Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Preview: NYC Wine and Food Festival, October 15th-18th, 2015

Preview: NYC Food and Wine Festival October 15th-18th, 2015

Various locations, including Piers 92 and 94, New York City





 By, E. Joyce Glasgow, www.artsandculturescene.com

The NYC Wine and Food Festival 2015 will be a whirlwind of food and drink events held to benefit the Food Bank for New York City, www.foodbanknyc.org and the No Kid Hungry Campaign, www.nokidhungry.org. There will be roof-top and late night celebrations, formal dinners, brunches, cocktail events, wine tastings, panel discussions, seminars and culinary demonstrations with some of our country’s premier celebrity chefs. Participants will include chefs, Mario Batali, Carla Hall and Michael Symon, whom we enjoy on ABC TV’s “The Chew”, Rachel Ray, Emmy Award winners;  Martha Stewart, Lydia Bastianich, Ming Tsai and Giada De Laurentiis. De Laurentiis will be hosting an outdoor, roof-top Italian food festival evening at Pier 92, on the Hudson River and acclaimed chef Alice Waters, of the iconic Chez Panisse, will be hosting an intimate Farm-to-Table dinner on the 51st floor of the Bank of America Tower, featuring a panoramic view of Manhattan.
On Friday, October 16th, Southern Wines and Spirits of New York will host an invitation only tasting event for chefs, wine and spirit sellers, restaurateurs and others in the trade.
The Grand Tastings will be held on Saturday and Sunday, October 17th and 18th, at Pier 94. The public will be able to experience dozens of  food and wine samples, at the booths of numerous participating restaurants and food businesses, as well as food preparation demonstrations by favorite, well-known professionals throughout both days.
Other chefs who will be participating in the NYC  Wine and Food Festival will include such luminaries as Dominique Ansel, inventor of the Cronut, John Besh, Bobby Flay, Tyler Florence, Jacques Torres, Alain Ducasse, Emeril Lagasse, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Marcus Samuelsson, David Bouley, Masaharu Morimoto, Jonathan Waxman and many more.  Entertainment industry professionals, Whoopi Goldberg, Valerie Bertinelli, Katherine Heigl, and Patti La Belle will be participating in food events.

To get complete details on the schedule, participants, events, locations, to purchase tickets, or to volunteer, visit nycwff.org.


Sunday, April 19, 2015

THE NEW YORK CITY GREEN FESTIVAL EXPO WILL TAKE PLACE APRIL 24TH-26TH, 2015, AT THE JAVITS CONVENTION CENTER, NYC., FEATURING FIFTY-SEVEN DISTINGUISHED SPEAKERS

The New York City Green Festival Expo, www.greenfestivals.org, will take place April 24th-26th, 2015, at the Javits Convention Center, NYC. This inspiring, community event will feature fifty-seven expert speakers on aspects of Green living including alternative energy sources, food and nutrition, media, the arts, climate change, gender equality, environmentally conscious investing, running socially conscious businesses, creating a sustainable future for the planet and more. There will be a green product marketplace, non-profit organizations, yoga classes and organic Vegan food. Below is a list of speakers and their biographies. Upcoming Green Festival Expos will take place in Washington DC, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Portland. – E. Joyce Glasgow, www.artsandculturescene.com


Green Festival Speakers
New York 2015
Speakers at Green Festival® are articulate, powerful advocates for a just and sustainable world. From authors and filmmakers to politicians, musicians and scientists, these renowned individuals inspire packed audiences with their expertise—one of the most compelling draws to Green Festival® since 2002. Our tremendous speaker line-up exemplifies why Green Festival® is the largest, most-respected event of its kind.
                                   

Lara Allen is an M.S. in History of Art and Design candidate at Pratt Institute. Her thesis focuses on the similarities of Japanese Design and Manitoga, the house and garden of twentieth century industrial designer Russel Wright. She is also the author of “Returning to Manitoga,” a blog that explores the interiors of the home. Her article Beyond Transparency: A Discussion Around Glass in 19th Century Paris is scheduled to be published in Belvedere: Journal of the History of Art & Design at Pratt Institute, Spring 2015. She received a B.A. from Scripps College and an M.A.L.S. from Hollins University.
DAVID ALSTON (Musician) born in Durham, NC began showing interest in percussion instruments in 1990. He was enrolled at Durham School of the Arts where he began his formal study of the cello and percussion. Since his early exposure to music, he has had an opportunity to work with many companies including the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Forces of Nature Dance Theater, and Harambee African Dance Company all located in New York. He has also performed numerous times with Balafon West African Dance Company (Pittsburg PA), and Elegeba Folklore Society (Richmond VA). He has toured with the African American Dance Ensemble as lead Djembe Musician and participated in many events such as, Afr’AmFest (Norfolk VA), Dance Africa (Dallas TX/Washington D.C.), United Nations Annual South-South Day for cooperation event (New York, NY), and the Eerie Music Fest in (Toronto OT). Alston is the Musical Director for VashtiDance Theater.
Eric Alterman is a Distinguished Professor of English and Journalism at Brooklyn College and CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, ""The Liberal Media"" columnist for The Nation, and a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress, the Nation Institute and the World Policy Institute.

Alterman is the author of ten books, including most recently Inequality and One City: Bill de Blasio and the New York Experiment, Year One (2015), The Cause: The Fight for American Liberalism from Franklin Roosevelt to Barack Obama (2012, co-author), Kabuki Democracy: The System vs. Barack Obama (2011), Why We're Liberals: A Handbook for Restoring America’s Most Important Ideals (2008, 2009), and the national bestsellers What Liberal Media? The Truth About Bias and the News (2003, 2004), and The Book on Bush: How George W. (Mis)leads America (2004, co-author). The others include: When Presidents Lie: A History of Official Deception and its Consequences, (2004, 2005). His Sound & Fury: The Making of the Punditocracy (1992,1993, 2000), won the 1992 George Orwell Award and his It Ain't No Sin to be Glad You're Alive: The Promise of Bruce Springsteen (1999, 2001), won the 1999 Stephen Crane Literary Award, and Who Speaks for America? Why Democracy Matters in Foreign Policy, (1998).

Termed ""the most honest and incisive media critic writing today"" in the National Catholic Reporter, and author of ""the smartest and funniest political journal out there,"" in The San Francisco Chronicle. In recent years, he has also been a columnist for: Rolling Stone, Mother Jones, Moment, The Forward, the Daily Beast, Worth, The Sunday Express (London), MSNBC-TV and MSNBC.com, and a history consultant to HBO Films. He has also been the winner of the George Orwell Award, the Jack London Literary Prize and the Mirror Award for media criticism, and has been a Hoover Institution Media Fellow at Stanford University.

A former Adjunct Professor of Journalism at NYU and Columbia, Alterman received his B.A. in History and Government from Cornell, his M.A. in International Relations from Yale, and his Ph.D. in US History from Stanford. He lives in New York City. He lives with his family in Manhattan
Mordechai Alvow is a global hairstylist and the creator of Yarok Haircare, a vegan, organic and botanically-based line of restorative hair care. The entire line is free of parabens, sulfates, and cruelty to animals and is sold around the world. Mordechai has delivered high performance products that are healthy for both clients and stylists. When he's not focused on product innovation or his NYC salon, Mordechai travels the world as an editorial artist and his work has appeared in Allure, ELLE, InStyle, Marie Claire, New York Magazine and Vogue.
Ashe', a Poetry Jam Band Experience was created in a 9x10 9x12 bedroom in an adult family shelter in the South Bronx, NY and had their first performance at the Bronx Relay for Life on May 31st 2014. Leonard "Gypsy Sun" Veras is a self taught electric guitarist who has played for 33 years. His experience as a guitarist expands to a variation of genres, including Hip Hop, Abstract, Rhythm & Blues, Rock, and now, performing with his wife and lead poet, Kesha "Sha Kimono" Veras, who is also a self taught visual artist. Ashe', a Poetry Jam Band Experience is consistently evolving. Gypsy Sun & Sha Kimono will share their vision through their art and establish a mobile non profit to teach economically deprived kids & adults the cultural value in music, arts, agriculture, fashion, theatre, and entrepreneur education.
Erik Baard founded and operates Gotham Orchards, a volunteer project that has planted orchards with partners in all five boroughs since 2008. Species range from apple trees from the ancestral Kazakh forests to indigenous beach plums and blueberries. For these works and others in estuary ecology, he was designated the "Greenest New Yorker" by the state government. He's also a writer, published in the New Yorker, NY Times, Wall Street Journal, Village Voice, Economist, NPR, and other media.
Elizabeth Barry is a true entrepreneurial spirit. She has run a successful strategic marketing firm for ten years, she's the TEDxHoboken and TEDxHobokenWomen curator and was named the very first Hoboken Woman in Business of the year. She resides as the Business Development Director at Inflexion Interactive, a powerhouse digital agency. Her days consist of brand building and her journey is heavily involved in yoga, meditation and living a positive life with a beautiful outlook. She brings the energy you're looking for in a speaker. Don't miss her talk.
John Bates is in business to bring out what is awesome inside every person so it can live in the world and make a real difference.

His group training is world famous and executives from companies like Johnson & Johnson, Second Genome, Care Fusion and more recommend him to their colleagues as the best communications and leadership trainer working today.

John's training is based in human evolutionary biology and human neurophysiology so you learn not only what works, but WHY it works. That gives you principles which allow you to achieve ever increasing success and the ability to play and create in the areas of communication and leadership.

John has trained hundreds of TED and TEDx speakers all over the world. John also works with C level executives at top companies to make their communications "TED-Worthy."
Joy Bauer is one of the nation's leading health authorities. As the nutrition and health expert for NBC’s TODAY show, Joy shares reliable, practical, and straightforward advice that helps millions of Americans eat better and lead healthier, more fulfilling lives. She also hosts the program’s popular “Joy Fit Club” series, which celebrates determined people who have lost more than 100 pounds through diet and exercise alone.

Most recently, Joy debuted her brand new PBS special, Joy Bauer’s Food Remedies, and launched her own food line, Nourish Snacks, an online service which delivers a wide variety of healthy, wholesome snacks to your home or office. Check them out at NourishSnacks.com.

As a monthly columnist for Woman’s Day magazine and the creator of JoyBauer.com, Joy continues to be a leader in developing and delivering fresh, cutting edge health content to millions. She’s been featured countless times in prominent publications like The New York Times, Washington Post, People, US Weekly, Cosmo, Vogue, SELF, Glamour, and Wall Street Journal, to name a few.

Joy is a #1 New York Times bestselling author with 11 books under her belt, including her latest releases, The Joy Fit Club: Cookbook, Diet Plan & Inspiration and Joy Bauer’s Food Cures.

Joy is the nutritionist for the New York City Ballet and has a clientele that includes high-profile professionals, celebrity actors, fashion models and Olympic athletes (including Gold-medal winners).

Joy received her Bachelor degree in Kinesiology from University of Maryland and a master of science in nutrition from New York University. At the beginning of her career, Joy completed a five-year post as Director of Nutrition and Fitness for “Heart-Smart Kids”, a program for underprivileged children that she developed for The Mount Sinai Medical Center’s Department of Pediatric Cardiology in New York City. Joy also served as a nutrition consultant for Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, was a clinical nutritionist with the neurosurgical team at The Mount Sinai Medical Center – and taught Anatomy and Physiology and Sports Nutrition at New York University’s School of Continuing Education.

Passionate about delivering scientifically sound health information, Joy received the 2010 National Media Excellence Award from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, and the 2012 American Society of Nutrition Science Media Award.

Joy lives in New York with her husband Ian, her daughters Jesse and Ayden Jane, and her son Cole. She strongly believes that it’s never too early or late to reap the benefits of a healthy lifestyle.
Maxine Bédat (née Kay) is the co-founder of Zady.com, a shopping platform and lifestyle destination for the next generation of consumers who care about the origins of the items they purchase. Zady launched to rave reviews in August 2013, and was featured on the cover of The Wall Street Journal’s “Off Duty” section with an article entitled: Feel-Good Fashion: The New Black.
What Whole Foods has done for the organic food movement, Zady does for sourced products. Zady is amongst the first online retailers to seamlessly integrate commerce, rich media content and social media to provide customers with a dynamic shopping experience. On Zady, customers can learn about the conscious consumer movement and purchase beautiful goods that were created with craftsmanship and artisanship – qualities that have been sacrificed in a world of cheap prices and fast production. Early this year, Zady was named one of
The World’s Top 10 Most Innovative Companies in Retail by Fast Company and one of 22 Instagram Accounts Fashionistas Should Follow in 2014 by Buzzfeed.com.
With a background in diplomacy and the United Nations, in 2010 while in law school, Maxine established The Bootstrap Project, an organization dedicated to changing the lives of artisans in developing countries. The origin of The Bootstrap Project began one year earlier, when Maxine was clerking in Tanzania for the United Nation’s International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, the court that prosecutes those responsible for the genocide. Maxine used her free time in Africa to explore, hoping to deepen her understanding of economic development.
On one excursion, she went to the country of Swaziland. There, she came across Thembenkile, a local craftswoman who made beautiful, meticulously carved wooden dishes. Thembenkile told Maxine how she learned the craft from her father who in turn had learned it from his. She told the story of her family and five grown children: only two had jobs, none were following the family trade, all were living in. Maxine asked why she was not passing down her unique skills. “No one will buy my things,” she said. “My people can only pay for plastic that comes to us from far away, so my kids don’t have a reason to learn.” From this encounter, The Bootstrap Project was born.
Since then, The Bootstrap Project has become a platform for enterprising artisans to learn new skills, expand their businesses, share their customs and traditions, and revive the world’s most beautiful crafts. Five percent of proceeds from every sale on Zady.com benefits The Bootstrap Project.
Maxine received her Juris Doctorate degree with honors from Columbia Law School. She lives in New York City with her husband Stéphane.
Johann is the U.S. CEO of Transformational Leadership for Excellence and has been a practitioner of meditation for more then 16 years. As thought leader he has been invited to the White House Sustainable Business Summit and as a speaker and facilitator at: TEDx London, GE Health Care Health Ahead Summit Paris, Wharton School of Business, Dartmouth On Purpose, Stanford University's Compassion and Business Conference, and UC Berkeley's Leadership Symposium, among many other leading institutions.

Over the years, Johann has been very involved in innovative pro-social initiative launching projects like: I Meditate NY a program endorsed by Mayor Bloomburg that was featured in the NY Times, and ABC News, while reaching more then 25,000 New Yorker and forming partnerships with Guggenheim BMW Labs, Whole Foods, and the New York Public Library. He also sit on the board of both domestic and international social ventures.
Becky Beyer has been teaching classes on farming and soil science for the last six years. She also teaches primitive skills all around the South East. She holds a degree in Plant and Soil Science from the University of Vermont and continues to learn, write and teach about plants, ethnobotany, Earthskills and organic farming in the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina. Her musing on folk magic, ethnobotany and Appalachian traditions can be found at www.bloodandspicebush.com.
Kate Black is the founder and editor-in-chief of Magnifeco.com, the digital source for eco-fashion and sustainable living. Kate is also the founder of EcoSessions®, a global platform bringing together designers, industry and consumers to discuss change. She is regularly featured on the Huffington Post and is highly in demand as a speaker on ethical fashion at regional and national green living events. Her book Magnifeco: Your Head-to-Toe Guide to Ethical Fashion and Non-toxic Beauty will be released in August.
Mike Brooks is President and owner of Nuclear Chowder Marketing, a Digital Marketing Agency. He is passionate about helping businesses and entrepreneurs get customers online. Website development, advanced search strategy, social media, email marketing and mobile are just a few of the ways Mike helps local business owners with their online marketing. Mike is the host of two popular podcasts, The Nuclear Chowder Show and Road To TED. He also speaks and trains people and businesses all over the world.
Charles Chen is healthy chef, tv host, and eco lifestyle expert. Founder of CharlesChen.tv a thriving community focused on healthy living, inspiration and empowerment with over 575,000 subscribers. Charles used to weigh 260 pounds ate Mcdonalds everyday, pre-diabetic, and depressed. Now he is eating goji berries and sipping on green juice. At age 26 he has transformed his life through adopting a whole foods lifestyle and is passionate about helping others to do the same. Charles is the youngest chef & wellness expert to tour all over Whole Foods Markets! Recently appeared on TNT with Chef Emeril Lagasse executive produced by Mark Burnett ( Survivor, The Voice, Shark Tank) Hulu, Yahoo!, AOL, Mind Body Green, Natural NewsTV,Amazon.com & More! Charles' friendly and light hearted approach inspires people of all ages to create healthy delicious meals for beauty, energy, and longevity!
Misha D. Clive is the Green Business Network Communications & Marketing Manager at Green America.. Before joining Green America, Misha was an entrepreneur in the international music industry. She combines her years of experience in organizing for social and environmental causes with her small business background to serve the green business community. Misha is proud to be the 50th Founding Member of Hub DC, a center-in-progress for social innovation in the WDC metro area that serves as an incubator for social enterprise.

Learn more at www.GreenBusinessNetwork.org.
Dr. Kevin Danaher is a Co-Founder of Global Exchange, Co-Founder of FairTradeUSA, and Co-Founder and Executive Co-Producer of the Green Festivals. His 1985 PhD in sociology from the University of California at Santa Cruz was based on his dissertation, “The Political Economy of U.S. Policy Toward South Africa.” He is the author and/or editor of 11 books, including his latest, “The Green Festival Reader: Fresh ideas from Agents of Change”; and "Building the Green Economy: Success Stories from the Grass Roots". Described by The New York Times as the “Paul Revere of globalization’s woes,” Dr. Kevin Danaher’s analytical expertise, sense of humor and blunt eloquence make him an exceptionally dynamic speaker.
The New York Chinese Cultural Center (NYCCC), a nonprofit cultural and educational institution, is dedicated to deepening the understanding and appreciation of Chinese culture in the global and local communities. NYCCC fulfills its mission by offering professional classes, workshops, and performances while nurturing creative and innovative new works that reflect the rich cultural heritages and diverse communities of today.
Davidson is the Director of Standards and Certification at Green America, a national nonprofit organization with over 30 years working with consumers, investors, businesses, and the marketplace to create a socially just and sustainable economy. Davidson works with companies across 45 industries to get the Green Business Certification and design standards/best practices for more sustainable businesses.

Davidson served as the Senior Regional Director for Green Festivals for 7 years. She has a BA from The Evergreen State College and an MS in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from George Mason University.
Dino Dogan is a professional speaker with a real job as the Founder and CEO of Triberr, the social network for content creators that sends millions of monthly visitors to its members.

Dino has been the subject of stories pertaining to business and technology in publications such as Venture Beat, Forbes, Yahoo!News, Al Jazeera, and BizJournal. His startup has been featured on thousands of blogs, including The Next Web, Yahoo, Technorati, Huffington Post, Business Insider, and INC.

Dino has spoken or consulted for a variety of companies and audiences, including IBM, Rutgers University, Vocus, New Media Expo, 140conf, and many others.
A vegan chef and healthy living educator, Leslie is the glowing face of a fresher plant-based movement that refuses to compromise style for sustainability. Walking the plant-based talk since age eight, this Southern California native has always been well ahead of the times with her meatless mindset. She currently broadcasts her farm fresh recipes and warmhearted sensibilities via LeslieDurso.com.

After establishing herself as a private chef for the NYC and Hollywood elite, Leslie emerged as a public persona, hosting cooking segments on television and online. Determined to inspire beneficial life-long eating habits for everyone, she has appeared on Food Network, Discovery Channel, Hallmark Channel, and written for VegNews, CNN.com, Redbook, Glamour, and more, evangelizing the benefits of a mindful lifestyle, delivered with her trademark blend of sunshiney sophistication and girl-next-door relatability. Maxim Magazine wrote: "We want to hire Leslie as our own personal chef! We'll even eat vegetables for her."
Dr. Francesca Ferrando, Ph.D in Philosophy, M.A. in Gender Studies, is a philosopher of the posthuman. She teaches Philosophy at NYU, as an Adjunct Faculty Member at the Program of Liberal Studies. Dr. Ferrando has published extensively on the topic of Posthumanism, she was awarded the Philosophical Prize "Vittorio Sainati" (2014) with the Acknowledgment of the President of the Italian Republic. Dr. Ferrando is also a TEDx Speaker and one of the founders of the NY Posthuman Research Group. She is actively involved in the posthuman scene as a visionary thinker and organizer. For more info: www.theposthuman.org
Ann Finneran - a Share International volunteer for over thirty years, Finneran adheres to the organization’s view of distributive justice via sharing as paramount. In 2004, she was one of the charter founders of Sullivan Alliance for Sustainable Development, an upstate New York concern whose mission is “to foster economic development that is environmentally and economically sustainable as well as socially responsible”. She has spoken for Share International on numerous occasions including last year's Green Festival and two panel discussions at Barnard College where her focus was the environment. She is a member of New York Water Action Group whose concern is to limit the withdrawal of New York State’s fresh water by heavy industry. She embraces the ideas of the commons and transition towns, is an outspoken “fractivist” and thinks all of these concerns support Share International’s priority to redistribute the world’s resources and curtail commercialization. “People over Profit”.
Ryan Foland is a Southern California native who has a passion for working with people, and a love for startups. As a result of his business affiliations and entrepreneurial experience, Mr. Foland has intimate operational knowledge of small to mid-sized startup and philanthropic organizations. Mr. Foland is the Assistant Director of the Blackstone LaunchPad at University of California, Irvine. More than a resource center, the Blackstone LaunchPad is recognized by the White House's "Startup America initiative," and is a proven model responsible for creating a new generation of entrepreneurs. A decorated Toastmaster and experienced Emcee, Mr. Foland is also an organizer and host of the Irvine chapter of 1 Million Cups, a weekly event inspired by the Kauffman Foundation, that showcases new startups. When Mr. Foland has time to get away, you'll find him on his sailboat somewhere near Catalina Island.
Amy Gansell, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Art History at St. John's University (in Queens, NYC), where she teaches courses on ancient and non-Western art and architecture. She has a special interest in ancient and Islamic gardens, on which she has taught undergraduate and graduate courses at Harvard University and Pratt Institute. She earned both her master’s (2003) and doctorate (2008) in ancient Near Eastern art from Harvard University. Previously a postdoctoral fellow at Emory University, Dr. Gansell has been rewarded with research grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and The American Academic Research Institute in Iraq. She lectures internationally, and her scholarly essays have appeared in museum catalogues, numerous books, and prestigious journals including the Cambridge Archaeological Journal and the Journal of Archaeological Science. Dr. Gansell has substantial archaeological experience at sites in the US, France, Tunisia, Crete, Syria, and Turkey. And she always seeks out gardens when she travels.
The uniqueness of Prophetik begins with the artist himself. Garner’s vivacity and his commitment to creating distinctive, sustainable, eco-friendly fashion is a reflection of his environment. Born in the Civil War town of Franklin, Tennessee, and raised on a horse farm, Garner grew with a connectedness to nature and a peaceful understanding of the world. The Prophetik label’s genesis came once Jeff made the decision to combine his love for his surroundings with his artistic desires.

Jeff Garner (born August 18th, 1978) is an American fashion designer and artist, best known for his sustainable plant dyed red carpet gowns made in TN.

Jeff Garner was inducted into the Smithsonian Museum, Renwick Gallery in July 2012 for the 40 under 40 Craft Futures Exhibition.
Marty Gottlieb has been a passionate gardener his entire life. He has a degree in horticulture from Cornell University and has been in the lawn and garden industry for close to fifty years. Throughout this time he has been involved in practically every aspect of horticulture including research, new product development and introduction, as well as commercial grower and master and home gardener education. Gottlieb currently serves on the Cornell-NY State Greenhouse Advisory Committee.
For nearly 30 years, Alisa Gravitz has led Green America, the national green economy organization. Green America develops marketplace solutions to social and environmental problems with a key focus on tackling climate change, building fair trading systems, stopping corporate abuse and growing the green economy. Green America operates the nation’s largest green business and consumer networks.

Ms. Gravitz is a leading expert on how families and businesses can “go green,” saving money and resources. She is also a nationally recognized leader in the social investment industry. She authored Green America’s acclaimed Guide to Social Investing, with over a million copies in print and the popular Guide to Community Investing.

Ms. Gravitz’s board service includes Ceres, Positive Future Network, Network for Good and People 4 Earth. She earned her MBA from Harvard University and her BA in economics and environmental sciences from Brandeis University. Green America is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Amy, CEO of Natural Discoveries, Inc. & Founder/Executive Director of 501c3 non profit, Healing Seekers, treks to remote biodiverse regions of Planet Earth to capture the wonders of life. Healing Seekers' educational videos have won 5 Telly Awards and available in over 50,000 schools. Together with indigenous healers, Natural Discoveries is bringing new therapies and treatments to the world.

www.healingseekers.com
www.natdiscov.com
www.seekbeauty.com
Dr. Lewis Gross is a published author and the director of Tribeca Holistic and Integrative Dentistry with over 31 years offering less invasive, more natural solutions than traditional dentistry.
Dr. Nathalie Guillaume is an alumni of the University of Miami where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Biochemistry and Foreign Languages. She holds a Master of Science in Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine from the Atlantic Institute of Oriental Medicine, and a Clinical Doctorate in Pain Management & Oncology from Bastyr University. She specializes in lifestyle medicine with an emphasis on nutrition, meditation & Qi Gong, and is dedicated to promoting the benefits of holistic health to the community. She is currently adjunct faculty for the Graduate School of Oriental Medicine at the New York College of Health Professions and practices in New York City.
Amie Hamlin is Executive Director and founding member of the Coalition for Healthy School Food. Amie wrote a legislative resolution for New York State in 2004, and has since worked to change how schools feed kids. The Coalition is a past winner of the Green Festival Community Award. In 2009, Amie was awarded the grand prize for "Mom of the Revolution" from Revolution Foods and Kiwi Magazine. In 2012, Amie was featured in Vegetarian Times Magazine as one of the new food heroes who are out to change the way America eats - for the better, and was called a "school food savior". The Coalition was recognized by the US Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health as having one of three promising practices. Amie’s passion is to have school food reflect what we know to be true about diet and disease and the animal agriculture/environment connection.
Dr. Sharon Jaye is the Director of Sustainability for the New York City Department of Education. Her office is responsible for sustainability initiatives in over 1,800 schools in 1,300 buildings. Her doctoral dissertation on benchmarking greenhouse gas emission inventories in higher education was published in the International Journal of Facility Management. She holds Sustainability Facility Professional accreditation through the International Facility Management Association (IFMA). Dr. Jaye wrote the IFMA Sustainability How-to Guide on Carbon Footprinting and co-wrote the IFMA guide on Waste Stream Management.
Ron Kamen is regularly in demand by state, national, and worldwide forums. Ron empowers audiences to make decisions that create change and exponential impact. His passionate, entertaining, and educational style transforms complicated energy problems into clear and easy to implement solutions.

Ron develops cost-saving, clean energy projects for commercial and institutional clients throughout NY, US & Caribbean. Ron brings 25+ years of expertise and leadership in developing public/private partnerships; clean energy investments; sustainability marketing, outreach, policy; project scoping, analysis, engineering, grant incentives, tax financing, & deal structure for solar PV, combined heat and power, and solar heating. Kamen led the campaign that resulted in the $1 billion NY-Sun program as then-president of the NY Solar Energy Industries Association; was recognized as New York’s Solar Champion in 2011; created and managed successful wind power marketing, sales, public education campaigns; is a recognized coalition builder with utilities government leaders, & environmental organizations.
Roberto Kanter has a Masters in International Marketing, an MBA in Marketing and a BA in Economics.

He is a guest professor at Fundacao Getulio Vargas Business School in Brazil, where he lectures, Retail Marketing, Strategic Marketing Planning and Entrepreneurship.

Executive Director of CanalVertical, consultancy specialized in Strategic Planning, Multichannel Management.

He is also a mentor at Endeavor, 21212 and several Startups, aiming to make their new businesses viable.
Noam Kostucki believes that everything can be elevated into an art form. He is a professional speaker, coach and writer who has engaged with over 25,000 from 40 nationalities. He has made over 50 media appearances, gave two TED Talks and received the UK Business Speaker of the Year 2011 runner up award. He has spoken at over 80 international conferences and at institutions like Harvard University Yale University, the London School of Economics, startup and executive networks. He worked with multinational clients like HP, Citrix and Tata Consultancy Services. He has written three books: the first on personal branding, the second on how perception and beliefs affect important business decisions and the third on how to find the best mentors and keep them.

To find more about how to create a masterpiece, visit www.about.me/noamkos
Brian Mac Mahon is the founder and community Director for Pay it Forward Labs, a free organization dedicated to providing mentorship and expertise to business people who seek council and direction from those who have already walked in their shoes. The founding principle of PIFlabs is that everyone has an expertise, which is of value to the community and by paying your expertise forward you are part of the solution for global business and we all help each other grow stronger together. The crowd then rate the different mentors based on the value given. It is a true green, value based marketplace. Prior to Pay it Forward Labs Brian owned an expedia type company for workspace (Your Office Agent) and prior to that traveled globally for 15 years living and working in over 35 countries learning what makes us different and what can bring us together.
Born in Argentina & educated in Australia, Hector Marcel is a seasoned & passionate organizational change management professional specializing in performance, culture and service. With more than ten years experience, leading successful cultural transformations in the public & private sectors in Australia, Hector now consults from his base in New York City to a variety of international clients.

Mr Marcel serves as the Senior VP of Learning & Change for John Foley Inc. in the USA, delivering workshops and keynotes on High Performance designed to achieve excellence in teams & inspire individuals to lead a life beyond their dreams.

He is a teacher of eastern philosophy, linking ancient Asian ideas to modern issues. He is the Founder and Director of the 108 Lives Project, an international non-profit that serves as a platform for social entrepreneurs to build, lead and deliver solutions for underprivileged communities.
An AIA registered architect, Margaret Matz has 20 years of experience in designing new, restoration, and sustainable renovation projects for academic institutions, health care institutions, and corporate and retail organizations. Before founding Milestone in 2010, she served as project architect, project manager, senior designer, and executive principal with several major architectural firms. Margaret is also a visiting assistant professor at the New York Institute of Technology and the Pratt Institute schools of architecture. She is LEED AP and an AIA and USGBC member. She holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art.
Green Yoga business owner in the USA compares the challenges of starting a local business with Roberto Kanter, who is a green entrepreneur from Brazil
Under the leadership of Governor Andrew Cuomo, New York has established an ambitious state green purchasing and sustainability program. This presentation will summarize a new report, to be released on Earth Day, which highlights New York's priorities and efforts to buy green products, reduce waste, recycle, use less energy and toxic chemicals, conserve water, and switch to renewable energy.

http://www.ogs.ny.gov/EO/4/Default.asp
John P Morgan envisions a more connected and loving world and he creates this by putting the 'being' back in human and the 'human' back in humanity, one powerful leader at a time.

John speaks from the heart, encouraging and inspiring others to breathe life into their own personal visions of a better world. As an honorable leader, John's passionate energy ignites the soul of each and every person who meets him.

Following studies in Physics, John built an investing business and then, while living nomadically, founded a web media company serving charities. Beyond world travels, John's adventures include coaching human rights leaders, touring as a musician, creating a children's library, learning to fly, publishing writing and photography, competing as a black belt and triathlete, studying with monks and cycling thousands of miles.

John has been coaching and speaking since the late 90's. This work became his profession in 2009.
Tom Nowak is a Certified Financial Planner® practitioner and has been providing, hourly, as-needed investment advice for more than 10 years. He is a member of The Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment (US SIF), Green America®, the International Environmental Forum, the Garrett Planning Network, Inc., and the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA). He has written two books on sustainable investing: “Low Fee Socially Responsible Investing: Investing in your worldview on your terms” (2012) and “Low Fee Vegan Investing, Taking veganism to the next level” (2014). His first career as an analytical chemist provides him with an additional perspective on developing sustainable investing strategies. His practice is located near Grayslake, IL and he can be contacted at info@quantumfinancialplanning.com.
Elizabeth O’Connell is the Campaigns Director at Green America, a non-profit member-based organization working to build the green economy. She has led consumer action campaigns relating to Fair Trade, labor, and corporate social responsibility at Green America for five years. Most notably, she ran the campaign to get forced child labor out of Hershey chocolate. This three-year campaign won Hershey’s commitment to verify their entire cocoa supply chain for all products. Currently, she is leading the “End Smartphone Sweatshops” campaign to improve worker health and safety in electronics manufacturing. She holds a bachelor’s degree from NYU’s Stern School of Business.
Colin O’Neil is the director of government affairs for Center for Food Safety. Since joining in 2008, he has contributed to the expansion of the Center’s policy campaigns, organizing and overseeing daily operations of the Center’s congressional and federal policy work. He regularly meets with Members of Congress and their staff on issues of concern to the food safety community, including regulation and oversight of genetically engineered (GE) crops and animals, food and farm policy, organic agriculture and climate change, as well as nanotechnology and synthetic biology. Colin acts as a spokesperson for a range of issues and actions by the Center, and has been interviewed and quoted by a variety of print and broadcast media outlets, including the New York Times, Politico, Dow Jones, Huffington Post, the San Francisco Chronicle and Fox News. Colin is a graduate of Beloit College in Wisconsin and an avid outdoorsman.
Joy Pierson is co-owner of Candle Cafe, Candle Cafe West, and Candle 79. Her passion for counseling and healing through great food led her to join Bart Potenza at The Healthy Candle in 1988 where they began creating foods and menus tailored to the nutritional needs of Joy’s private practice clients, and the Candle’s ever-growing customer base. Their partnership flourished and they have since created three restaurants, a growing catering and wholesale business, and three Cookbooks.
Joy has written and lectured extensively about food and nutrition, sharing her expertise as more people become mindful of the positive effects of healthful eating. Joy serves as board chair of the Coalition for Healthy School Food. Her quest is to continue changing people’s awareness of health and well being and its effect on the planet and future generations by bringing farm fresh vegan food to as many people and tables as possible!
Bart Potenza, Candle’s founder, with over 30 years in the health food industry, continues to excite his loyal following with his innovative ideas and concepts in the organic plant based movement. Bart, along with his partner Joy Pierson, has created three successful vegetarian dining establishments including Candle Cafe, Candle 79 and Candle Cafe West. The original Candle Cafe was the first restaurant to be certified by the Green Restaurant Association and all three restaurants are at the forefront of campaigns to green NYC and the restaurant industry.
The success of the Candle Restaurants proves Bart's original assertion that eating super healthy vegetarian food is a choice that impacts not only individual health, but also the health of the planet. Bart's ""daily bread"" is his quest to make our world better for all humanity. He continues to be inspired by the growth and significance of the green movement.
Avis Richards is the founder and CEO of Birds Nest Foundation, a non-profit that produces television shows, documentaries and short films for charitable organizations.

Avis has produced and directed hundreds of episodes and films for national and local broadcast, websites and events. Avis also launched ""The Ground Up Campaign"" a national campaign providing indoor edible academic gardens and curriculum. Avis is on the Board of Directors for HELP USA , Sophie's Voice, Fans for the Cure, Earth Day Network (the environment), and the R Baby Foundation. Avis is a member of the Advisory Board of Joe Torre’s Safe At Home Foundation (domestic violence), Cancer Schmancer, Reach To Film, Greenbeetz and Street Soccer USA. Avis is a ""Game Ball"" recipient for the Boomer Esiason Foundation (Cystic Fibrosis) and served as an Excalibur award member for the American Cancer Society for which she was also the Gala Event Chair.
Lotay Rinchen is a native of Bhutan and holds a MA Degree in Sustainable Development from Brandeis University in Massachusetts. He has special interests in community development projects, particularly those linked to the environment, culture, health, renewable energy, and youth empowerment. Lotay takes pleasure in traveling and discovering new ideas. His strong personal passion and professional background have led him to work with his brother to launch a sustainable travel venture that is Bridge To Bhutan. In 2010, Lotay was one of the invited speakers at the 2nd World Eco-tourism Conference in Kuala Lumpur and was Interviewed by Rick Steves for his radio talk in the U.S. More recently (Jan 2015), Lotay is one of the panelists on 'travel to South Asia' at the New York Times Travel show.
Antonio Saillant worked on high level filmmaker’s projects, learning the nuts and bolts of production. He spent several years shadowing his mentor, Ted Kotcheff and learning from him, not to mention, learning in a highly popular television drama series, Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. Saillant gained knowledge and insight into how the industry works at the studio level. Saillant began his producing career, forming Angel Light Pictures Entertainment Group. The company expresses Antonio’s vision and passion for creating energy efficient movies and television.
Saillant says, “The motion picture industry is a vast user of electricity for its sound stages and diesel fuel for its location filming. It is a clear target for energy conservation.”Saillant produced his first film, “Heterosexuals” and then followed up with “The Ascension“ and two short films “Red Right Wrong” and “The Truth Behind the Chords.”
Saillant partnered with Ron Kamen, the Chairman of EarthKind Energy. Kamen works extensively with the government at local, state and federal levels to ensure a favorable climate for solar development. EarthKind Energy is assisting the solar adoption goals of NYS by participating in Governor Cuomo’s NY-Sun Initiative. Both Kamen and Saillant are major supporters of solar technology and its potential to play a major role in creating sustainability.
Saillant also lectures on Going Green on the Screen. At a recent speech for Syracuse University’s Earth Week, Rachel May, coordinator of sustainability education: “With his successful film career and deep familiarity with the energy field, Mr. Saillant was an extraordinary resource for students from a wide variety of disciplines.”
Mr. Saillant is furthering the education on green film production with Planet Greenfest, a film festival that his entertainment group is putting together. The films shown at Planet Greenfest will be shorts, 10 minutes long, and are required to be produced using some type of green technology. Antonio says, “I plan to take what I have learned in the energy business and apply it to the entertainment industry in the hopes that my experience will inspire other filmmakers and also our partners, vendors and audience.” Saillant was nominated for the 2014 Gotham Green Awards under the category, Green Initiative.

http://www.angellightgroup.com
http://www.planetgreenfest.org
Jessica Hirsch graduated New York University in 2013 with her Masters in Public Health Nutrition, specializing in community nutrition in low-income and diverse populations. For the last five years she has volunteered and worked as a nutrition educator in New York City, mainly focusing on the childhood obesity epidemic and children's access to fresh and healthy food. In 2012 she spent the summer as an intern in South Africa, where her passion for public health expanded beyond nutrition, and into maternal and child health opportunities, particularly for women and girls. She joined Nomi Network in May of 2014 and currently builds relationships with stores across the country who carry nomi products, overseeing all wholesale accounts and direct sales events. Her favorite Nomi product is the fruit collection cosmetic case, which she proudly carries with her whenever she is on the road. - Nomi Network
Kevin Slaten has been the Program Coordinator at China Labor Watch since 2012 where he plays a key role in the research and writing of investigative reports, campaigns to expose labor abuse in corporate supply chains, and public advocacy through international forums. Kevin has been professionally and academically involved in the study of Chinese society and politics since 2006. As part of his graduate work at The Ohio State University, Kevin conducted a year of field research on Chinese labor rights defense and volunteered at a Chinese non-profit that trains and assists migrant workers. Before that, Kevin worked for a year at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and has served on a Fulbright Grant in Taiwan. Kevin has written pieces for In These Times, South China Morning Post, ChinaFile, Global Post, the Diplomat, and others. Kevin has appeared on CNN, CNBC, Al Jazeera, Bloomberg, and other news programs discussing Chinese labor rights.
Michael Stoltz is the founder, of Zeitgeist Lab operating companies New Bauhaus and Abidiol
Phytoceuticals, that market Hempdiol™, industrial hemp derived CBD powder by a EU based phytopharmaceutical company, consult with various organizations on industrial hemp / CBD value chains, run three industrial hemp / CBD pilot projects (USDA Organic Certified) in Kentucky, and now also develop
their own green extraction & smart delivery systems. Michael has an international background in
marketing & e-commerce, and discovered CBD in response to his mother’s GBM diagnosis in 2010. As a Vote Hemp volunteer, he currently lobbies for industrial hemp legalization in Arizona, and just got study bill SB 1125 passed. Michael is also on the advisory councils of the Washington Hemp Industries
Association Chapter (WA HIA), the Rocky Mountain Hemp Association (RMHA), a member of the Hemp
Industries Association (HIA) cannabinoid committee, and participated as an industrial hemp / CBD
speaker at several venues.

2015 Green Festivals Industrial Hemp / CBD Speaker (New York, Washington DC, Los Angeles, San
Francisco, Portland)
http://www.greenfestivals.org/

2015 NoCo Hemp Expo CBD-Panel Participant
http://www.nocohempexpo.com

2015 CannaCon Seminar Speaker “Industrial Hemp Derived CBD”
http://cannacon.org/seminars/

AZ Industrial Hemp Study Bill SB 1125 Passed
http://azleg.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=13&clip_id=14970

Rocky Mountain Hemp Association (RMHA) Advisory Council Member
http://rockymountainhempassociation.org/content/advisors/

Hemp Industries Association (HIA) Cannabinoid Committee Member
http://www.thehia.org/hia_committees.html

2014 Hemp Industries Association (HIA) Conference CBD-Panel Participant
http://www.thehia.org/2014-HIA-conference-washingtondc.html

Vote Hemp Volunteer Lobbyist in Arizona
http://www.votehemp.com/state/arizona.html
After a career in Investment Banking, Mahdad became a Digital Inquisitor in 2002 and founded TVI, a full service digital marketing agency that today celebrates its 7th Industry Award for designing innovative solutions for NASA. Have you ever challenged his brain/talent for your own endeavors? Unlike many digital professionals, quadrilingual Mahdad challenges you on what to do and shows you how to do it. TVI has been awarded seven Industry Awards in the past 17 months, with clients such as NASA and your local burger joint MARK. To leverage on his insightfulness, Mahdad was invited to sit on the panel of judges for the 2014 Interactive Media Awards. Having worked with over 200 brands and the board member on the Graduate Student Leadership at New York University SCPS, Mahdad provides lectures on digital marketing best practices for the hospitality industry at the Institute of Culinary Education.
Sophie is an Internationally renowned Green and Healthy Living expert. She is the author of New York Times best-selling, book, Gorgeously Green. She has written 2 other books, on food/wellness and Natural DIY’s (The Gorgeously Green Diet, and Do it Gorgeously). Sophie’s education began in the UK where she studied clinical nutrition, homeopathy, and aromatherapy, which led to her interest in healthy eating, and making her own health and beauty products. Sophie is a Certified Holistic Nutritionist, and a Certified Yoga teacher. She has appeared on numerous Television shows, including Oprah, Good Morning America, The View, The Early Show, and Access Hollywood. Sophie sends out a weekly newsletter from her blog www.sophieuliano.com to over 50,000 subscribers from 8 different countries. She posts 2 videos to her Gorgeously Green You Tube channel weekly. Sophie is the resident green & healthy living expert on Hallmark’s Home & Family, and her new beauty book (her biggest passion to date), Gorgeous For Good. will be published April 2015.
Zoe Weil is the president of the Institute for Humane Education (IHE) www.HumaneEducation.org. IHE offers the only graduate programs in comprehensive Humane Education linking human rights, environmental preservation and animal protection as well as online courses and workshops and an award-winning free resource center. Zoe is also president of the upcoming Solutionary School NYC which will offer the world a model school and free open-source curriculum. Zoe has given six TEDx talks including her acclaimed “The World Becomes What You Teach,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5HEV96dIuY and is the author of Nautilus silver medal winner Most Good, Least Harm and Moonbeam gold medal winner Claude and Medea, about 7th graders who become clandestine activists in New York City. Zoe is the recipient of the Unity College Women in Environmental Leadership award and was a subject of the Americans Who Tell the Truth portrait series.
Stefanie Iris Weiss is the author of nine books, including her latest-Eco-Sex: Go Green Between the Sheets and Make Your Love Life Sustainable (Random House/Ten Speed Press). She keeps her carbon footprint small in New York City, where she writes about sustainability, sexuality, reproductive rights, dating and relationships, politics, fashion, beauty, and more. Stefanie’s "Sexual Healing” column, formerly of EcoSalon.com, posts weekly on Lifescript.com. In addition to a monthly column in British ELLE, Stefanie writes regularly for TheMid.com. Her other credits include Elle.com, Nerve.com, GOOD Magazine, The Daily Green, Marie Claire, and Teen Vogue, to name a few. Stefanie is also an on-and-off adjunct professor when not busy writing and teaching about sustainable love. A vegetarian and eco-activist since her teen years, Stefanie has made her passion into her work, and she wouldn't want it any other way. She believes that life is always better when there's more pleasure, and sustainable satisfaction is the best kind.