The evening of Thursday September 10th saw the annual Sustainable Works Fundraiser, at The Writer’s Boot camp at Bergamot Station in Santa Monica. Under the banner of “Tomorrow Starts Today,” it turned out to be a highly successful, and fun shindig for the many interested parties in attendance. The core of the evening was a silent auction of a huge variety of goodies donated by dozens of local businesses and artists, whilst the main stage was the setting for speeches, awards presentations, and entertainment.
The introduction of the evening’s presentations was performed by Lisa Harrison, Development and Program Coordinator for Sustainable Works, who did a sterling job of cajoling the large crowd to attention after they had been engrossed in feasting from the delicious organic buffet and wine (everything in the building on the night appeared to be natural or organic, thus preserving the eco thrust of the organization). There were many speeches presented, including a sincere declaration of appreciation by the Executive Director of Sustainable Works, Barent Roth.
The evening’s entertainment was furnished by the hilarious comedic observational commentary of Jake Johannsen, who provided welcome levity and laughs about a topic that normally is wrapped in a resolute blanket of austerity. Later on in the evening the crowd swayed, wobbled, and danced to some cool grooves courtesy of KCRW DJ Michael Barnes.
The awards presented on the night were in recognition of outstanding efforts in the following trio of Sustainable Works programs pertaining to enhancement, eco-awareness, and energy conservation.
BUSINESS GREENING PROGRAM
Nicole Leal
The Doves Salon
Outstanding Achievement for Sustainable Businesses
RESIDENTIAL GREENING PROGRAM
Scott O’Brien.
The Green Life.
Outstanding Achievement for Sustainable Communities.
STUDENT GREENING PROGRAM
Yohanan Ermias Bekele.
Former Santa Monica College Student who attends UCLA as Geography/Environmental Studies Major.
Outstanding Achievement for Sustainable College Campuses.
The event was also attended by staff from Senator Fran Pavley’s office, and it was announced that Sustainable Works would be working with the Senator to “green” her office in the very near future.
The Sustainable Works evening resulted in the raising of several thousand dollars (exact amount unavailable at time of going to press), that will be used to further their mission to continue to conduct environmental education and outreach in Santa Monica, and the greater Los Angeles area.
