Truth be told, for the small part of the 21st century that we've lived in, the heiress archetype—best known for chronic nightclubbing and senseless self-promotion—has had a bad rap. Rolling in the green and being green have not usually been synonymous—but then again you haven't met Anna Getty. She emanates a certain glow that she's achieved from years of searching for balance and finding compassion for herself and the planet. A former vegan-chef assistant and "recovering fashionista," this diehard eco-friendly family gal pulls together all her talents and interests into her business, PureStyle Living, where she blogs and promotes her latest project—the first Pregnancy Awareness Month—in an attempt to help people engage in the green consciousness that she herself so enjoys.—Allison Reynolds Read more »
Nina Storm
Eco-Event Planner
As the behind-the-scenes stage-setter for one of Hollywood’s premier green events—Global Green's 5th annual Pre-Oscar Party—Nina Storm has a big job, and her show must go on (especially now that the writers' strike has been resolved). Without a doubt, this is one party that's primed to mix green with glossy, all in a celebrity- and style-packed forum that's perfectly designed to get the message out to as many people as possible.—Amy Palanjian Read more »
Penny Finnie
Chocolate Savant
With two Bittersweet chocolate shops open in the Bay area and a third in development, Finnie knows a thing or two about chocolate. Each store sells over 120 varieties of gourmet chocolate—including perhaps the largest number of in-store organic and fair trade chocolates in the U.S.—and Finnie makes sure that everyone on staff knows the particular bean-to-bar story of each product. That knowledge—and the daily baked goods, seasonal confections, and seven types of hot chocolate available each day—keeps her customers coming back for more. Check out Penny's reasons for her recommendations (which you can buy online at www.bittersweetcafe.com) and why red wine is not the best companion for chocolate.—Amy Palanjian Read more »
Blue Marble Ice Cream
Ice Cream Queens
You don't need fudge-covered cookie chips or exotic flavors from fruits you've never heard of to make good ice cream, say Jennie Dundas and Alexis Miesen, founders of Blue Marble Ice Cream in Brooklyn, New York. Just grass-fed organic milk and a lot—in their case, four generations—of ice cream-making experience. We're all for bringing back the good old-fashioned ice cream scoop, and on Jennie's and Alexis' advice, having one a day sounds just about right.—Patrick Reilly Read more »
Annie Leonard
Stuff Storyteller
Buy the latest, discard the oldest: We all know this pattern of behavior isn't working so well, but no one has broken down the why's an how's as succinctly, smartly, gently and as well as Annie Leonard (and guess what—fixing this cycle doesn't have to mean the end of prosperity, either). Watch her video on www.thestoryofstuff.com, a comprehensive, step-by-step walk through the pitfalls of our environmentally unconscious consumerism. Do you think it's an accident that the second we buy that super-souped-up laptop, its value starts decreasing and a smaller, sleeker and more sophisticated model awaits promotion and purchase on deck? It's not, but it's an accident—an unhappy one—that this pattern does a serious number on our air, land and waterways. Sprig.com digs Annie and we were lucky enough to spend a few minutes with her talking about the potential for change—and in her words, 'meaningful actions' vis a vis our love of stuff.—Allison Reynolds Read more »
Carolyn Coquillette
Green Garage Girl
One visit to Carolyn Coquillette's Luscious Garage in San Francisco, California is enough to change the way you look at car mechanics forever. Brightly lit and full of plants, host to art shows and community plays, Luscious Garage is the green auto repair shop of the future, staking its claim as quite possibly the first hybrid garage in the country. Carolyn's driving force is to share her vision for all things eco-automotive, helping her customers and the planet to thrive.—Patrick Reilly Read more »
Jack Johnson
Eco-Folk Hero
Jack Johnson is definitely a S.N.A.G.G. (Sensitive New Age Green Guy). With his fifth album Sleep Through the Static hitting the soundwaves, the native Hawaiian will be hitting the road to sing to millions, making sure as he goes that he keeps the planet a cleaner and cooler (in two senses of the word) place. The singer indulges Sprig on topics as eco-centric as his compost "pets" and his bio-diesel fuel of which that his friends have no qualms stopping by to mooch.—Jac Chebatoris Read more »
Ted Eubanks
Nature Trail Blazer
You don't need to fly thousands of miles for a phenomenal eco-trip. Ted Eubanks suggests checking out the overlooked gems in your own backyard, whether you're spotting black bears and rare birds at the Great Dismal Swamp in Virginia or star-gazing at Cherry Springs State Park in Pennsylvania, which has the darkest skies in the east. Eubanks is the president of Fermata, Inc., a consulting firm that develops nature-based tourism and outdoor recreation projects in partnership with communities, non-profits, and state agencies. In the early 90s, he helped create the popular Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail (a self-guided driving route linking spots like wildlife refuges and state parks). Since then, Eubanks has worked on establishing wildlife trails in about twenty states including Virginia, Oklahoma, Illinois, and Wisconsin. Healthy hikes for everyone, please!—Jen Uscher Read more »
Katy Oursler
Outstanding Eco-Hostess
Katy Oursler takes al fresco dining to a whole new level of experience. She'll bring together some of the country's top chefs (like Blue Hill’s Dan Barber and Jardinière's Traci Des Jardin, just to name two), local food producers and one very long table, set up in the middle of a farm field anywhere in the world. With the weather on her side, she serves a regionally specific meal to adventure seekers and foodies alike. Her company, Outstanding in the Field, reconnects diners' to the land, while showing off the very essence and beauty of a location.—Amy Palanjian Read more »
Danny Seo
Eco-Chic Entrepreneur
Do-it-yourself trash-to-treasure is a signature of Seo's, who started an environmental organization for teenagers at the ripe age of 12 and is the author of several best-selling green living books. A master of repurposing refuse in creative, beautiful and completely functional ways (think shot-glass votive holders and flooring-sample book covers), Danny's DIY style can now be achieved without the do-it-yourself part: Thanks to his recent partnership with JCPenney, you won't need to get all arts and craftsy to enjoy Seo's inventive eco-esthetic. (Certain items available at JCPenney now; full "Simply Green" launch in late March/early April.)—Megan O'Neill Read more »
Jo Wood
A-List Apothecarian
It's not all about sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll for Jo Wood. Sure, she loves a good mojito, but the wife of Rolling Stone's guitarist Ronnie Wood is mostly intoxicated by the steady success of her all-organic line of luxury beauty products. Inspired by a desire to bring beauty back into our fast-paced world, Jo Wood's line is both natural and wildly exotic in its origins. Here, Jo tells us how her passion for everything organic has shaped her rock-star lifestyle—and has led to her resolution to stop buying so much stuff.—Allison Reynolds Read more »
Mark Kostovny
Eco-Townie
On the horizon for green building: creating close-knit communities and reducing its entire carbon footprint. Mark Kostovny, Co-Founder of Solar Villages, is on a mission to provide affordable green housing in a community setting to the masses. Read on about the future of eco-housing, coming soon to a city—and—suburb near you.—Jessica Lothstein Read more »
Adele Douglass
Farm Animal Advocate
Adele Douglass believes that it's not just vegetarians that care about the plight of animals on factory farms. She created the Certified Humane Raised & Handled labeling program in 2003 to help consumers choose meat, poultry, eggs and dairy products from farms that raise animals in a humane manner and allow them to engage in their natural behaviors like foraging on grass (hormones and non-therapeutic antibiotics are prohibited, as is confinement in crates or cages). Approximately 60 producers are now certified including Meyer Natural Angus Beef, Applegate Farms Bacon, Murray's Chicken, and Pete & Gerry's Organic Eggs. Last year, nearly 20 million farm animals were raised under certified humane standards.—Jen Uscher Read more »
Joshua Onysko
Pure Beauty Maestro
Joshua Onsysko created Pangea Organics at the ripe old age of 25. Born from a cathartic trip to India and a soap-making afternoon with his mom, Pangea is taking the organic beauty market by storm. Josh’s revolutionary idea for plantable packaging that's embedded with seeds, which can be stuck in the ground when you’re ready to dispose of it, is catching on with other global brands. He’s sure his all-natural, organic skincare products are primed to be the next big thing, but still, he only washes his hair maybe once a week.—Patrick Reilly Read more »
Ashley Morgan
Green Hotel Guru
Boutique hotels are all the rage, but how many of them successfully combine a luxurious stay with sustainable style? At the moment, one: Hotel Terra Jackson Hole, one of just five LEED-certified hotels in the country. (LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and is a green building rating system.) At the helm, Ashley Morgan is responsible for procuring everything from organic cotton bed linens and natural cleaning products to the fair trade coffee served in the organic café—Amy Palanjian. Read more »
Alan Greene
Eco-Baby Doc
Dr. Greene (yes, that's really his name), a holistic pediatrician who pioneered the world's first Internet health resource back in 1995, helps parents raise strong, well-nourished and environmentally friendly kids—and he makes it easy. He's the author of a new book, Raising Baby Green, which makes clear the direct relationship between raising a healthy child and helping the environment.—Patrick Reilly Read more »
Robert Politzer
Eco-Construction Guy
Way before it was cool—back in 1998—Robert Politzer, with his company Greenstreet, discovered the world of healthy building practices. Formerly a public school teacher and lead abatement specialist, Politzer has seen Greenstreet buildings and interiors featured in Dwell, Nest and The New York Times. His firm has tackled such high end—and high profile—residences-in-progress as the penthouse at 1 Fifth Avenue in New York City. Here, Politzer offers green living tips to those of us who live on lower floors.—Annie Bell Muzaurieta Read more »
Erin Pettit
Grown-Up Girl on Ice
Erin Pettit, PhD, runs expeditions that put girls on glaciers to connect them to the environment, as she was growing up in Seattle, hiking, camping and reading science magazines in the shadow of Mt. Rainer. Called Girls on Ice, her program rolls adventure, nature and a sense of stewardship into one amazing package.—Amy Palanjian Read more »
Matt White
Rings Leader
Diamonds might be a girl's best friend, but they are Mother Nature's enemy. The harvesting of gem stones and mining for gold takes a huge toll on the environment, upsetting ecologies and releasing poisonous toxins into the air and water. Five years ago, Matt White found out the dirty truth behind the shiny industry, and decided there had to be a better way. He founded the jewelry company Green Karat, the first of its kind to produce gold and diamond jewelry in an environmentally and socially responsible way.—Jessica Lothstein Read more »
Ryan Frank
Reusable Design Renegade
Free-range chicken, sure, but free-range furniture? London-based Ryan Frank, tongue-in-chic designer, has had a slamming good start in the eco-chic business. He studied industrial design in Capetown, South Africa, became seasoned by a year in Holland, and is now impressing both the green and conventional design world with his witty, funky and modern pieces, such as his Inkuku chair, which looks oh-so-Saarinen—except for the fact it's covered in fluffy recycled plastic shopping bags.—Allison Reynolds Read more »
Namrata Patel
Green Dentist
What could it possibly mean to be a green dentist? Through sheer will, Dr. Namrata Patel combined her two passions in life: dentistry and giving back to the environment. Call her an enviro-dental-ist!—Allison McCarthy Read more »
Mark Schapiro
The Toxic Avenger
You assume that the U.S. government is looking out for your health and your family's, right? Don't bet on it, says Mark Schapiro, Editorial Director of the Center for Investigative Reporting and author of the recently-released book Exposed: The Toxic Chemistry of Everyday Products and What's at Stake for American Power. While the European Union has been proactive about banning common chemicals that research has shown to be hazardous to our health, those same toxins are still legal in the United States. And they're found in just about every consumer product, from toys to TVs. But don't start returning all of your holiday gifts just yet; Schapiro explains how to keep everyone on your wish list safe this season.—Megan O'Neill Read more »
Alice Waters
Green Cuisine Guru
The founder of Chez Panisse restaurant, author of the new The Art of Simple Food and leader of the delicious seasonal and local food revolution, Alice Waters wants to share her vision of the good life. Hear her strategies for shopping at the green market, what she plans to cook this winter and how you can do it, too. Read more »
Oliveira Textiles
Fab Fabric Designers
By now, you probably know that toxic chemicals lurk in couch cushions (e.g., those pesky flame retardants called PBDEs), but did you know that the dyes used in most furniture fabrics can be just as hazardous to your health? Dawn Oliveira and Deborah Olson, twin sisters and fashion-world veterans at companies like Polo Ralph Lauren and Dana Buchman, were well aware of the concerns, and when they launched Oliveira Textiles two years ago, they knew they wanted their products to be as healthy as possible. Read on to learn how they came to design a new line of bright, chic fabrics—that will keep you high on style, never on toxic fumes.—Jessica Lothstein Read more »