The Daily Green has all the videos, photos and acceptance speeches from the inaugural “Heart of Green” Awards and festivities – but you can take a quick peek at some of the photos and acceptance speech below. I do definitely want to thank Hearst again for the award and the beautiful ceremony. Highlights from that night: Greg Perry, the school teacher, brought everybody to their feet. He’s fought paralysis, cancer and continues to plug away at the green message with his students by helping build the most environmental public school system from the inside out; talking with Bob Woodruff and commending him for his comprehensive coverage of PowerShift09.org; and meeting Constance, Libby, etc. the Green Team over at E-Bay.

What else is groovy? I have the actual Heart of Green award sitting on the top shelf of my driftwood cabinet next to the Cosmopolitan “Fun, Fearless Female” Award. I like when the sunlight enters the room because it hits the glass in a way that makes them dazzle in the white light. The sun doesn’t have quite the same effect on my bug net, but . . . all objects weren’t created equally…

We’ve launched the first season’s line of zoe&zac and next week I’ll be back in the design room working on upcoming season’s lines. If you have gotten a chance to head over to a Payless store and check them out like I did the other day, then check out the website here and let us know what you think (web shots below). It’s definitely a work-in-progress…and we got a lot more to tackle. Some of the boys out there were wondering whether they’ll get some kicks – and the short answer is “Yes.” This will eventually be a family brand – but we’re still developing styles and materials, so the men’s versions will launch a few seasons down the road. Stay tuned. Check out the video below for a bit more behind-the-scenes + tips from the last shoot/work session.

overview of the brand

a little bit more on my role

I’ve tried out a bunch of  networks for women like 85 Broads (too Wall Street) and Ladies Who Launch (too Upper East Side), so  I have to say I was a bit hesitant when my friend, Tara St. James – the designer over at Covet – mentioned Ladies Lotto to me over a year or so ago. Perhaps it was my mother’s constant chiding of her response to my preference of the opposite sex as best friends, “Don’t you think you should get some girl friends?” she would say… But seriously, my mother was always a guy’s girl anyway. But I digress. Tara circled back around to me a few months ago and asked if I’d like to speak to the Ladies Lotto crew over at Hooligan Studios for Earth Day. I was planning to be in town – and was curious – so I thought, “Hey, why not?” 

I have to say that I was impressed! Loved it! What a great group of girls. It really is quite a supportive network and you get to mix and mingle with an array of creative girls who are just really doing it – and I like that a lot. The night’s festivities were catered by Rabbit Mafia, which was mad tasty. Dude, the food was vegan – and though avocado mousse doesn’t sound appetizing – it was out of this world! I also love how Joshua from the Discerning Brute crashed the party with the unsaid “No Boys Allowed” policy. It was no matter. Plenty of room…Well, not really. There wasn’t much floor space by the end of the night. We all sat cross-legged on the wood floors – and even some latecomers had to sit on the tiled bathroom floor.

As I was saying, Ladies Lotto is mad cool. Check it out and see if it’s your vibe. They have chapters all over the world and it is designed to be an all women’s lifestyle network that cultivates an empowered community by providing its members with the support, inspiration and tools for professional and personal success. As a collective, Ladies Lotto is an altruistic vehicle for socially-minded cultural projects. So yes ladies, they get involved. Check out the images from the party compliments of Vanessa Bahmani. 

Love this shot: Style, Naturally in the foreground, my zoe&zac wedge in the background.

I’ve noticed that sometimes I just got to get out of the daily grind and head out for the weekend to unwind. This time around I chose to head south to the Dominican Republic and get my snorkeling on. I went to check out the DR Coral Garden Project, which is a public-private partnership seeking to revive some of the coral reefs in the surrounding areas. My friend, Jake, is the ecological director down there. You should definitely check it out if you haven’t. Puntacana is a model of responsible sustainable development and community involvement. Check them out here. Also, check out the underwater video below or here. I kept on choking on water because I had an urge to go down to the bottom and swim with the fishes! 

I spoke at University of Central Florida (UCF) back in September. We had a really nice turnout and the team over at UCF was kind enough to put up our interview and the full speech. If you have time, feel free to view or head over to youtube and check them out.

“Tea pot is on, the cups are waiting, Favorite chairs anticipating, No matter what I have to do, My friend there’s always time for you.”

“We live only to discover beauty. All else is a form of waiting.” – Kahlil Gibran (Essayist, Poet)

“I try to talk to you, but I don’t know what to say. I am afraid you don’t want me to say anything. So I don’t. But inside of me there are words waiting to come out.And tell you how I feel-like how I miss you. And how I love you despite my broken heart.And how I need you in my life. And especially how much I want you.But those words may forver stay in my heart-locked inside.Sometimes I wonder if there are words locked.”

I shot these dark, cinematic images with photographer Rinze van Brug and stylist Anett Gabriel of Dutch House Photography for the Linhardt Design Collection. Rinze’s photography has a precious, antique quality. The softened tones coupled with the voyeuristic set-ups can instill feelings as wide-ranging as peacefulness to trepidation. We started shooting at dusk and shot through the evening to capture the aura of New York City’s Lower East Side at night…

I’ve known Lisa, the designer for awhile. We were first introduced through Ron from RecycleBank. At the time she was taking jewelry design courses at F.I.T. and now she has opened up an amazing boutique in the Lower East Side showcasing some of the best in sustainable jewelry design. She sources and designs with a number of cooperatives around the world. Later this Spring, we’ll be releasing the a.d. schwarz line there, so please stay tuned.