The green glitterati of Los Angeles stepped into the holiday season at the recent Fred Segal Sustainable Shopping Event. Benefitting Toys for Tots, guests mingled with eco designers, authors, makeup artists and foodies alike. Sponsored by Coco Eco magazine, Love Heals jewelers, Greenbees shoes and more, the party was a sensory-laden eco fete of all things green and chic.

On arrival, guests donated a gift to Toys for Tots and continue on to hit the bar to sample libations from 360 Vodka, Eel River Brewing Company, Parduccie Wine and more. Mingling with celebrity host actress Rachel Leigh Cook and Living with Ed’s Rachelle Carson Begley, guests strolled through eco-showrooms featuring luxury eco and sustainable fashion from Linda Loudermilk and more.

Janel and Irene, the girls from Greenbees, showed off their winter lines of eco-friendly boots. Their leather kicks combine hand-made leather design and recycled tire soles that come from a time-honored Mexican craftsmanship.

Nearby, Nadine Curtis of Be Sweet took me through a day in the life of her fair trade knitters of the South African Xhosa tribe. Be Sweet is a wonderfully green line of knits, bags and more that promotes socially and environmentally friendly products to fashionable consumers. As Nadine told me, her line evokes an individual style to help support community development around the world.

The crowd kept lining up to sample the endless trays of mini-cheesecakes from Cream by Crystal. Sitting at a festive table nearby was author and eco-fashionista/chef Anna Getty, who was promoting her new book, I’m Dreaming of a Green Christmas.

Tarte Cosmetics offered environmental makeovers to lucky attendees interested in eco-friendly makeup. Tarte promotes both a healthful and green agenda in its products. You can find free-radical fighting super fruits, vitamins, minerals and natural fruit and plant extracts in their products and also know that the products are 100% free of parabens, petro-chemicals, phthalates, sulfates and synthetic fragrances.

And standing by the Tarte Cosmetics center was hostess Rachel Leigh Woods, who took a moment to discuss all that is good and green with me. A star of film and TV, Woods is a longtime vegetarian who sees the green movement as more than just the cause du jour. As she told me, “Being green is so trendy these days – but people need to realize that’s a real lifestyle we can commit to.” When ask for any tips for green shopping this holiday season, she offered, “Research the stores that sell fair trade, organic. Be aware of where your money is going.”

And judging from the eco-friendly merch displayed on this cool Los Angeles wintery night, it’s not hard to take her advice!

 

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It's Oscar week here in Hollywood, and that means one thing. Hollywood Blvd will be closed off for three weeks forcing people like me to side-street it all the way to yoga, usually while honking at slow moving Starline Tours vans filled with fans. Okay, maybe it means one other thing - that celebs are being lauded right and left for all their greatness. Hooray for Hollywood!

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The purpose of Green Spaces is to connecting green or eco friendly change makers through a small business setting. This in turn helps businesses really grow. Small business always needs a place to go, expand and develop into a mature business. Having a space where you can meet with business colleagues, get the job done and learn about going green all in one. The place even has space where people can have events or eco friendly parties for the sake of launching a book, promoting a movie or letting your business have a location. They call it SalonEco!!!

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