Eco Gift Festival Speakers

The 2008 Speaker Series Presented by:

Event Emcee

Bryan Welch

On a given day, you may find Bryan Welch spending his early morning hours tending the cattle on his farm near Lawrence, Kansas, his lunchtime polishing an essay for Utne Reader at his Topeka office and his evening at a Hollywood reception for the launch of a green media initiative. Welch and his family raise cattle, sheep, goats and chickens on their 50-acre farm. All their animals range freely and the grazing animals are strictly grass-fed.

When he's not farming, Welch runs Ogden Publications, Inc., (www.ogdenpubs.com), a diversified media, consulting and affinity marketing company. His company has grown rapidly over the past few years and now publishes 8 magazines including Mother Earth News, Utne Reader, Natural Home and the Herb Companion. Their websites currently attract about 1 million unique visitors each month. They also publish books, market insurance and financial services to their subscribers, and provide companies of all sizes with strategic consulting services on marketing to the green-focused consumer.

Welch currently is a member of the boards of directors of the Magazine Publishers of America, the Social Venture Network, the Kansas Land Trust and the Down Home Ranch Foundation. He is chairman of the Independent Magazine Advisory Group within the Magazine Publishers of America.

Speaker Bios

Arianna Huffington
"Fearless About Changing the World"

Originally from Greece, Arianna Huffington moved to England when she was 16 and graduated from Cambridge University with an M.A. in economics. At 21, she became president of the famed debating society, the Cambridge Union. Arianna Huffington is the co-founder and editor-in-chief of The Huffington Post, a nationally syndicated columnist, and author of twelve books. She is also co-host of "Left, Right & Center," public radio's popular political roundtable program. In May 2005, she launched The Huffington Post, a news and blog site that has quickly become one of the most widely-read, linked to, and frequently-cited media brands on the Internet. In 2006, she was named to the Time 100, Time Magazine's list of the world's 100 most influential people.
Michael and Bianca Alexander
"Conscious Living: An everyday solution to our planetary crisis"

Michael Alexander: President of Conscious Planet Media And Executive Producer of Conscious Living. After graduating Phi Beta Kappa In Economics from the University of California. Davis, he turned his passion for the environment into a successful career distributing eco-friendly lifestyle products to conscious consumers. Michael brings his expertise in marketing, sales, and the LOHAS market to orchestrate the business development and technology initiative of Conscious Living. Bianca Alexander: CEO of Conscious Planet Media, a production company specializing in original broadband TV programming and green events, and the Executive Producer and Co-Host of Conscious Living TV, a sustainable lifestyle show highlighting the latest in green travel and design, eco-fashion, natural beauty, conscious business, and holistic healing.
Scott Badenoch
"Green Living and Social Media / Bringing Green to the Mainstream with Web Technologies"

Scott Badenoch is co-founder and CEO of CreativeCitizen.com, the wiki for green living, where you can find over 600 Creative Solutions for living more environmentally friendly lives. Scott writes for TriplePundit, EcoTimes and MaxGladwell, three leading environmental publications. Scott also consults businesses and government entities about sustainability.
Sherry Beall
"Shopping and Caring: Nurturing your family at home in a healthy eco way."

Known as "The Martha Stewart of Organic," local Founder and CEO, Sherry Beall speaks nationally on environmental issues. She hosts and produces Southern California's #1 Environmental & Health Radio talk show "Healthy Planet, Healthy Me" on KPFK (90.7FM LA & San Diego, 98.7FM Santa Barbara, Fridays from 2-3PM) Sherry is on the Advisory Board of Green Seal, certified in Bau Biologie (Air & Water) and brings here years of environmental journalism and expertise to you with At Home Naturally®. www.SherryBeall.com & www.AtHomeNaturally.com
Shallom Berkman
"The Urth Caffe's Mountain Gorilla Coffee Project"

Shallom Berkman and his wife, Jilla founded Urth Caffe in 1989 in Los Angeles, California. Urth Caffe is widely considered to be the first exclusively organic coffee company in the nation selling wholesale coffee to restaurants and retail through its stores. Mr. Berkman is currently working with farmers in Kisoro, Uganda to develop the world's next most renowned coffee producing region. This will be done using organic, sustainable practices and re-forestation to protect the longevity of the land and protect the habitat of the endangered Mountain Gorillas for future generations. Fair Trade - All Urth coffees are bought at a guaranteed premium, usually three times more than the highest market price for conventional coffee. We want to know that the passion and hard work that goes into growing Urth coffees will result in fair wages and better living conditions for our farmers.
Michael Brune
"Working together to create a clean energy future"

Michael Brune is the executive director of Rainforest Action Network (RAN) and a founding board member of Oil Change International, an organization dedicated to dissolving the political barriers to a clean energy transition.
Mallika Chopra
"The Power of Intent to Affect Global Wellness"

Mallika Chopra is the founder of Intent.com, a new media company focused on personal, social and global wellness. She is also the author of two books, 100 Promises to My Baby and 100 Questions from My Child (Rodale Books) -- books that were inspired by her two daughters, Tara and Leela. Mallika is the President of Chopra Media, a media company she launched with her father, internationally recognized author and wellness guru, Deepak Chopra and brother, Gotham. At Chopra Media, Mallika produced two PBS television specials based on Deepak's work, The Happiness Prescription and The Secret to Enlightenment. As well as, films including The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success and How to Know God. Mallika received her MBA from Kellogg Graduate School, and her experience also includes launching MTV in India and Michael Jackson's Heal the World Foundation.
Seane Corn
"Being a Souljah for Change in our World"

As an inspired communicator, Seane's classes are an eclectic fusion of various healing and Spiritual modalities making them intuitive, insightful and educational. Featured in commercials, magazines and named the "National Yoga Ambassador" for YouthAIDS, Seane utilizes her national platform to bring awareness to the HIV/AIDS crisis, along with the Cambodian Children's Fund. She trains leaders of activism through her co-founded organization Off the Mat, Into the World®, started in 2007.
David Crow
"Replanting the Global Garden: What our World Could be When Cared for as a Garden of Medicine."

David Crow is an acupuncturist and herbalist with twenty-five years experience. He is the author of "In Search of the Medicine Buddha," a book about his studies of Tibetan and Ayurvedic medicine in the Himalayas. He is the founder of Floracopeia, which supports ecologically sustainable agriculture through the production of essential oils and aromatic treasures.
Dr. Andrew Dattila
"Nourishing Children, Nourishing the Future"

Dr. Andrew Dattila- President and founder of InnerBloom, LLC and master formulator of the BabyBloom line of supplements, Dr. Dattila, after receiving undergraduate degrees in biology and anthropology (cum laude and magna cum laude respectively) at the University of Arizona, went on to successfully complete medical school at the Touro University College of Osteopathic Medicine in northern California and thereafter finished his medical training in the Internal Medicine transitional residency program at St. Luke’s Hospital in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. An active, independent researcher in the fields of super food nutrition, nutrigenomics, epigenetics, and tonic herbalism since 1990, Dr. Dattila is a member of the American Medical Association, the American Osteopathic Association, the American College of Preventive Medicine, and the Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine. A self described “paradise engineer”, Dr. Dattila’s main interest is the creation of elegant, globally executed strategies that nourish the future.
Dr. Edison De Mello
"Blending the Technology of Western Medicine with the Ancient Wisdom of Eastern Medicine"

Dr Edison De Mello, MD, PhD, the Akasha Center's founder and executive director, is a board Certified Family Physician (American Board of Family Practice) and licensed psychotherapist (California board of Behavioral Sciences). He practiced psychotherapy for 13 years before entering medical training and now practices integrative medicine.
Robyn Griggs-Lawrence
"Buying Truly Green: Fair Trade Gifts"

Robyn Griggs Lawrence brings forth possibility in the realm of home through her work as editor in chief of Natural Home magazine (www.NaturalHomeMagazine.com), her book The Wabi-Sabi House (www.wabisabihouse.com), her speaking engagements and her frequent interaction with media. A Boulder, CO resident, Lawrence brings a unique understanding of living a natural lifestyle in an imperfect and often unnatural world. "I know from personal experience that living a natural lifestyle can be challenging given the real-life constraints of family, time and resources," she says. "However, there are many solutions for living naturally that don't compromise health, convenience or sanity."
Rob Kramer
"Drink. Drank. Drunk: Why It's Time to Wake Up and Conserve Water."

Rob Kramer has spent the past 20 years as an entreprenuer and executive in the media, technology, environmental, and non-profit sectors. He has been Chairman of the Global Water Trust www.globalwatertrust.org, a Santa Monica based non-profit that provides clean safe water to school children throughout the developing world http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2005/water-future.html. GWT has provided clean safe water to over 10,000 people in Bangladesh, Nepal and Kenya. Rob also serves on the Board of Directors of the Sustainable Business Council www.sustainablebc.org OZO Water, a next generation filtered water company based in New York. He has been a featured speaker on water-related issues at numerous universities including MIT, Stanford, UCLA and Brown.
Waylon Lewis
"The Elephant Way: Conscious Consumerism, Triple Bottomline and Active Citizenship with Waylon Lewis of ElephantJournal.com"

Waylon Lewis, a second generation American Buddhist or "Dharma Brat," is the founder of elephant journal (which recently went paperless) and "elevision," a Boulder, Colorado-based talk show. A passionate environmentalist, 365-day bike commuter, mediocre climber, lazy yogi, columnist for Huffington Post & near-future Buddhist politician, Waylon hopes to serve as the Jon Stewart of the next greeneration. For more on 'the mindful life'-living a good life that's also good for others and our planet-subscribe to elephant's free weekly email with daily blog, articles & video interviews with Dr. Deepak Chopra, Amy Goodman, Paul Hawken, Bill McKibben & Alice Walker: elephantjournal.com
Linda Loudermilk
"Style with a Fierce Heart"

Linda Loudermilk: Visionary couture and eco-designer has been named by "W" Magazine as one of the top 20 innovators to watch. Coined as the "Vivienne Westwood of eco" by Elle Magazine, Loudermilk has spearheaded the creation of a new, luxury eco lifestyle, blowing old concepts of environmental living out of the water , through her revolutionary designs and radical spirit.
Blake Mycoskie
"Conscious Capitalism: Why Giving Just Makes Sense"

Before his thirty-second birthday, Blake Mycoskie was honored by the Smithsonian and brunched with the First Lady. The reason for the accolades is as impressive as the accolades themselves: a progressive business that shook convention.
Early on, Blake changed need into opportunity. By age thirty, Blake already had started five businesses. His experience, coupled with unique circumstances, would change the world.

While vacationing in 2006, Blake befriended Argentine children who had no shoes. To help, he created TOMS: Shoes for a Better Tomorrow. For every pair purchased, TOMS gives a pair of shoes to a child in need. One for One.

Later that year, TOMS returned to Argentina to hand-deliver 10,000 pairs of shoes. For Tomorrow: The TOMS Shoes Story, the documentary about the Shoe Drop, premiered at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival.

TOMS has given over 85,000 pairs of shoes to children in need around the world.
John Marshall Roberts
"Gratitude: The Secret Source of Inspired Giving"

An outspoken voice within in the Los Angeles sustainable business community, John is particularly interested in using his research to further the environmental movement's agenda. John serves as communications consultant for several client organizations, including Evenson Design Group, a sustainable branding and design firm in Los Angeles. A former psychology professor, John's unique insight into the psychology of the communication design process has made him a prominent contributor to several pioneering entertainment projects over the past decade. His new book "Igniting Inspiration: A Persuasion Manual for Visionaries" is quickly becoming an indispensable tool for a new generation of socially conscious marketers, business leaders.
Elizabeth Rogers
"Shift your Habit - Small Shifts add up to big changes for you, your family and the planet"

Elizabeth Rogers is a best-selling author, environmental consultant and entrepreneur who is committed to helping people to make an impact on their world, and continually seeks out appealing new ways for them to participate in the global green effort. In 2007 Ms. Rogers co-wrote "The Green Book," an innovative user friendly guide that teaches how simple shifts in habit can make a powerful difference in building a stronger, safer and more sustainable world.
Compton Rom
"The High Vibration of Healing: How fermented, priobiotic superfoods & whole plant extracts help reverse aging and lower risk of disease"

Innovator of the company Ascended Health, based in Santa Monica, CA. Ascended Health has all natural body regeneration products made from a holographic approach to health. Compton Rom has a medical school education from the University of Michigan and a M.S. in Molecular Virology and Microbial Ecology from Michigan State University. He also is a Certified Web Architect from IBM and uses both careers to run a successful online e-Business with top Google rankings.
Tom Szaky
"Eco Capitalism: How to create a fortune by upcycling waste and selling it to the World's Biggest Retailers"

Tom Szaky is co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of TerraCycle, Inc., producer of the worlds first products made from and packaged in waste. TerraCycle has been named the producer of most eco-friendly brands in America and has received the Home Depot Environmental stewardship award twice, been featured in Wal-Mart's sustainability report and been repeatedly named the ultimate eco-friendly brand.

While in high school, Mr. Szaky cycled solo from Toronto to Vancouver to raise funds for the environmental organization Ontario Naturalists, setting a national speed record of 21 days for such a bike ride. Mr. Szaky came to the United States in 2001 to attend Princeton University, then in 2002, Mr. Szaky took a leave of absence to dedicate himself full-time to starting TerraCycle, beginning as a 2 man outfit in the crowded basement of an old office building.

Today TerraCycle is the leader in upcycling, with sponsored waste partnerships with America's biggest brands, ranging from Capri Sun to Oreo to Stonyfield Yogurt, and is distributed in America's biggest retailers ranging from Wal-Mart to Target to Home Depot. TerraCycle has been featured in virtually every major media outlet from 60 minutes to the Wall Street Journal (5 times). TerraCycle is on its way to help eliminate the idea of waste in a grand scale all while sustaining sales growth over of 100% per year for the past five years!
Josh Tickell
"FUEL: The World is Addicted to Oil. It's time for an intervention."

Josh Tickell is one of the nation's leading experts in sustainable biofuels. Growing up near oil refineries in Louisiana, Tickell experienced first hand the health effects of pollution from oil processing. In 2003, Tickell began work on FUEL, the 2008 Sundance Audience Award winning documentary film that investigates the possible replacement of fossil fuels with renewable energy.
Felicia Tomasko
“Ayurveda, Yoga, and Conscious Solutions for Modern Challenges”

Felicia Marie Tomasko, RN, is the editor in chief of LA YOGA  Ayurveda and Health magazine and serves on the board of directors of the National Ayurvedic Medical Association and the California Association of Ayurvedic Medicine. She is passionate about communicating the teachings of Yoga and Ayurveda to make them relevant in the modern world and believes these traditions have answers to the challenges we face today.