Green Festival

A hip hop artist (stage name massiah), youth leader and community activist, Ba is a 17 years old senior at the Arts and Academics Academy in Seattle. He founded a group called Common Grounds at his school, whose mission is to welcome freshmen into the community by connecting them with upperclassmen. Ba has also participated in Power of Hope artseducation programs for three years and has served on The Youngstown Programming Comity for two years. He is a member of FEEST, the Food, Education, Empowerment ; Sustainability Team, which brings the West Seattle community together through weekly dinne ...

Bach is the author of seven consecutive bestselling books. His latest book isGo Green, Live Rich: 50 Ways to Save the Earth (and Get Rich Trying).

Shelly Backlar joined Friends of the Los Angeles River as the Executive Director in 2003.A life-long bird lover, her recent career highlight was canoeing a natural section of the Los Angeles River on the historic “Paddle the LA River” pilot boating program.In August, Shelly was one of four sister-river delegates from Los Angeles who traveled to Munich, Germany to celebrate a decade-long effort to “renaturalize” the Isar River.As a member of the Los Angeles River Plastics Industry Task Force, she collaborated with executives and city staff to ensure that plastic bags and fast-food wa ...

Alexis Baden-Mayer, a Washington, D.C.-based lawyer and activist, has been working as the Political Director of the Organic Consumers Association since 2005. Alexis is the co-editor, along with Director Ronnie Cummins, of the group’s weekly e-newsletter, Organic Bytes, which reaches nearly 300,000 subscribers. She organizes many of OCA’s grassroots campaigns, including Millions Against Monsanto (to get unsafe, untested, unlabeled genetically engineered foods out of grocery stores), Coming Clean (to remove false “organic” claims from cosmetics), Safeguard Organic Standards (to keep USDA ...

Long time friends since they were together at boarding school in India, Gayatri and Rati knew that they would one day merge their creative interests in fashion and design to create their own label. Their complementary styles, interests and expertise have allowed them the freedom to bring the vibrancy and exclusive hand-craftmanship of India to the western shores. They design and work with high-end artisans to put together a collection a few times each year.The co-founders travel to India and immerse themselves in the chaos, and the vivid abundance of exquisite craftsmanship of artisans, two ...

Dean Baker cofounded the Center for Economic and Policy Research in 1999. His areas of research include housing and macroeconomics, intellectual property, Social Security, Medicare and European labor markets. He is the author of several books, including False Profits: Recovering from the Bubble Economy; Plunder and Blunder: The Rise and Fall of the Bubble Economy; The United States Since 1980; Social Security: The Phony Crisis (with Mark Weisbrot); and The Conservative Nanny State: How the Wealthy Use the Government to Stay Rich and Get Richer. His blog, Beat the Press, provides commentary on ...

Joe Baker joined Care2.com as Director of Nonprofit Campaigns in August 2006. He now manages Care2's campaigning and also oversees Care2's Cause Channels. Previously, Joe was the Executive Director of NTEN. Joe worked for Amnesty International for many years, as Director of Internet Communications, Grassroots Advocacy Director and Deputy Director, Western Region. In addition to his extensive nonprofit management experience, Joe spent seven years managing telecommunications and wireless systems research and has a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and a B.S. in Economics Systems Science from UCLA. ...

je & jo comestibles is a small artisanal ice cream company based in Hell's Kitchen, NY owned by Jonathan Baker & Jennifer Welser. All ice creams are paired with a complementing layer of all natural cookie dough and hand packed in a single-serve sugar cane based cup. While trying to build a profitable business Jonathan and Jennifer strive to source locally & seasonally, use fair trade goods, use organic ingredients whenever possible , use sustainable & recycled disposables and be conscientious in every step of the process. Everything is manufactured on site.

Janani Balasubramanian is a rising senior and master's student in Engineering and Feminist Studies at Stanford University. She works for the Stanford Dining Sustainable Foods Program, as the Chair of Food for the student government, and as a regional organizer for Real Food Challenge-- a national network of youth activists advocating the purchase of fair food at university campuses.

Brian Ball is an expert “media-phile” and talks of harnessing the power of the web-based tools and social media to increase brand-awareness, cultivate organic discussion and excite newcomers. He will share equal parts wit, knowledge and skill derived from his 5+ year experience in working with AudioAcrobat®, a web-based audio/video/podcasting solution providing streaming/downloadable content to the world since 2004, which will focus on creating high quality audio/video content, making sure your message is reaching the right audience, and how to nurture the online relationships which natur ...

Brittany Ballard is the Manager of the Film Forward Program, a joint initiative between Sundance Institute,President's Committee of Arts &Humanities and the National Endowment of Arts. She is also serving her sixth year as Producer and Director of Programming for Urbanworld Film Festival, presented by BET (NYC). Before forming her production company, Little Plow Films, with partner Jamil Walker Smith, Brittany was Head of Acquisitions at Newmarket Films and Programmer at Santa Barbara International Film Festival. Brittany produced the indie feature Make a Movie Like Spike, currently travelin ...

Leslie Balog has worked in the San Francisco Bay Area as an immigration and tenant’s rights attorney. From 1987-2007, she lived in Cuba working at the island’s international radio station. She has been arranging Cuba tours for Global Exchange since 1989.

Jessica Baltmanas is a senior at UC San Diego and a Global Development and Social Justice major that has been involved in Fair Trade at UCSD since her freshman year. She works with her Student Union as the sustainability coordinator, working to implement sustainability-minded policies in restaurants such as the Fair Trade Policy. She also coordinates Earl’s Garden, a communal campus garden, and is passionate about hip-hop, justice, and New York City.

Bamburg, dean of the Bainbridge Graduate Institute MBA Program, spent several years in community journalism and hightech marketing before becoming an adult educator.

The Banana Slug String Bandis a group of lovable musicians and educators from the coastal redwoods of Northern California. The Slugs are"Airy" Larry Graff,Doug "Dirt" Greenfield,"Solar" Steve Van Zandt and"Marine" Mark Nolan. With vocals, guitars, mandolin, bass, harmonica, banjo and percussion, Slug songs range from rockin' boogies to sensitive ballads; folk songs to reggae and rap. Music, theater, puppetry and audience participation create a fun-filled learning experience.

Naik Banavathu is General Manager of Global Exchange DC ; Virgina. Naik has nine years of progressive experience in the development nonprofit sector of India. This experience includes a rich background working to empower children, women and rural communities through community participation, decentralization, microfinance and education programs. Coupled with professional experience are two Masters in Art degrees, one in Social Anthropology, attained from Hyderabad University in India, and the other in International Development with a major in Public Policy and Management, attained from the Inst ...

April Banks loves chocolate. Period. She's something like a "chocolate lover-protestor-confectioner-documentarian-visual artist-lecturer." In 2002, April's life long love affair with chocolate was blind-sided by the information that child slave labor and other human rights abuses are regular practices in the growth, production and trading of chocolate. Heartbroken and confused she set out to understand it all first-hand. In 2004, she visited her first cacao farm in Ghana, and has been making conceptual art about it ever since. Although her chocolate consumption is a fraction of what it used to ...

Bansen has been a member owner of Organic Valley since June of 2000. He is currently the West Coast regional leader of Organic Valleys Farmer Ambassador Program and one of the Cooperatives Dairy executive committee representatives for Oregon. Bansen is also a contributing writer for Graze Magazine focusing on cow nutrition.Bansen is a thirdgeneration dairyman who milks around 200 Jersey cows twice a day on his family farm Double J Jerseys in Oregon. He spent six years working for his father learning the dairy business and purchased his own farm in 1991. Bansen began pasturing his herd on mostl ...

Donna Baranski-Walker was awarded the Medal of Gratitude at Poland's Gdansk Shipyard in 2010 for her efforts nearly 30 years earlier in support of Poland's Solidarity Trade Union Movement when martial law was declared. Donna is the founder and executive director of the Rebuilding Alliance, a nonprofit organization that brings grassroots advocacy, world class architectural design, green building expertise, financial resources, and insurance guarantees together to create and sustain affordable, energy-efficient homes for families who are rebuilding their neighborhoods in conflict zones. Partner ...

Barbara Barker, a Florida master gardener and a graduate of the University of Florida, is a garden writer and owner of The Gourmet Gardener.

Bestselling author of numerous books, Barlow is national chairperson of the Council of Canadians and serves on the board of the International Forum on Globalization.

Managing Partner John Perry Barlow has enjoyed a diverse career that has spanned many industries and roles from business owner, rancher, media entrepreneur, early Internet pioneer, leadership in multiple foundations and management consulting. He has and continues to be a technology and management consultant to groups such as IBM, the United States Navy, Visa International, American Banking Institute and many more. He cofounded the Electronic Frontier Foundation and has served on various nonprofit boards including the Wyoming Outdoor Council, External Advisory Board of the National Supercompu ...

Barnes is a veteran of the 1990 Persian Gulf war, has an MBA in finance and currently trades the financial markets in addition to promoting sustainable living and working with several animal rescue groups in the Baltimore area.

Concrete yogi is a lifestyle brand that presents alternative, holistic health practices for those of us living in an urban jungle. This lifestyle powers Sia's work as a yoga teacher, writer, and as co-founder of N'KOSI, LLC, a DC-based marketing management firm offering sliding-scale services to clients who are green and with a drishti on sustainability.

Mud Baron, the visionary executive director of Muir Ranch, has a broad range of skills and experience in growing food and working with school districts. Early in his career, he was greatly influenced by David Brower, founder of the Sierra Club, who told his energetic assistant to be audacious and bold. A UC Master Gardener, Baron not only reaches the community through education and outreach, but ensures school garden programs are connected to the vital resources and materials they need to thrive. As the former Green Policy Director in one of the most asphalt-dense areas of the Los Angeles Uni ...

Barrera is currently teaching at the University of Washington and Seattle University, and holds advanced degrees in Communications and Women Studies. Barrera has been teaching at the graduate and undergraduate level for the past ten years, ranging from race, class and gender to international economic development and human rights. Barrera film work spotlight human rights conflicts and the struggle for social justice. Barrera also holds a Master's in Human Development from Pacific Oaks College where she focused on educational justice and the intersection of race, class and gender. Barrera is a m ...

After the deaths of her father and best girlfriend, Barrett grew restless and dissatisfied with her corporate career. She began volunteering for hospice, and from there started working at the MakeAWish Foundation. Barrett's intuitive journey then deepened when she learned about home funeralsand decided to attend mortuary school and obtain a license as a funeral director. After serving as the first funeral director of Peoples Memorial Funeral Cooperative, Barrett opened her own home funeral business, A Sacred Moment. Today, with offices in Seattle and Everett, A Sacred Moment provides cremation ...

David Barrett, CTO and CFO of Women’s Online Media and Education Network (W.O.M.E.N.), including WomensCalendar, WomensRadio and AudioAcrobat® - responsible for subscriber accounts and support; in-house database maintenance, and administration. Mr. Barrett earned his MBA at the American Graduate School of International Management, in Phoenix Arizona in 1976. He served as one of the youngest Vice Presidents of Underwood, Neuhaus and Company, a Texas-based investment company before starting his own company which specialized in online information services targeted to corporations. Subsequently ...

Born in Brazil in 1952, Barretto studied at the School of Communication and at the School of Languages and Literature at the University of Sao Paulo. Barretto is a publisher and worked for Pergamon Press and Cia Melhoramentos. Barretto is also an author of children's books about animals. When Barretto became a mother, she shifted her activities to her father's farm, dedicating herself to beekeeping and cheese making.Beekeeping brought to her attention, the effects of conventional agriculture and Barretto started setting up organic vegetable gardens. Since 1991, her family has thrived with the ...

Kat Barry is the owner of Kat’s Hot Cakes, a vegan snack food company based out of Bridgman, Michigan. While she has been vegetarian for most of her life, Kat became vegan four years ago. Suddenly her life-long allergy and digestive issues were all but cured. Going vegan changed her life in such a positive way she decided to make it her mission to share her experience, and her recipes, with as many people as she possibly could. In March of 2011 she moved home to the Shores of southwestern Michigan and started Kat’s Hot Cakes. Kat is almost entirely self-taught and her passion for veganism, ...

Panama is the Deputy Director for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at the California Energy Commission. He serves on the City of Sacramento’s Planning Commission and the County of Sacramento’s Environmental Commission. He is a board member on and President of the Northern California Chapter of the United States Green Building Council. He previously worked for the California Conservation Corps on vocational environmental education and in the Division of the State Architect where he ran the Sustainable Schools program. He is a graduate of Humboldt State University with a Bachelors of S ...

Chris Bartle has been deeply influenced by the work of sustainable business leaders Paul Hawken and William McDonough. His mission is to help green homes across the country. Chris started Green Key Real Estate as a way of achieving this goal.Chris is a licensed real estate broker in the state of California as well as a certified ecobroker and green building professional. In addition, Green Key Real Estate is a certified green business and a member of CoOp America's Green Business Network.Prior to founding Green Key Real Estate, Chris had over 20 years of broad business experience. His entrepre ...

Assistant Vice President/Branch Manager, Mission Based Deposits of ShoreBank., the nations first and leading community development and environmental bank. Verna is responsible for overall day to day operation of the Mission Based Deposit Unit and for garnering deposits on a national level from socially responsible individuals who want to make a difference with their investment dollars. Prior to joining ShoreBank, Verna Barton was a Retail Banking Officer and Manager at Drexel National Bank of Chicago.

Fanya is the Community Organizer at A New Way of Life Reentry Project, which provides housing and support services to formerly incarcerated women in South Central Los Angeles. As a community advocate, he works to restore the civil rights of people. Fanya is a formerly incarcerated individual with 17 years of organizing experience.While incarcerated, he organized other prisoners to fight for better conditions, educational and self-development opportunities, and pre-release programs. Since his release, he has worked with Black Awareness Community Development Organization (BACDO), the Reentry Wo ...

Allison Basile is a co-founder of Hub DC, a local (WDC) node in a global network of spaces that provides resources, space and community for building a more just and sustainable economy. She also serves as the Metrics Officer at Grassroots Business Fund, which supports high impact businesses in Africa, Asia and Latin America through investment and technical assistance. She is a shared leadership team member of Organizing Neighborhood Equity (ONE) DC, and in 2010, she started the DCTime Bank - a time exchange platform with over 400 members.

Bast is the international program director at Friends of the Earth. Basts work focuses on generating a just and equitable global response to climate change and exposing the relationship between climate change and global economic system.

David Batker, founder and Executive Director of Earth Economics, grew up in Washington State with a deep appreciation for the environment and economy. In 1998, David created Earth Economics which is dedicated to using the principles of ecological economics for a transition to a sustainable, equitable and efficient economy. David completed an MS in economics under Herman Daly, one of the world's foremost ecological economists. Specializing in forest policy, trade and international finance, he worked for Greenpeace International in over 25 countries. David has given presentations at UN agencies, ...

Pascal Baudar is a wild food, outdoor/self-reliance instructor and author in Los Angeles, California. He has dedicated the past 12 years to studying self-reliance, traditional food preservation methods and wild food in the Southern California region and integrating them into a sustainable lifestyle. Originally from Belgium, Pascal grew up in the rural farmland near Tournai where a close relationship with the land, knowledge of botany/agriculture and a hands-on approach to sourcing food was a natural way of life. Specializing in wild food preservation and country Belgian/French cuisine, Pasca ...

Kevin Bayuk started as an aspiring artist, explored an eightyear meander as a technology entrepreneur (in an attempt to fund films), and has now graduated into his life as an activated advocate for ecotopian living. Kevin is currently leveraging his skills and relationships to develop organizations and projects that regenerate healthy ecosystems and socially just environments. He serves on the board of directors for the Urban Alliance for Sustainability, and teaches with the Urban Permaculture Institute, Urban Permaculture Guild, and Earth Activist Training. Kevin facilitates permaculture tra ...

Chef Be*Live is one of the pioneers of the 90's gourmet raw food movement. From 1998 to 1999 he was Executive Chef and co-owner of Organica: the Living Cuisine, in San Francisco, CA., one of the first gourmet raw living restaurants in the world. Chef Be*Live placed #1 as Favorite Gourmet Raw Chef in the only international raw food contest the Best of Raw 2010 and also placed high in 2008 and 2009. He considers himself a "transitional" gourmet raw chef, specializing in creating raw living cuisine that tastes superb thereby helping make people's first experience with raw living foods equal to m ...

Chip Beam lives in Alfred, N.Y., and is the cofounder of Beaver Energy LLC. Chip is a CADD specialist for Larson Design Group in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

Imari Beardon is a senior at CCA Academy. She has worked with the aquaponics program since its inception in the fall of 2011. After graduation, she would like to attend college and pursue a career in nursing.

After more than seven years working in the private sector providing social media and marketing services, Bearns founded Current Shift to support non-profit and for-profit business and organizations whose products and work promote community building and sustainable practices and choices. Current Shift provides innovative, integrated new media solutions, marketing and media planning, with the focus on flexible strategies that can be quickly and easily adapted to respond to the constant changes in the business, financial and political landscapes. Clients include Klean Kanteen and Bronwen Jewelry, ...

In 2006, author Colin Beavan, a newly self-proclaimed environmentalist, could no longer avoid pointing the finger at himself. He left behind his liberal complacency for a vow to make as little environmental impact as possible for one year. No more automated transportation, no more electricity, no more non-local food, no more material consumption...no problem. That is, until his espresso-guzzling, retail-worshipping wife Michelle and their two year-old daughter are dragged into the fray! What would it be like to try to live a no-impact lifestyle? Could it catch on? Is living this way more satis ...

Marisol Becerra is a 20yearold Chicana from Chicago and 3rd year public policy, geography, and community service studies student at DePaul University where she cocoordinates the campus Environmental Concerns Organization (ECO). In 2003, Marisol volunteered with Little Village Environmental Justice Organization (LVEJO) to map and inventory the toxins found within 150 blocks of her predominantly MexicanAmerican community, Little Village in Chicago. Marisol was enraged to discover that in Little Village more than 60,000 youth in a twomile radius of the Fisk and Crawford Coal Power Plants are forc ...

Vanessa Beck became a healthcare activist five years ago, motivated by her own struggles to obtain care for a chronic condition. She was searching for the care she needed in the short-term, and for a long-term solution for uninsured, under-insured and un-insurable people like herself. That is when she discovered Healthcare-NOW.org, a national organization fighting for single-payer national healthcare, and House Bill 676, the Expanded and Improved Medicare for All Act. Heartened, especially after Michael Moore’s SiCKO was released, Vanessa became a fighter, and with other activists, co-founde ...

Drawing on over 25 years experience in industrial design and renewable energy engineering, Becker discovered a unique way to utilize wind power in locations previously unavailable. In the 1990s he began the development of an urban wind generator he calls the Aeroturbine which is now at the center of his effort with Aerotecture International, Inc. (AI). AI is an Illinois corporation working on all forms of renewable energy and centered on urban wind power.Beckers most important influences have come from R. Buckminster Fuller; his research as professor of industrial design at University of Illin ...

Jaime is an artist and illustrator who channels her creativity into many different projects connecting children to the natural world. She recently illustrated her first children's book, My Mother is a Mountain and teaches art to students at the Pacific Art League in Palo Alto as well as private instruction in the Santa Cruz area. She has been face painting for 4 years and loves transforming children and adults into leaf goddesses, butterflies, fairies and dragons!

Beeman has worked as the Everett Community College Administrative Services Manager and Resource Conservation Manager since 2006. Beeman gained prior experience at Department of Corrections and in commercial business; developing resource conservation plans, beginning in 1985. Beeman is also an associate Faculty member at EvCC. She teaches two of EvCC's four course certificate program in Sustainable Business. Molly is a graduate of the Washington State Criminal Justice Academy and is a Certified Building Operator, as well as an Energy Manager.

Rachelle Carson-Begley grew up in Atlanta, GA, during the Civil Rights Movement and escalation of the Vietnam War. It was needless to say a very dramatic time. Her home was not lacking in the drama department either, thus grooming her for a theatrical life. She wanted to be an actress since she was four years old and started pursuing it in high school. She then moved to NYC to study when she was 18 years old and got her first professional job on the soap “Another World” when she was 20 years old. Rachelle has not stopped working since although there have been many dry periods for work ...

As environmental issues become more pressing, there are two possible responses: forget it and hope that government and corporations will figure it out, or take action yourself. In the “take action yourself” camp, a few individuals are leading the way. One such person in California is Ed Begley, Jr. Turning up at Hollywood events on his bicycle, Ed has been considered an environmental leader in the Hollywood community for many years. He serves on the boards of The Coalition For Clean Air, The Thoreau Institute, and the advisory board of the Union Of Concerned Scientists, among many other ...

Andrew Behar, CEO, As You Sow. Founded in 1992, As You Sow promotes environmental and social corporate responsibility through shareholder advocacy, coalition building, and innovative legal strategies. Our efforts create large-scale systemic change by establishing sustainable and equitable corporate practices. As investors, we communicate directly with executives to collaboratively develop business models that reduce risk, benefit brand reputation, and protect shareholder value while bringing about positive environmental change. Companies impacted by our work include: Chevron, ExxonMobil, Gener ...

With 25 years of experience growing green and socially responsible nonprofits and businesses, Belanger is Coop Americas new Green Business Network deputy director.

Utuma Belfrey’s community background is in outreach, having spent over 15 years organizing and helping on various efforts as a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW); the Hunters Point Shipyard Citizens Advisory Committee; an outreach coordinator with solar non-profit Grid Alternatives and UCSF; and as a student of Labor studies. She is an electrician by trade, and has been a proud member of IBEW Local number 6 for the past 12 years. She’s certified in many areas of the green and sustainable building sector. For example, she holds a certification as a green po ...

Beverly Bell has worked for more than three decades as an organizer, advocate, and writer in collaboration with social movements in Latin America,the Caribbean, Africa, and the U.S. Her focus areas are gender justice; economic justice; participatory democracy; and rights for indigenous peoples and small farmers. In addition to hundreds of articles and reports, Bev published Walking on Fire: Haitian Women's Stories of Survival and Resistance and Birthing Justice: Women Creating Social and Economic Alternatives. Bev is Associate Fellow for the Institute for PolicyStudies and coordinator of Other ...

Medea Benjamin is a cofounder of both CODEPINK and the international human rights organization Global Exchange. She has been an advocate for social justice for more than 30 years. Described as "one of America’s most committed -- and most effective -- fighters for human rights" by New York Newsday, and called "one of the high profile leaders of the peace movement" by the Los Angeles Times, Medea has distinguished herself as an eloquent and energetic figure in the progressive movement. In 2005 she was one of 1,000 exemplary women from 140 countries nominated to receive the Nobel Peace Prize o ...

Berenbach joined Calvert Foundation as executive director in 1997 with over 20 years of experience in microcredit to international business. At Calvert Foundation, Berenbach has developed innovative financial instruments and partnerships critical to alleviating poverty through the mobilization of retail investment dollars.

With 17 years working in the Seattle environmental community, Beres is executive director of Earth Ministry, an ecumenical organization that engages people of faith in environmental stewardship.

Fifteen-year-old Zola Berger-Schmitz first became a youth activist at the age of 13 when she began fighting for the adoption of Marine Protected Areas along the California coast. After speaking at hearings across California, making a short film, and collecting over a thousand signatures on several petitions, she received a lifetime achievement award from Heal the Bay. Zola then proceeded to found a Green Team at her school and became involved in the Los Angeles County plastic bag ban activism. For her work in her school and community, she was awarded a 2012 International Eco-Hero Award by Acti ...

Zach Berke is the founder and CTO at Exygy (www.exygy.com), a software company whose mission is to empower change makers through powerful, creative and cost effective use of technology. A San Francisco native, Zach graduated with high honors from Dartmouth College with a major in computational science. He has received awards for his research in computational neuroscience and work in WiFi networking.

Michael began his career as a stockbroker. After five years of managingportfolios, he decided to pursue his interest in environmentalprotection and study Environmental Planning. Upon receiving a Masters Degree in Urban and Regional Planning, Michaelheld several positions within local and regional governmentalorganizations in Iowa in solid waste management planning and education.Michael recently moved to Chicago where he initially worked for theChicago Park District as a Project Manager in Capital Construction.During his tenure at the Park District, he managed several largescalecapital improvem ...

Dr.AlyssaBerlin is a clinical psychologist, certified Gottman educator and highly sought after practitioner, author and speaker in the field of perinatal psychology.Dr. Berlin and her prenatal chiropractor husband, Dr. Elliot Berlin, founded the Berlin Wellness Group to promote naturally comfortable and healthy pregnancy, labor, delivery and postpartum experiences. In addition to working with anxiety and depression during and after pregnancy, Dr. Berlin offers the internationally acclaimed "Bringing Baby Home" workshop once a month, which utilizes a series of exercises and discussions aimed ...

Amy's Kitchen is a family business with every member of the family taking part. The company was started in 1987, when Amy was born. Her mom and dad, Rachel and Andy Berliner, carefully nurtured the company as well as the child, paying constant attention to every aspect of its day to day activities and providing the vision that has made Amy's so successful.Andy, who was born in Chicago and attended Purdue University, was formerly a large shareholder and President of Magic Mountain Herb Tea company, the first herbal tea widely distributed in supermarkets. Rachel was raised in a family who were ...

Debra serves as the Climate Action Coordinator for the Ecology Center in Berkeley, CA a nonprofit dedicated to providing the public with reliable information, tools, handson training, referrals, strategies, infrastructure, and models for sustainable living. In this capacity, Debra facilitates free climate action workshops serving residents and community groups throughout the Bay Area. Debra received a Masters in Public Health from UC Berkeley in 2003 and has been working in the environmental arena for much of her career.

Gregory Berlowitz, founder of Chicago Cooperative, is a passionate supporter of sustainable urban and rural food production, and an advocate for healthier and more just communities. He was formerly an environmental attorney for two Chicago law firms. Before law school, he worked as a waiter at several Chicago restaurants such as Harvest on Huron, Everest, and Blackbird. Currently, he is on the CPS School Food Parent Food Advisory Committee, and is part of the advisory council and leadership group for Ruby Garden in Schreiber Park. Greg lives with his family in Rogers Park. His wife is the educ ...

Berman is a health integrationist and independent scholar who has been working with people on their individual health issues for the past twenty years. She is creator, cohost and coproducer of the Your Own Health And Fitness radio show featured on KPFA 94.1 FM and carried on 25 stations in the Pacifica Network. As one of the first to introduce the concept of health integration, for 13 years Berman has provided her listeners and clients with a critical, independent voice on the politics and practice of health. The body of her work along with other resources is available at http://www.yourownhea ...

Justine Bernard received her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons specializing in Neurological and Orthopedic Rehabilitation in 2003. She worked in acute rehabilitation, inpatient acute care, and outpatient rotations in both St Luke's Roosevelt Hospital and Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in New York, NY. After moving back to Washington DC, she began her own orthopedic and neurologic private practice out of a GYROTONIC® Studio in NW D.C. She incorporates her experiences as a professional dancer and GYROTONIC® Master Trainer into her ...

Having only been officially in business for a year Bernee Lee’s product design has received a number of recognitions within this short time. All the products are made in Oakland with chlorine-free recycled paper and printed with soy based inks. The paper is made in a Michigan paper mill, which is a 100% green hydroelectric powered facility. To minimize waste, her company uses trimmings from the manufacturing process to create additional products such as gift tags and memo pads. Products are available in over thirty stores including Seattle Art Museum, Oakland Museum of California, Stanford ...

Author of Crunch: Why Do I Feel So Squeezed?, Bernstein is senior economist and director of the Living Standards Program at The Economic Policy Institute.

Christina Bertea served a 4 year apprenticeship in Local 159, Plumbers and Steamfitters and was the first woman admitted in the program. She designed and built a passive solar urban infill rammed earth cottage with radiant heat, taught plumbing at AND's construction education center in West Oakland, which had classes work on Habitat for Humanity houses in East Oakland. She became a contractor in 1996 and has plumbed quite a few "alternative" houses, including straw bale and rammed earth. She is also interested in the spiritual aspects of water, and creates fountains and water features.

Vinnie Bevivino is the director of Urban Agriculture Operations at Engaged Community Offshoots, an urban farm in Prince Georges County, Maryland. He is dedicated to researching, promoting, and demonstrating an alternative to how we feed our communities and ourselves, working for improved economic development and social justice. He earned a degree in environmental science, concentrating in soil science, from the University of Maryland, with an eye toward working for the advancement of community development. Vinnie is a graduate of the Growing Power Commercial Urban Agriculture Program, and now ...

Steve Bhaerman is an internationallyknown author, humorist, and workshop leader. For the past 20 years, he has written and performed as Swami Beyondananda, the Cosmic Comic. Swamis comedy has been called irreverently uplifting and has been described both as comedy disguised as wisdom and wisdom disguised as comedy.As the Swami, Steve is the author of Driving Your Own Karma (1989), When You See a Sacred Cow, Milk It For All Its Worth (1993), Duck Soup for the Soul (1999) and Swami for Precedent: A 7Step Plan to Heal the Body Politic and Cure Electile Dysfunction. In his past life (before Swam ...

Sushma Bhatia is the Toxics Reduction Coordinator and Green Business Program Manager at San Francisco's Department of Environment. She is responsible for implementing programs to promote the use of less toxic alternatives among San Francisco businesses. Sushma has successfully executed the Environmentally Responsible Dentistry Program, developed a Green Healthcare Working Group and designed a Green Garment Care Initiative. In conjunction with various local agencies, Sushma launched San Francisco’s Green Business Program and continues to manage it. She is responsible for implementing San Fran ...

Susan Bierzychudek is founder and principal of Green Ideals Group—a full-service branding and communication design agency for socially responsible companies. Founded in 2004, Green Ideals specializes in brand strategy, design and marketing communication for B2B and B2C clients. Their unique focus is emotionally driven communication—the intelligent blending of motivational forces with strategically sound. These elements combine with inspired graphic design to unify messaging and develop lasting audience connections through compelling, authentic brand stories that touch both hearts and minds ...

Melanie is the Office Manager and Outreach Coordinator at Café Mam. In this capacity, she handles all donations, as well as customer care, marketing, and events. After attending multiple workshops hosted by the University of Oregon Sustainability Education Program in Portland, Melanie began work on quantifying sustainability efforts at Café Mam. Melanie has also presented on Café Mam and Fair Trade in a number of venues, including the Fair Trade Pavilion in Seattle in both 2009 and 2010.

Shannon Biggs directs Global Exchange’s Community Rights program. She works to assist communities confronted by corporate (and state) harms in organizing in a new way that enables communities to enact binding laws that place the rights of communities and nature above the claimed legal "rights" of corporations. She is also a national lecturer of Democracy Schools, which teaches this new organizing model. She speaks across the country on the importance and power of grassroots activism to create systemic change, as well as on grassroots fundraising. She coauthored the book Building the Green Ec ...

Sam Bills is the executive manager of Ten Thousand Villages Pasadena. Founded in 2006 Ten Thousand Villages Pasadena has built on the long legacy of its parent organization to become recognized in the Los Angeles area as an exceptional fair trade retailer and a catalyst for increasing market awareness and demand for fair trade. Sam has spoken about fair trade with audiences ranging from the second grade class at Mckinley Elementary to students at the Institute for the Environment at UCLA, from the Sierra Club to local church groups and worship services. In addition to his work with Ten Thou ...

Libuse Binder is the author of Ten Ways to Change the World in Your Twenties. In her book, Binder provides a timely roadmap for individuals looking to make a difference

Nicoló Bini, AIAis an architect, founder and president of LINE Inc., a successful architectural practice, and Binishells Inc. Based in Los Angeles. He has won a series of awards for his retail, residential and fixture designs, and was named one of the ‘Nine for ’09’ by Angeleno Magazine. Having worked on projects such as the LUNAB, Nicospace, Self-forming Stadiums for Japan, and co-authoring a number of papers, his work has been lauded by internationally known retail analyst Paco Underhill, and is featured in the book California Interiors. He has taught as an Associate Professor at the ...

Bishton is a landscape designer and environmental educator who specializes in educating clients and the public on earthfriendly gardening practices. Resource conservation, natural pest and disease control, composting, wildlifefriendly and childfriendly gardening, and other principals of sustainability are the hallmarks of her work. Over the past 15 years, Bishton has designed public and private gardens throughout the Seattle area, and created numerous children's outdoor education programs. Bishton's garden writing has been featured in local and national magazines and websites, and she is a r ...

Dr. Robert Biter is a OB/GYN who is an advocate of natural birthing practices and natural baby and toddler products. He is determined to make information and healthy avenues available to the public, so parents can make educated choices to best support their children’s long-term health and overall well-being. Dr. Biter received his medical degree from Pennsylvania State University at the Milton S. Hershey School of Medicine in 1997, where he was named the Most Outstanding Graduate entering the field of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Continuing his post-graduate medical training and residency at P ...

Janine Björnson is a natural builder, educator and consultant. She began her career in natural building in 1996. Since then, she has taught over 75 workshops in Canada and the United States. Her passion for building with natural materials bloomed out of her love for the earth, in conjunction with her concern for diminishing ecological resources and toxic buildings. Since then, she has devoted the last decade to immersing herself in the world of natural materials and the knowledge of how we can shape dwellings that are healthy, healing, inspiring and beautiful. Janine is a presenter at various ...

The twin interests of sustainability and the realities of human nature interested Adam from an early age. After studying Biotechnology in London he worked in over 18 countries on the production side of the film business, setting up desert camps in Jordan, and managing huge projects and teams from India to Argentina. After twenty years in film he took the plunge and blended his film work with his passion as a scuba diving instructor, emigrated to Australia to produce marine Natural history documentaries with the hope of saving these fragile ecosystems - a work still in progress. Having lived o ...

Where ethics meets aesthetics, Magnifeco.com is the digital source for eco-fashion and sustainable living. Dedicated to bringing together ethical designers and conscious consumers from all corners of the globe, Magnifeco.com publishes stories about small artisans and corporate retailers who are focused on producing garments or products in ways that won't harm the earth, yet still offer stunning visual appeal and longevity. With over 1,000 articles on the site, founder and editor-in-chief Kate Black is well versed on eco and ethical fashion principles and what consumers should be looking for. ...

Jack Blackfelt has abandoned the fast life of hardcore and self-gratification to find a path to peace which allows for questioning the road signs on the way. He has kept a steady meditation practice since 2004 and is a self-teaching student of Buddhism in the Threravada / Insight Meditation Community tradition. Though not formally trained as a dharma teacher, he has received some tutelage in New York City from Josh Korda of Dharma Punx NYC. He co-facilitated that group's monthly "dedicated practitioners class" for a year after returning from a three-week pilgrimage to the historical Buddhist s ...

Chef David Blackmon's first love is the passion for cooking and excitement in the kitchen. He has 20 years experience as a professional chef. David’s career started with a family-owned catering company while attending high school. David received culinary training at Kendall College in Evanston, IL. He put the love of his art on the “back burner” to work for a well-known Chicago newspaper upon receiving his BA in Media Communications from Chicago State University. Chef Blackmon’s culinary approach has a Southwestern, Italian, Southern, and Asian flair. Never forgetting his family’s ...

Joan Blades is the co-founder ofMoveOn.org. andMomsRising.org.She is also co-author ofThe Custom-Fit Workplace: Choose When, Where and How to Work and Boost Your Bottom Line (http://customfitworkplace.org/). The core message: When employers succeed in creating jobs that honor workers' responsibilities at work and outside of work they benefit from excellent productivity, low turn-over and the ability to easily attract talent when hiring. Teleworking is a key opportunity in the menu of opportunities for making work better fit workers. Telework is also a non political win/win opportunity for ...

Katie Blanchard is an aspiring farmer and Midwest Coordinator for the Real Food Challenge, a national student organization dedicated to building a just and sustainable food system. Katie supports campus campaigns throughout the Midwest organizing towards a national goal of shifting $1 billion in existing food spending by college and universities towards local, fair, ecologically sound, and humanely produced food – ‘real food.’

Bloch of Transition TakomaPark has worked in the peace and environmental justice movements since 1980 asan organizer and coordinator of creativenonviolent direct action campaigns, both locally and internationally, marineand land based.

Daniel Block is the coordinator of the Fred Blum NeighborhoodAssistance Center and is currently finishing final analysis of theNortheastern Illinois Community Food Security Assessment.

Eric Bloem has directly consulted with dozens of major corporations on gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender related workplace policies. Before joining the Human Rights Campaign Foundations Workplace Project in 2005, he spent six years as a manager with Accenture, where he provided change management consulting services to many Fortune 500 companies, including Best Buy, Fidelity, Walgreens and Citigroup. Bloem brings with him notable experience helping companies adapt to strategic change. Bloem developed the HRC Foundation Corporate Equality Series, a group of workshops designed to help human ...

Matthew Bloms passion is working with individuals and groups in transforming conflict into collaboration. A graduate of the Bay Area Nonviolent Communication year long leadership program, Matthew is a professional mediator helping parties in conflict find peaceful, enjoyable solutions for all. In addition, he has facilitated groups of up to 300 people in Open Space Technology, including The National Conference for Dialogue and Deliberation and the US Project Speaking Peace conference.Drawing on a degree in education, and years of teaching abroad in S. Korea, Thailand, India, Nepal, and Ethiopi ...

Bloom is the owner and lead designer of N.W. Bloom EcoLogical Landscapes, a design/build firm that is a leader in the sustainable landscaping. Along with being a Certified Professional Horticulturalist (CPH) Jessica is also an ISA Certified Arborist. The firm's work has won numerous awards for their environmental stewardship as well as for their beautiful designs that focus on the ecological function of the site, including resource conservation and are completely organic. In 2008 NW Bloom won the Governor's Award for Sustainable Practices from the Department of Ecology, and the WSNLA Environme ...

Bluff Lake Nature Center is a 123acre wildlife refuge and science education center in east Denver along the Sand Creek Greenway. Each year, Bluff Lake hosts more than 5,000 schoolchildren for its science education programs. In the summers, the Nature Center offers evening Fireside Chats for families and week long summer camps for young explorers. Bluff Lake Nature Center is open throughout the year from dawn to dusk for birders, hikers, and anyone looking for a refuge in an increasingly urban area.

Dr. Eluemuno Blyden is a visionary scientist and entrepreneur who received his PhD in plant biotechnology from Cambridge University, UK, and has worked internationally in industry, academia and government. His passion is development and how new technologies can be applied in innovative ways informed by local culture and know-how. He was a winner of the 2007 Sustaining Entrepreneurs for Environment and Development ( SEED) Initiative Award for an integrated tourism/traditional medicine/forest conservation project in W. Africa. He is the founder and manager of Vertical Home Gardens LLC, a company ...

Abby Bobe' is a dual MBA and Computer Science candidate at Mills College. Abby is passionate about technology, everything marketing and economic development. She recently traveled to South India to implement a computer technology program for a small rural village, serves as Marketing Manager at BlackGirlsCODE and is a Hispanics In Philanthropy Fellow focusing on education and technology issues affecting low-income Latino and Black communities. Follow her journey on Twitter at @AbbyBobe.

Bocanegra is labor educator for the Unions and Immigrant Workers at the Labor Education and Research Center at Evergeen State College.Bocanegra has been employed most recently as an organizer with Washington State Jobs with Justice, and during his 35 years in the Northwest has also been involved in numerous social justice efforts and community service activities. Bocanegra wasa founder of El Centro de la Raza in Seattle, worked with the American Friends Service Committee in 1986 to help organize the first Immigrant Rights Defense Committees in Washington State, and recently provided support t ...

Colin Bogart is the Programs and Campaigns Manager at the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coaltion. Founded in 1998, the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition (LACBC) works to build a better, more bike-able Los Angeles County, and is the only nonprofit, membership-based organization working exclusively for the millions of bicyclists in L.A. Before working for LACBC, Colin Bogart was a volunteer for from 2000 to 2008. In his volunteer days, he recruited other volunteers, helped organize rides and served on the Board of Directors from 2003-2007. He holds a Bachelor's Degree from Loyola Marymount Unive ...

The purchasing manager for Performance Coatings, Kristin is a 25yearold native of Sonoma County. Her family has long been involved in viticulture and the wine industry, which led her to a major in Agriculture Business at Chico State. After a short stint with a Sonoma County winery, she came to Performance Coatings as purchasing manager. Since joining the company, she has worked with vendors and suppliers to come up with raw materials that are both economical and ecological. She has prioritized revising the way that PCI manages its waste, including filtering off spec product so that it can be r ...

Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor is a trained and published neuroanatomist. Her specialty was in the postmortem investigation of the human brain as it relates to schizophrenia and the severe mental illnesses. Because she has a brother who has been diagnosed with the brain disorder schizophrenia, Dr. Taylor served for three years on the Board of Directors of the National NAMI organization (National Alliance on Mental Illness) between 19941997. Currently she serves as President of the Greater Bloomington Affiliate of NAMI in Bloomington, Indiana.Because there is a long term shortage of brain tissue donated ...