Looking to learn from the bigwigs in sustainable business?  If so, join them November 10 and 11 at the 5th Annual Opportunity Green Conference.  With this year’s lineup of speakers, there is guaranteed to be a discussion that piques your interest and catapults your business to the next level.

For the past five years, Opportunity Green has provided a platform for business leaders to expand the envelope in sustainable corporate responsibility, ingenuity, and profitability through a host of speakers, open forums, panel discussions, and networking.  This year, we’ll hear from Starbuck’s VP of Global Responsibility, Ben Packard, on how Starbucks is continuing to chip away at their carbon footprint (let’s hope he’s convincing).  Yves Behar, Conde Nast’s 2011 Designer of the Year, will discuss the future of green product design and improved customer experience.  

Plus, local food pioneers, Mary Sue Milliken of Border Grill Restaurants and Peter Van Stock of Spud.com, will discuss the business of organics, food systems, and sustainable agriculture.  Looking to launch a green tech startup?  Learn from experts on how to attract alternative means of financing.  Don’t leave yet! After a full day of breakout sessions, mingle with the best of them at the Thursday evening after party — with an open bar and taste of LA local/organic restaurant showcase.

Come back on Friday for another great lineup including a panel discussion on the future of Southern California’s Water with the former Governor of California, Gray Davis, and the Director of UCLA’s Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, Glen Macdonald.  Hear from the President of Dwell Media on “what” and “why” the modern affluent consumer is purchasing.  Have room for more eco-entrepreneurial trade tips?  Finish off the day with a workshop on green Guerilla Marketing with Daniel Schutzsmith of Mark & Phil or Rethinking Innovation with Irwin Miller of Gensler.

Still not convinced you want to attend?  Perhaps close encounters with forward-thinking eco-conscious celebs Vincent Kartheiser of Mad Men, Don Cheadle of Crash, and Adrian Grenier of Entourage will get you out for Opportunity Green.

Register here for the two-day conference held November 10 and 11 at Los Angeles Center Studios in downtown LA.  Use discount code GreenLAGirl35 for 35% off the ticket price.

Earlier:
>> Tour de OG: 12 eco-preneurs bike 450 miles for L.A.’s Opportunity Green
>> Opportunity Green: A Very eco-conference, except the getting there

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Can fashion nurture nature? Late last month I had the opportunity to attend the Gen Art Fresh Faces in Fashion show, which showcased some of Los Angeles’ rising fashion stars. There, a noticeable underlying theme was human connection to nature. 

Some of the clothing designs displayed images of nature (though I am not sure how eco-friendly all the fabric was) and some pieces were sourced directly from nature. One accessory designer, Sticks & Stones Accessories, actually used shed deer antlers, gathered by hand in the forests of the US and Canada! The designer’s also known to use fossilized walrus and wooly mammoth ivories, gathered by permit from Alaska, Holland and Siberia.  All of the pieces that incorporate wood, antler, fossil and vegetable ivories are hand carved, sanded and finished at their in-house studio in Portland. 

Gen Art was hosted in part by smart car, which happen to have ultra-low emissions, are 85% recyclable and are produced in a low environmental impact factory in France.  The cars at the event (like the one in the image above) were covered in prints designed by some of the featured fashion designers.

Even Gen Art’s gift bags contained some eco-friendly bonuses — like discounts on vintage clothes from Just Say Native Vintage Studio. While certain aspects of the event — like the plastic cups — could have been much more eco-conscious, this event made it clear that the fashion world, particularly amongst the trendsetters and forward-thinkers, is starting to incorporate more consideration of the human relationship with our environment. To browse through Gen Art’s Fresh Faces in Fashion featured designers, check out the event website.

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The first LA Green Festival was a hit at the Los Angeles Convention Center late last month. For two days, over 300 vendors set up shop forming a temporary sustainable community, featuring multiple stages with speakers on green topics, cooking demonstrations, a green bookstore, and more.

The organic beer and wine garden sat adjacent a delicious smelling food court. However one could simply peruse the shops and get fed along the way by sample snack bars, pizza, health drinks, tea, juice, etc. It was easy to get sucked into a booth and lose a chunk of time conversing with the vendors who were incredibly friendly and knowledgeable. The best part was the festival catered to newbies and aficionados alike. You could walk away with a firm grasp of the basics or a deeper understanding of how we can better our lives environmentally.

In addition to all of the great information, the festival was like one stop shopping for sustainability. Organic body care products, sustainable artwork, organic cotton clothing, and green home cleaning items were among the limitless products for purchase.

Plus, many petitions for important issues circulated — including one GMO labeling on food. The Ford Motor Company showcased their 2012 Ford Focus Electric car and gave away a $5,000 community green grant to Homegirl Cafe, which assists at risk and formerly gang involved men and women with training in culinary arts.

Although this is the first time for the festival to hit LA, this project by Green America and Global Exchange is celebrating their tenth year, so here is to another decade of Green Festivals and hoping it returns to LA soon.

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>> The Santa Monica Museum of Art is hosting the Pacific Standard Time West Bike Tour, which will take participants to four Pacific Standard Time exhibitions in Santa Monica — with a brief stop at the brand new public Bike Center in Santa Monica, where riders can get refreshments and bike tune-ups. The ride happens Sat., Oct. 22, from 1 – 4:30 pm, starting at SMMoA, located in Bergamot Station G-1, 2525 Michigan Ave, Santa Monica.

>> “The Revenge of the Electric Car,” a documentary film “on the charisma and sheer audacity it takes to invent both the technology and the business models needed to jumpstart the electric car in the world market,” will premier in Santa Monica! Chris Paine, the writer and director of “Who Killed the Electric Car?” will be there to answer questions after the show on Sun., Oct. 23 at 5:30 pm at NuArt Theater, 11272 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles. Cost: $10.50 per ticket.

>> Catch a special screening of “Vanishing of the Bees,” an eco-docu about the sudden die-off of honeybees narrated by Ellen Page. Part of Food Day LA, the event will kick off with refreshments on Mon., Oct. 24 at 5:45 pm, followed by the screening at The Ricardo Montalban Theater, 1615 Vine St., Los Angeles. Cost: $25. Tickets available at tix.com, keyword: montalban.

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>> Celebrate an early green Halloween at Trasher’s Ball tonight. This Halloween-themed Green Drinks event includes eco-cocktails, a green fashion show, a DJ, and lots more. You can even take an old T-shirt or tank for Surfrider to transform into a reusable screenprinted Trick-or-Treat bag. The fun happens Thu., Oct. 13 from 7 pm to 10 pm at Fais-Do-Do, 5253 W. Adams Blvd., Los Angeles. Cost: $10 in advance, $20 at the door.

>> Get a free rain barrel simply by reserving it before the end of the day today and picking it up this Saturday — if you’re a Santa Monica resident. You actually have to pay for it first — but then can get a full rebate from the city.

>> Hate GMOs? “Hidden In Your Food: GMOs and Your Right to Know” is the topic of conversation at an eco-foodie event put together by Co-opportunity and the Non-GMO project. Best part: Free appetizers and treats, courtesy of Real Food Daily. That happens Thu., Oct. 13 from 6:30 to 9 pm tonight at Santa Monica Main Public Library, 601 Santa Monica Blvd., Santa Monica. Cost: Free.

>> Mix art and cycling at the ArtNight Ride. Organized by C.I.C.L.E., this ride will take you on a “bike tour of Pasadena’s vast collection of art galleries and museums which are open free to the public.” The 6-mile ride will have lots of breaks so participants can tour the exhibits. Meet Fri., Oct. 14 at 6 pm at Memorial Park Pasadena, on the corner of Raymond Ave. and Holly Street. Cost: Free.

>> Love EVs? Celebrate the first ever National Plug In Day in Santa Monica, where “some 200 Electric Vehicle drivers will silently stream down Main Street, two-by-two, for the country’s largest-ever plug-in parade to champion the environmental and other benefits of EVs, even as Congress is going after EV incentives.” Expected eco-celebs include actorvist Ed Begley, Jr., director of “Revenge of the Electric Car” Chris Paine and Rep. Janice Hahn — who’ll be riding her Nissan Leaf in the parade. It all begins Sun., Oct. 16 at 9:30 am with a press conference at Santa Monica City Hall, followed by the parade starting from Main Street and Pico Boulevard. Earlier: An Electric inaugural parade calls for 1 million plug-ins by 2012.

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