The Green Shows were an extravaganza of sustainable designers showcased over two days during NYC’s Fashion Week just days ago! Check out part 1 of our series from The Green Shows, featuring yours truly, Chloe Jo Berman from Girlie Girl Army, and designers Bahar Shahpar and Lara Miller. Stay tuned for more!
March 24, 2009, Vegan Food and Wine Tasting at The Max Studio
Come meet Yours Truly: Joshua Katcher, and Chloé Jo, as well as Golden Girl: Rue McClanahan, Moby, Morgan Spurlock, and Dan Pirraro as “Celebrity Guest Wine Pourers” at a special evening to benefit PCRM. Hosted by Mary and Peter Max and PCRM president Neal Barnard, M.D., Featuring food and wine from Bonobo’s, Candle 79, Dessert Diva – Fran Costigan, 4 Course Vegan, and Organic Vintages. Register NOW as tickets are going fast!
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March 14, 2009, ARFF 20th Anniversary Gala
Bob Barker, of The Price is Right fame, will host the Animal Rights Foundation of Florida (ARFF) 20th Anniversary Gala on Saturday, March 14, 2009, at 7 p.m., at the Broward County Convention Center. Pamela Anderson is the guest of honor. The black-tie-optional affair will provide members and supporters the opportunity to meet, mingle and relax while enjoying an exciting, eventful evening. Highlights of the gala will include a gourmet vegan dinner, an open bar, silent and live auctions featuring items from actress Kim Basinger and basketball player Yao Ming, and book signings by PETA’s Ingrid Newkirk and PCRM’s Dr. Neal Barnard. All proceeds from the gala will be used to fund ARFF’s Humane Education program, which has educated thousands of schoolchildren in Florida on veganism, companion animals and wildlife. Tickets for the gala are $250 and can be purchased by calling (954) 727-ARFF or visiting www.arff.org <http://www.arff.org>
From the left: Shelley Whelan - Montreal Retail Manager & Rep, Julia Grieve - Founder & CEO, Colin Seymour - Toronto Retail Manager & Rep
PRELOVED held their first US in-store event on Sunday evening at the Greenpoint, Brooklyn boutique, ALTER. The Spring ‘o9 collection is made entirely of reclaimed items like bed sheets, shirts, suiting, and even curtains! These items would otherwise end up in a landfill, and have been reconstucted into really gorgeous garments for ladies and gentalmen, alike. Founder and CEO, Julia Grieve told me that she never intended to be an environemntalist, she just liked working with reclaimed fabrics. But now, as Preloved heads to the forefront of the green-fashion movement, she realized the importence and gravity of making sustainability ‘cool’. Nothing says sustainable like turning trash into gorgeous, head-turning garments. You won’t find find any granola on their runway!
The Zuri Tee $169.00 at ALTER
The line does include wool, but it is recycled from old sweaters that would otherwise be garbage. I’m not going to be complaining about it. Hopefully this trend will catch on, and with styles as awesome as the Zuri Tee, who can resist?
ALTER consists of two boutiques across the street from eachother in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Owned and operated by Roy Caires and Tommy Cole, they carry a great selection of eco and veg-friendly items incuding their own repurposed line “This Old Thing?” as well as Matt & Nat accessories, Melissa shoes, and they have more coming! ALTER is carrying the women’s collecion for Preloved currently, and will be carring the men’s collection within a few weeks.
Speaking of Matt & Nat, I love their new vegan, canvas, Bauhaus bag with 100% recycled lining.
Girlie Girl Army shows us how to get superpowers from superfoods! This is a 101 for anyone who wants to know the basics of the superfood phenomenon! This is for dudes too! Wanna stop chugging sugary, milk-protein-laden workout ‘food’ and get a longer-lasting, healthy high for that extra curl, press, or pull-up? Try these foods! Also, if you didn’t hear Chloe’s sexy visit to the boys at Hot97, click here.
Veganic farming is wha…? Veganic farming takes organic farming and brings it to it’s logical conclusion. Who wants to eat organic potatoes that grew in factory-farm feces and blood? Ugh.. the vegan permaculture movement is taking hold! The Huguenot Street Farm in New Paltz, NY is one successful example. Check out their funny video here, and stay tuned for more updates on the veganic farming movement:
FICA is full of it. The ‘Fur Information Council of America’ insists that fur is the “natural, responsible choice“.
If you’ve already started rolling your eyes or laughing, you are not alone. In WWD, for the final day of NY Fashion Week (The Feb 20th, 2009 issue), FICA paid for an ad that was disguised as a part of the paper to make it seem as though fur garments were heavily talked-about in the publication.
In fact, aside from one shawl by Issac Mizrahiny, there wouldn’t have been any fur in the publication that day. Boo hiss to Issac for his hideous new fur collection. Also watch his attempt to lose weight eating “vegan” M&Ms.
"Peanut M&M's are vegan" ...right
Also boo, hiss to TV Host and supposed ‘style expert’, Robert Verdi who I spotted in the lobby, surrounded by plastic fur-hags, wearing this atrocious hood (Did his Court-Dress wig fall back, or was he going for the evil Skeksis look?).
Skeksis from "The Dark Crystal"
Tim Gunn should give them both a stern talking-to in the ways of educated and compassionate elegance. The only way to look like a bigger jerk is to have tan-lines in the shape of aviators on your head. Oh wait…
What I love (and by love, I mean hate) about FICA’s pretty-in-pink website is the total avoidance of ever mentioning an animal oustside of abstractions like “species” or “populations”. If they did acknowlegde that individual animals with brains and nervous systems existed, they’d have to follow through with logic that would contradict their reference of animals as “natural resources” to be used “responsibly”. I won’t even make the historical comparisons, you can do that yourself.
1. If you thought they couldn’t possibly be any more disgusting, the parting Bush Administration has denied dwindling, drowning and starving Polar Bears protection under the Endangered Species Act. Human generated global-warming, mostly caused by meat & dairy production, is the #1 culprit. Read the full article here.
“This rule makes a mockery of the Endangered Species Act, our nation’s most important wildlife protection law,” said Defenders of Wildlife executive vice president, Jamie Rappaport Clark. “The polar bear doesn’t have time for political maneuvers. Its habitat is melting away, its food is becoming scarce and the science is clear that the cause is global warming – yet the rule this administration released today affirms that little will be done to save the species from sure extinction.
2. If you wear glasses or sunglasses, and you don’t know about Fabulous Fanny’s, you are missing out! Get the most amazing selection of thrift & vintage frames and shades. Buying thrift is the greenest way to shop! It’s one of the East Village’s best kept secrets, and one of my personal favs.
3. Farm Sanctuary strikes again!
Daniela Sea, Joshua Katcher, Alison Becker photo© Ecorazzi
With an awesome party, of course! With Miss Guy on the turn table, more amazing vegan food than your eyes and tummy can handle, and the most inspiring crowd of activists and celebs from Danilea Sea and Alison Becker to Jennifer Coolidge, Corey Feldman & Inder Bedhi of Matt&Nat – this Winter Wonderland fundraiser was not to be missed – but if you did miss it, make sure to make it to next one! Farmsanctuary.org
4. Our friend Karl at PARTYBOTS has designed some awesome, 100% post-consumer recycled, originally designed notebooks! These are sweet and under $6 each! Cheap gifts for everyone this holiday!
5. This holiday, you may be feeling philanthropic. However, be very aware of organizations 
like Heifer International – whose promises of alleviating malnutrition and poverty through providing animals, actually has disasterous results. Like the little fact that over 90% of the Africans who are given dairy cows are lactose intolerant. Our friends at WFAS school us on this, and tell us how we can really help:
“While this might sound good on paper, the water and land needs of livestock in areas that are often short on both quickly outweigh the benefits — instead it increases human dependence on an unsustainable food-system that depletes the environment and does not fulfill all of a community’s real nutritional or long-term survival needs” Read the full article.
6. Organic Cotton from Alternative Apparel is so much better than conventional cotton from the notoriously homophobic Urban Outfitters.
7. December 20th is National “Adopt, Don’t Shop” day. 
The Saturday before Christmas is the biggest puppy-buying day of the year. This year, In Defense of Animals is teaming up with activists in dozens of cities around the country to educate the public about the horrors of pet factories (puppy mills) and encourage people to adopt a homeless animal from a shelter or rescue group instead of buying one from a pet store. Enzo and I say you should adopt!
8. In case you missed it on Ecorazzi, Chloé Jo Berman, and yours truly were interviewed about ethical fashion. Read the interview!
9. Elephants should not be in zoos. For example, the Los Angeles zoo has killed 13 elephants. Help close down this horrible slave-trade, and save Billy from the same fate that his previous 13 fellow elephants experienced. These intelligent, emotionally complex and gorgeous beings belong in their native habitat, not in captivity.
You can view video of Billy and the Los Angeles Zoo here.
You can donate to IDA’s campaign to Free Billy here.
10. The sleek Pool Collection from Matt&Nat has arrived! Get it while it’s hot, then take a dip in the pool. 100% vegan, recycled lining, and cool as hell.
• If you aren’t doing anything on December 4th, you should absolutely come party with me at the Farm Sanctuary Winter Wonderland Benefit.
Thursday Dec 4th,
6:00 – 10:00 p.m.
The Art Directors Club,
106 W. 29th St. New York, NY 10001
My gal-pal Chloé Jo of the Girlie Girl Army did an amazing job putting this event together and invited special guests like Justin Theroux, Jennifer Coolidge, Corey Feldman, Peter Max, Patrick McDonnell, Tatum O’Neal, Daniela Sea, Ally Sheedy, Princess Superstar, Justin Theroux, and many more. Picture a festive cocktail party with hors d’oeuvres and sweets (can you say BABYCAKES?!) from a variety of the city’s finest vegan restaurants (think Candle 79, Blossom, and so many more), holiday shopping at a silent auction, gorgeous (and potentially single!) guests mingling, and overflowing goody bags. What are you waiting for – visit the event web site to rsvp now (tickets are $100 per person, with sponsorship levels from $350 and up).
• Speaking of partying for the animals, I recently attended the Humane Society of the United States‘ Cool Vs. Cruel event at the Bowery Hotel.
Photo: Erin Gleeson / Art Institutes
Supermodel Agyness Deyn sported her no-fur button, and I got to meet her, and everyone from Jay McCarroll (winner of Project Runway, Season One) to fashion icon Marc Bouwer to Nigel Barker.
Agyness Deyn is a DJ, Supermodel, and Fur-Free. Photo: Grzybowski/HSUS
Marc Bouwer gets down with HSUS Photo:Grzybowski/HSUS
•Speaking of Nigel Barker, get your tickets now to tomorrow’s screening of A Sealed 
Fate in NYC. Join Nigel Barker, renowned photographer, “America’s Next Top Model” judge, and one of The Humane Society of the United States’ top spokespersons, for a benefit screening of his moving documentary film “A Sealed Fate?” Will I see you there?
The results are in! This year, the chic and controversial Joshua Katcher and Chloe Jo Berman who spent the year redefining cool and calling on everything from organic cotton to haute vegan shoes – while calling out greenwashers and animal abusers, were named “VegNews 2008 Ethical Style Icons“. Chloe and Joshua have their fingers on the pulse of the emerging takeover of everything green, eco, and completely fabulous. Their manifesto? The new cool is being ethically gorgeous, conscientiously hedonistic, and unapologetically fierce in your passion for mother nature and animals.
Joshua & Chloe featured in Veg News, November 2008
Chloe Jo’s ‘Girlie Girl Army – our Glamazon Guide to Living‘, is a weekly newsletter with 20,000 uber devoted subscribers chock-full of tips on everything from eco fashion, to healthy, earth-lite recipes that rock your kitchen – not your wallet, to the best spots to get Organic and chic clothes on the cheap. She’s also Star of the upcoming TV show “Hot Green Girl.” Beyond being a writer, green expert, animal rescue gal, radio host, model, online personality, yenta, and ethical fashion expert; she has a built-in audience of readers and fans from years of being a NYC local celebrity; from named NYC’s hottest party promoter in her early twenties to being named one of 2008 hottest Jews in the world! What she knows about; pop culture, eco living, cupcake baking, fund-raising, scouring vintage stores, crafting, animal care, and greening just about everything. You are as likely to see her front row at a fashion show air kissing her fabulous friends, as you leading a demonstration for a cause she’s passionate about.
Joshua Katcher, whose internet mag ‘The Discerning Brute – fashion food & etiquette for the ethically handsome man‘ after only a year is snowballing across the web, most recently graced the pages twice as the centerfold of Time Out New York’s Horny Issue, and was featured in Veg News magazines‘ “What’s In Your Fridge?” From publicist to activist, his mouthwatering earth-lite recipes have entered many a star-studded mouth, and his trend-setting fashion and lifestyle advice geared toward men is breaking down the walls of a largely female-oriented movement. If he’s not busy veganizing his bubbie’s rugelach recipe, being gossiped about on New York Magazine’s Grub Street or voted on as “stripster dude you’d most like to hit it with” on Gawker, he’s probably at the farmers market scoping the best organic ingredients, helping Olsen Haus to design a line of men’s vegan classic boots & shoes, interviewing the fashion industry’s eco visionaries, attending a black-tie benefit gala, or hanging out with some rescued farm animals in upstate New York.
1. If you care about global warming, you should consider eating less meat. At least that’s what top UN climate scientist says. Yesterday, the BBC released yet another article quoting the UN’s top climate scientist, Rajendra Pachauri, who chairs the Intergovernmental Panel on Clim
ate Change (IPCC). Dr. Pachauri will make a speech tonight in London. “The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has estimated that direct emissions from meat production account for about 18% of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions,” he told BBC News, “So I want to highlight the fact that among options for mitigating climate change, changing diets is something one should consider.”
2. Ethical Star-Fucking: Want to have lunch with Alicia Silverstone? Girlie Girl Chloe Jo announces that 
on CharityBuzz from September 3-18th, you can bid on unique celebrity experiences, rare memorabilia, and compelling special merchandise online to raise funds for the animals, to advocate for their protection, and to save lives. Support Farm Sanctuary and make a bid! You can shop for the most unusual and special items and gifts – everything from yoga classes to once-in-a-lifetime celebrity one-on-ones, all while giving to the animals! And some things you were going to buy anyway, like yoga and dinner. Right? May as well have your money supporting a wonderful cause! How about a private lunch with 
Kristen Bell 
on the lot of “Heroes” or a visit to the set of Forest Whitaker’s latest movie and lunch with the star himself, or a gourmet cooking class in Los Angeles with “Skinny Bitch” Rory Freedman and Spork Foods? How about a shopping spree for the ladies in your life at Funky Lala Boutique, as your own celebrity stylist teaches you what styles look good on you, and what to be wearing this season or Joan Jett VIP Concert Tickets with Hotel & Airfare for Two? Need a laugh? Meet Fred Willard (Best in Show, Waiting for Guffman) or Paul Reubend (Pee Wee 
Herman!) Perhaps a Long Distance Reiki Animal Communication Session or a luxe, organic faux fur throw from Loyale? Over 70 items NOW available for the bidding, as you’ll see there is definitely something for everyone!
1. Is My Whiskey Vegan?
My favorite spirits are locally made here in New York State. They are Whiskey, Rum, and Vodka from Tuthilltown Spirits. Completely vegan, and although some are made from wheat, completely gluten-free. The Hudson Whiskey is the best whiskey I’ve ever had! Their rum is made from black strap molasses and aged in former whiskey barrels for a really distinct taste, and their vodka is made from New York State apples pressed into raw cider. Very discerning! You can find their spirits on this list of bars, restaurants, and shops!
For more info on vegan spirits, see The Vegetarian Society’s list on Vegan Spirits!
2. Girlie Girl Goes Live!
Chloe Jo of the Girlie Girl Army has gone live! Her new website is gorgeously designed by vegan web design icon, Lord J Davis. Go check out her amazing blog and tell your sisters, moms, girlfriends, and any ethically fabulous lady in your life. They’ll swoon over her fashion sense and her common sense! This week? The C02-output-of-your-diet-calculator! And dating tips for the tragically shy or unlucky!
3. Dr Cow Goes Nuts!
Our favorite cheese has a brand new website where you can order gift box assortments of vegan nut cheese! I might live solely on this stuff. If I am what I’d be eating, I’d be totally nuts! (ha…)
Nut Cheese Tower
4. Splendid Mills Organics
Earn your organic stripes at Splendid Mills. If you don’t know why the United Nations has referred to conventional cotton as one of the “most staggering disasters of the 20th century”, WATCH THIS.
5. Is My Tattoo Vegan?
In certain tattoo inks, bone-char (black) and glycerin (derived from animal fats) are typically used. Make sure to ask your artist to check ingredients or to use a company like Stable Color, who claims their inks are vegan-friendly. My tattoo artist, Seth Wood is a vegan, so it’s also a good idea to get a vegan tattoo artist!
Chloé Jo of the Girly Girl Army is the queen of green. This hot Jewess has taken on New York City with style, sass, and sexy dissent. Who says you can’t save the world while looking hot? Chloé Jo sends out the most amazing weekly newsletters covering everything from fashion, food, travel, health, recipes and tips, to alerts, gossip , and sample sale low-downs – and it’s not just for the ladies!
I am obsessed with this newsletter – and If you haven’t signed up for it yet (dummy!) here is a taste of what you’re missing. This week’s newsletter:
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GIRLIE GIRL NEWS. For the fashionably conscious.
Welcome to the GirlieGirl Army Newsletter. A weekly shout out of what you need to know.
Site. Myspace. Facebook. Join the list or update your info.
**** Pretty please scroll to the wee bottom of this email to view our ADOPTABLE PETS OF THE WEEK. These animals are all in emergency states of needing rescue. Many are purebreds and all are friendly loving angels. We have a list of pups and cats in most of our cities and others so please see below and please forward this email to anyone you think may be able to open their hearts to adoption or fostering. You fashion nuts will enjoy our sample sale listings below.
ON OUR GLAMAZON RADAR THIS WEEK:
The Farm Sanctuary Gala was amazing! Being with so many compassionate, wonderful people in one room was inspiring. I met my president, Dennis Kucinich, got felt up by Skinny Bitch: Rory Freedman, and ate amazing pastries from Vegan Treats!
Top Down: Joshua Katcher, Dennis Kucinich, Rory Freedman,
vegan treats cakes, Kevin Nealon, Melissa Fornabaio, Lisa Edelstein
Russell Simmons, Chloe Jo Berman (Girlie Girl Army), Jeremy Davis
I had the pleasure of producing a video for the Gala:
Thanks to Kaight Shop for my hot organic blazer and organic green shirt by Turk & Taylor! I also wore an organic tie by John Patrick Organic, thrift pants, and NOVOCAS Dennis Brown shoes. If you haven’t been to Kaight in the LES, definitely check it out. There is a nice sized organic menswear section!
