Last year, Green Wave started a campaign to raise funds for the purchase of world globes for 25 elementary schools in Costa Rica. The slogan "You can make a World of a Difference". Half of the funds were raised at The Green Girls Holiday Spectacular last December.

Janine at Cobano public school, Costa Rica

Little Feet Nursery, Costa Rica


I was to go back to Costa Rica in May and I was hoping to fulfill the rest of the campaign although I had no fundraisers planned. For Earth Day this year I knew I was going out to New York. I had offered my girlfriend Tess a free plane ticket to join Ken and I at a fundraising party for CoSM, Alex & Allyson Grey's new eco-artist retreat center. Ken was dj'ing the event.

Ken & the crystal skull (a real crystal skull!)

Tess and best friend, Belly dancer Sedona

Belly dancer Sedona

Allyson Grey

 Alex Grey

Tess is a close and long time friend. I call her my sister. She will actually be marrying Ken and I this coming September! Tess is an intuitive counselor, energy worker, feng shui consultant, and speaker. She has appeared on the Bravo TV show Flipping Out and her writing has been featured in Llewellyn’s Magical Almanac and New Witch magazine. She's also a vegan and an avid animal rights activist. She has also become increasingly eco-minded in the past few years and expresses her eco-ambassadorship in her monthly newsletters. She was so grateful to go to this party for free she asked how she could give back.

Tess Whitehurst -- Sign up for her free monthly newsletter, visit her online at www.tesswhitehurst.com.
 

Ken and the girls, Tess and belly dancer Sedona

Ken and Janine

I told her it would be nice to offset her travel by supporting one of the Green Wave campaigns. I believe offsetting can come by means of environmental education in addition to conservation, reforestation, and investment options. She agreed and funded the rest of the World Globe campaign.

Mary from Rainsong Wildlife Sanctuary at Esperanza public school

Green Wave and Rainsong with the children in Cobano

Green Wave is so appreciative and magical to us. Tess is a great example of what we call a "living example" for a sustainable future. Because of Tess, I was able to purchase the rest of the world globes and personally deliver several on my last stay in Costa Rica, the rest to be delivered by my non-profit partner Mary founder of Rainsong Wildlife Sanctuary. The globes serve to give these kids literally a world perspective as many of the kids had only been exposed to maps of Central America. A global perspective is integral to the environmental education of these children so they understand why they should protect the amazing biodiversity and natural resources their country contains. Tess truly made a "world of a difference".

You can follow me on Twitter @GreenGeisha or @InspiredWaves

Learn more about Janine at Green Wave

"Love one another, but make not a bond of love: Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls." -The Prophet Kahil Gibran 1923


To me, picking the date to a wedding should be meaningful but honestly, I could marry my fiance on any day of the week, on any date of the year, and at any time, and it would be the same -you cannot change your feelings for your significant other based upon such a silly delusion as time. However, if we have the opportunity to pick something that could be significant, why not then right?


Ken and I decided we wanted to get married this year so ... what would be a good time? Well, we love the ocean, so we knew that would be a factor in our decision. Summer can be finicky here in California so I started thinking about September ... as soon as I did, I knew what at least I wanted :)


Earthdance this year will be a full week of activities. Earthdance is symbolic for me on many different levels. It was my first fundraising event I put on in 2008 under and for Green Wave, Ken and his partner Scott (the other member of The Crystal Method) graciously agreed to headline the event, making it no doubt, a huge success for my organization (in fact, the biggest one to date). Green Wave was the beneficiary for Earthdance San Diego 2009, I have the Earthdance Peace App for my iPhone, and I am part of their network. I love Earthdance!

From their website: "Earthdance is the world's largest synchronized music and dance festival for peace. Since its inception, Earthdance has been held on over 500 locations in 80 countries with all events simultaneously joining together in the Prayer for Peace - a powerful moment of coherent intention. Each public earthdance event gives 50% of their profits to a charity that falls into one of the following categories:

• -The Welfare of Children & Urban Youth
• -Indigenous Peoples & Cultures
• -International Relief and Development
• -Environmental Sustainability & Protection
• -Organizations that help Promote Peace
   

Earthdance occurs annually every September in recognition of the United Nations International Day of Peace with the intention to build a Culture of Peace. "
Peace to me is about unconditional love ... what better way to mark your celebration with your life partner that to do it in the spirit of unconditional love between you and your partner and also of the planet & all of its inhabitants? Our actual date falls just a day outside the "actual" Earthdance week, however I picked the date in the spirit of Earthdance and so in that spirit will we always be able to celebrate our union. Quite frankly, I'm eternally stoked :)

 

Side note: It was brought to my attention by a good friend that my wedding will be not be a "Big Fat" wedding of any sort. And yes, that's true partially. The actual ceremony will be probably less than 10 people including our officiant and photographer. Our reception to follow will be more along the lines of a get together than a formal reception ceremony, and also of a smaller nature. However, it was the idea of the entire wedding process that my fellow Green Girls from Green With Envy thought we should entitle the blog series, My Big Fat Green Wedding. We may have a large after wedding party with our friends though ... just stay tuned.
 

You can follow me on Twitter @GreenGeisha

Learn more about Janine at Green Wave

Green Wave philosophy is to inspire by example. We feel that we need sweeping changes in our culture for sustainability to be achieved, and the only way to do it is to set the example ourselves, or one person at a time. So, like anything else, I am taking the opportunity of my wedding as an opportunity to inspire other people. "My Big Fat Green Wedding" is my newest project, inspired by Green Wave, named by my girl friends from Green With Envy events who I have contracted to be my green wedding coordinators. I have known both Laura and Carlee, the two owners and fem dynamo entrepreneurs since high school. I was, of course, pleased when they decided to start a green business, and so they were my first choice to recruit for the project of a green wedding.


Janine Johnson & Ken Jordan

Together we will be documenting the green wedding process in hopes that we might inspire couples to make sustainable choices leading up to and for their big day, as well as to help showcase green businesses. We will only be able to change this world by supporting and empowering the people making better choices for us all. Please join both Green with Envy, and I on the journey of My Big Fat Green Wedding by tuning in http://greenwithenvyevents.blogspot.com/

In regards to the wedding process, here's a couple tips I have learned so far.

A BIG THANK YOU to our supporters, guests, speakers, sponsors & volunteers that made The Green Girls Holiday Spectacular a spectacular success! We collected a huge bin of food for the shelter, many many pairs of shoes for Africa and funds for the Green Wave's Scholarship Program!

Interviews with our VIP guests provided by Green Seed Project 

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Marshall Herskovitz speaks to the crowd by Djeneba Aduayom Photography


Nicole Hansen by Djeneba Aduayom Photography

 
 
  
    

 
Check out more shots of The Green Girls Holiday Spectacular by

Fitz Carlile Photography:
http://fitzcarlile.com/Publicity-Events/Green-Girls/10629725_HURYP

Nirav Photography:
http://niravphotography.smugmug.com/Events/The-Green-Girls-Holiday/10655444_32EoU#741547841_tKERp

Djeneba Aduayom Photography:
http://www.djeneba-aduayom.com/page12.htm
http://www.djeneba-aduayom.com/page13.htm


Frankie Castro Photography via Broccoli City
http://www.facebook.com/pages/TheGreenGirlscom/104209207742?ref=mf#/album.php?aid=179699&id=61118860589&ref=mf

Aaron Levy Photography:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/alevy3/sets/72157623003223554/