Are you an environmentalist? Is green your favorite color? Thinking about a career in ecology, environmental science, or conservation? Hoping for a job after graduation? The Women in Green Forum is an incredible opportunity for college students to break out of the classroom and network with prominent environmental leaders from across the globe. Become a part of the environmental politics you’ve learned about in lecture! There’s a difference between learning about making a difference in the classroom, and actually being a part of the change. Some of the highlighted speakers include the Chair of the California Air Resources Board, California State Senator Fran Pavley who authored AB32, California Secretary of Education, the director for sustainability at Walmart, and President of the City of Los Angeles Board of Public Works. The Women in Green Forum is more than just a conference: You might meet your next employer, co-worker, or client. So invest in your future and share ideas with successful business professionals in the environmental sector.

As a college intern for Three Squares Inc. (the company putting on the convention), I feel I’m the perfect person to explain the benefits of the Women in Green Forum to other students. While it’s sadly true that we students suffer the constant “lack of funds” predicament, for the price of half a dozen late-night pizzas and a few coffee drinks, you can participate in two days of priceless, up-close and personal, connection-making time with influential and unique environmental figures!  Not only that, but as a student, you qualify for a 50% discount! That’s a pretty big cut. On top of that, the price of admission grants you lifetime membership to the Forum. As in, you can continue to attend the event, free of charge, for years to come. Sooooo… not only are you getting a discounted rate, but that rate divided by 5, 10 years? Suddenly spending the money seems like a worthy investment, right?

At the Forum, there will be round table sessions with industry experts where attendees can ask questions, learn “tricks of the trade,” and hear experts’ stories (how they got to where they are). Laden with new information about how to become successful in the environmental field, you will have an advantage over your peers—having met and spoken with influential professionals from all sectors of the environmental arena.

One of the cool things about the event is that you’ll have the opportunity to learn firsthand, valuable information about alternative fuel vehicles. Were you thinking about getting a hybrid? Just want to experience the fun of driving an electric car? Well… you’re in luck because not only can you learn all about innovative new vehicles but you can test-drive them, free of charge, as well. How fun is that?

If the amazing networking opportunities and the chance to test-drive alternative fuel vehicles isn’t enough to convince you this event is awesome, what about the fact that there will be an Eco Walk-a-Bout? Models will be showcasing environmentally-friendly fashion merchandise whilst strutting among attendees during the expo hall reception. This Forum is not the usual long presentations, stuffy suit-wearing, traditional conference that comes to mind with the phrase “networking event.” Designers. Shoes. Models. Does that sound like any conference you’ve been to before?

So, if you haven’t gotten what I’m trying to say (how is that possible?!?), put the Women in Green Forum on your calendar. September 1^st and 2^nd, Pasadena Convention Center.  The event, one sure to be stimulating and remarkable, presents the opportunity to network with leading environmental professionals and create lifelong connections at one event. See you there!!

Register today at http://www.womeningreenforum.com for the time of your life!

Media interest in the Women In Green Forum continues to increase, and I’ve enjoyed being interviewed by several respected journalists.  They’ve all been interested in the story behind this forum: why I decided to create it and how the process has unfolded.  My answers to those questions are the inspiration for this post.

Launching the Women In Green Forum was something that felt more like a calling than the birth of a conference.  I have spent the majority of my professional career focused on environmental initiatives in traditionally male-dominated industries (transportation, ports and goods movement, waste management, and others). I have also been involved in developing agendas for and organizing several of the nation’s leading conferences on environmental topics, usually working with an event planning committee on selecting topics and speakers.  I realized that many of these conference speaker rosters featured primarily male speakers.

On August 3, 2009, I was discussing this very issue with the visionary green building expert John Picard.  He agreed that there was an unmet need.  Where were the venues to encourage more women to enter these increasingly important fields?  Which events highlighted the achievements of those women who have lead the way?  I started to list off the women who had shifted the paradigm in their industries – Geraldine Knatz, Mary Nichols, Nancy Sutley, Lisa Jackson, Maggie Fox, Linda Adams, Cindy Tuck, Majora Carter and on and on.  It felt as if the other industry conferences were blind to their successes.  We needed to create a space which celebrated and inspired women’s leadership in environmental industries.  That day, I promised Picard that Three Squares Inc. would develop a forum: to honor female trailblazers, educate and motivate future female leaders, build community for women in environmental fields, and showcase environmentally-sound products and services.

Voila!  The Women In Green Forum was conceived.

Since its launch, my staff and I have been overwhelmed by support from women and men across the globe.  We receive emails daily from passionate individuals who want to network with other professionals, share their achievements, display innovative products and services in the expo, or volunteer on our guerilla marketing team to help spread the word about the forum.  To assist with agenda development, we are fortunate to have an Advisory Board made up of the best and brightest minds from academia, government, corporate, and the nonprofit organizations.

We have witnessed what happens when amazing women occupy powerful positions – they are the drivers of environmental change.  Real economic risks come with any significant venture, and self-funding an effort of this size and scope has only been possible by growing the Women In Green Forum into a worldwide community.  To encourage this type of growth, we took a risk: innovating the attendee registration experience by offering lifetime membership to the annual Women In Green Forum for all 2010 paid registrants.  September 1st and 2nd mark the birth of a network of inspiring professionals that will be sustained through the forum’s online communities via Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube.

As my team and I work towards our goal, I am thankful – for the professional experiences I had prior to Three Squares Inc. and especially for those women and men who have mentored me throughout this journey.

Onward and upward!

Jaime Nack
President, Three Squares Inc.
Founder, Women In Green Forum

[And, special thanks to my sister Adina Nack for encouraging me to write this post and share my thoughts via the web.]

Three Squares Inc. (TSI) will grant lifetime membership to every registered attendee at its inaugural 2010 Women In Green Forum, which is scheduled for September 1st and 2nd at the Pasadena Convention Center. This groundbreaking strategy will allow anyone who purchases a registration pass this year to be exempt from registration fees in future years, thereby granting 2010 Women In Green goers lifetime access to the yearly Forum for a modest, one-time fee.

Why Lifetime Membership??

Offering the added value of lifetime membership for 2010 registrants is likely to substantially boost the Forum’s attendance, serving as an innovative response to this year’s difficult economic climate. It will also create a loyal support base for future Women In Green Forums by granting conference-goers an enhanced event experience.

The Bottom Line…

TSI – the Forum’s event production company – wants all registrants to enjoy being members of a community versus participants in a one-time event.  Unlike traditional conferences, the Women In Green Forum will continue to support the professional development interests of its members long after the Convention Center shuts down the evening of September 2nd.

Check out the full press release here: http://prlog.org/10752661

Three Squares Inc. has teamed up with CleanTech Los Angeles to produce quarterly events that will support the development of Los Angeles’ clean tech industry. The first event is scheduled for June 29th at the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce. In addition to highlighting the partnership between CleanTech LA and Cleantech Open, it will serve as an unbeatable networking opportunity for emerging clean tech companies, investors and professional service firms. We hope to see you there!

Check out the most recent press release: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/release_html_b1?release_id=631339

TSI President Jaime Nack was featured on June 3rd’s episode of “Feel and Look Fabulous with Irina,” a radio talk show hosted by Irina Wardas. The exclusive interview highlighted the Women in Green Forum, a two – day conference in September that will bring together leading women in the sustainability field.

Listen to the full interview here! http://www.blogtalkradio.com/search/jaime-nack/

What do you think of when you hear the phrase “eco-fashion”?  Does it make you think of the staid stereotype of a “crunchy-granola-hippie,” bedecked in roughhewn and hand-woven materials? Or does it make you think of the new über-environmentalist? A self-assured, spartan, and dare I say, modern representative of clean living, sequestered in an urban dwelling?

Are you following me?

It is telling of the eco-fashion industry that the references I just laid out before you don’t exactly fit together cohesively. The industry of sustainable fashion is in many ways a patchwork of ideas, a burgeoning movement that has gained a fair amount of notoriety, while its definition is still incomplete.

What defines eco-fashion? Does it come from the mind of a female, bike-friendly, design school student? Or does it hang out with two married jewelry makers using reclaimed metals in their Topanga Canyon home studio?

There is a reason you can’t pinpoint the origins of eco-fashion – it’s an anomaly.

Eco-fashion belongs to no one. It is a multi-layered phrase, open to interpretation. What makes the concept so intriguing is that almost anyone can buy in to it, if you have the materials and the vision.

There is no LEED certification system in place for clothing. There isn’t even a true arm of the Council of Fashion Designers of America that reviews “green clothing” (though the World Wildlife Fund tried). What you have is a talented crop of up-and-coming designers whose boutique clothing lines are slowly but surely building their reputation, not only because they are made in a sustainable manner, but because they are beautiful.

Is there room for aesthetics in the outpost of green? Of course. I believe that one of the true motivating forces behind anything sustainable is the human being’s appreciation for beauty. We love natural landscapes because they are beautiful, so we want to preserve them. As the famed environmental philosopher, Aldo Leopold, said, “A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise.”

So we pat ourselves on the back for supporting green designers, because it is right to want to preserve natural beauty. Right? And materials sourced using low-impact methods, creating little-to-zero waste, and consuming as few extraneous materials as possible sounds pretty righteous to me.

How one goes about creating a line from such materials is another story. While a team of designers may be using non-toxic dyes to color silk they produce in India, does the travel cost of shipping their materials to the States outweigh the benefits that they created by reducing the level of toxics their garments might have unleashed into India’s waterways? Was the production of materials in this fast-developing country going to happen anyway, and the designer’s choice to use an environmentally friendly dye therefore the only ethical precaution they could have possibly taken? Or is it more “righteous” to source your materials locally (they did both), even if it means that you might incur a small amount of water waste or garbage in New Jersey, where the designers of Feral Childe had their chic leggings printed? (See it all here)

Needless to say, one must consider a seemingly infinite number of decisions in the process of designing a clothing line. I give you a few examples: Where to source raw materials? Who does the sourcing? How are these workers treated? Where to buy the material once it is made? Does the garment factory use child labor? Does it use toxic chemicals to produce the fabrics? Who should one employ to make their clothing? Should this be in a developing country? Can one partner with local women to help them become financially independent?  Can one be certain of the fair treatment of their employees? How about the fair treatment of the natural landscape in which the inevitable amount of refuse, however small or large, must be deposited? What is the lowest impact one can have when producing something? Is it worth it to produce at all, when consumption lies at the very heart of this problematic industry called fashion?

Phew… that’s a lot to consider. From reading over those questions, it is evident to me that sustainable fashion is not simply relegated to the decision of whether or not to buy your silk in India. It is also a matter of humanitarian conditions in that country, and the lasting ramifications of perpetuating consumer capitalism.

Did it just get a little stuffy in here?

I won’t apologize for the serious tone I’ve taken, but I will say this: nobody’s perfect. Like your outfit on a wintry day, this quandary is multi-layered. I like clothes as much as the next girl, but I bear the burden of knowledge. It helps that I love vintage clothing – buying recycled fashion is one way to dodge the guilt of being a compulsive spender.

See, it’s not easy being green – not for me, not for anybody. What I like to tell my friends is this: “Whatever you’re doing to help, no matter how small or large an undertaking, it’s a good thing.” Attaining consciousness of the task laid out before us is the first step. Then, becoming aware of your surroundings and the impact that your lifestyle has upon them will follow. And ultimately, we hope, this will lead to manifesting your identity as a Global Citizen. Because once we all feel a little bit more rooted to this Earth, to this entity that lends us our existence whether we recognize it or not, we will be one step closer to feeling at peace in our own skin. And that’s what I call sustainable fashion.

For some pretty lines in all shapes and sizes, check out:
•    Loup Charmant – http://loupcharmant.com
•    Mociun – http://www.mociun.com
•    Prairie Underground – http://www.prairieunderground.com
•    Cri de Coeur – http://www.cri-de-coeur.com
•    Stacy J. Lee – http://www.stacyjlee.com
•    Melissa Plastic Dreams – http://www.melissaplasticdreams.com/home/usa
•    Samantha Pleet – http://www.samanthapleet.com
•    Popomomo – http://www.popomomo.com

And finally, the fairy godmother and royal princess of eco-fashion, respectively:
•    Linda Loudermilk – http://www.lindaloudermilk.com
•    Stella McCartney – http://www.stellamccartney.com

The Women In Green Forum, organized by Three Squares Inc., is pleased to announce that the National Biodiesel Board will sponsor a vehicle in its clean vehicle Ride-and-Drive program. The Ride-and-Drive program will showcase the latest in biodiesel and other clean vehicle technologies and will provide an opportunity for registered attendees to take the latest green models out for a test drive.  The program is expected to be a highlight of the Women In Green Forum, an event scheduled for September 1st and 2nd 2010 at the Pasadena Convention Center.

Check out the full press release here: http://prlog.org/10640559

It is no secret that the green movement has taken off in the last decade. What is often overlooked, however, is the key role that women have played in driving the widespread adoption of sustainable practices as well as the embrace of sustainable products. From taking on leading positions as environmental activists to choosing the environmentally friendly option in everyday purchases, women everywhere are defining the green industry and unmistakably emerging as the “stewards” of our environmental revolution.

According to the Women’s Survey on Energy & the Environment—the first in-depth survey to be conducted on women’s attitudes and awareness about energy—American women are, in fact, the nation’s primary energy “decision makers.” As the study confirmed, in 77% of cases, American women pay the household utility bills and thereby make the critical decisions on energy use in their homes. Women overwhelmingly want the country to move toward clean energy sources, and more than half (57%) are even willing to pay $30 more per month for it. This signifies an underlying commitment to renewable energy regardless of a price premium.

So why have women become so deeply invested in the green movement? Generally acknowledged as being the custodians of their family’s health, women want to create healthy, green homes for their loved ones. The healthiest household purchases are often the most environmentally friendly, and as women are the dominant decision makers when it comes to such purchases, they are creating an ever-growing demand for green appliances and alternatives to traditional toxic products. The traditional role of nurturing the family prompts women to put the greater good over economic self-interest in their activism, says Karen Steuer, of the House’s Committee on Resources. “Men are out in front on property rights and self-interest issues … Women think about their families and the environment. They worry, ‘If I take my kids to the beach, can they swim or will they be wading around in oil spills?’”

Women—with and without children—are very concerned about leaving a better planet for the next generation. According to the survey, when it comes to choosing electricity sources, sustainability is a more important goal for women than reliability or cost. This is reflected by their recent efforts to curb electricity use: 97% of women are conserving electricity, and they are doing so through a broad range of steps such as lowering thermostats, turning off lights and appliances when not in use, purchasing energy-saving fluorescent light bulbs, keeping their homes cooler in winter, installing energy efficient appliances, doors, windows, or insulation. Women’s clear support for conserving electricity and switching to more environmentally friendly sources is good news for those advocating alternative energy options such as wind, solar, and nuclear that do not pollute the air we breathe or contribute to global warming.

It is important to note that women are not merely contributing to the environmental movement by making sustainable choices at home. They are also doing so at work. Women business owners are at the forefront of leading America toward energy conservation and clean energy: according to the survey, 79% have recently taken steps to make their businesses more environmentally friendly, and 87% favor federal tax incentives to encourage companies to become more energy-efficient and use more clean energy. Furthermore, given the tendency of women towards finding solutions to challenges, collaborating, and communication, it comes as no surprise that women fill a majority of the sustainable officer roles emerging throughout corporate America.

“The number of women in leadership roles reflects the fact that women care about these issues and are attracted to this kind of work in the first place,” says Patricia Forkan, executive vice president of the Humane Society of the US. “Cause-related positions demand teamwork, which is how women tend to manage.”

The Women In Green Forum—scheduled for September 1st and 2nd at the Pasadena Convention Center—will celebrate the pivotal role of women in driving us towards a healthier green future. And who better to organize the Forum than Three Squares Inc., a woman-led firm that is dedicated to developing innovative solutions to cope with the environmental crises facing our planet.

For more information on the Women In Green Forum, visit http://www.womeningreenforum.com.

Check out an article detailing the Women’s Survey on Energy & the Environment at http://www.ethicalmarkets.com/2009/07/06/women-are-the-energy-decision-makers-and-want-the-us-to-move-toward-clean-energy-a-new-national-survey-shows/.

“It is our choices, Harry, that show us what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”
- Harry Potter’s Dumbledore

Read More…

Hello, blog readers! Sharing our latest video clip from the Three Squares Inc. youtube channel.

We recently conducted an eco audit of the Gili Eco Villas located 2 hours (by boat) from Bali, Indonesia.  The owners have really taken major steps to have a minimal impact on the island and also give back to the community. They support the Gili Eco Trust which focuses on Biorock installations – metal structures which channel a low voltage current to create limestone and stimulate corral growth.  The corral has been damaged due to fishing boats dropping anchor and the practice of cyanide or bomb fishing.

For more information, contact http://www.giliecovillas.com