We first met Ally of a tree planting project that took place on Ventura Blvd. in Woodland Hills Ca. Recently Ally was a volunteer at our eco-bash held with The Green Girls.  We are so pleased to finally have Ally as one of our weekly winners….

The following is background information that Ally has shared with us:

After becoming impassioned toward the eco-system’s plight when researching cars at the tender age of 15, Ally Maize decided she would take it upon herself to do something good for the environment.

She began slowly by employing reusable grocery bags instead of using plastic, changing her hot water heating system inside her house to tankless, and adding solar panels on the roof. What followed these personal improvements was nothing short of incredible for a 15-year-old, newly set out to save the world: the creation of the Green Youth Movement (GYM), an organization to educate kids and teens about global warming and pressing environmental issues.

GYM promotes a thoughtful mindset that values the earth and our future in hopes of inspiring awareness and giving a broad and easily applicable understanding of what it means to “live green.” www.GreenYouthMovement.org

In the two years since its inception, GYM has made incredible strides in the education and participation of adolescents by making a name for itself among green Los Angeles nonprofits. From simple, but important, plantings to hosting an  eco-friendly fashion show during LA’s Fashion Week, to presenting their 2009 “Inspiration Award” to former Vice President Al Gore, and the 2010 “ Humanitarian Award” to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa,  GYM is increasingly visible and influential to its target audience.

More recently, Ally Maize was named amongst one of our country’s top 10 most influential green heroes. The international web site, Smart 2 Be Green, chose Ally as one of the top 10 Green Heroes for 2009.  Ally was named number 4!  Ally has also been nominated by “The Daily Green” as one of their 2010 Green Heroes.  The Daily Green Award honors individuals who have helped take green to the mainstream-to the “heart” of the American people. Most recently, Ally Maize and GYM have been asked to help the City of Los Angeles, CA launch a new pilot program called “RecycleBank”, on Earth Day 2010. Ally Maize is now the voice on LA’s green youth.  This pilot program compensates households for recycling.  The goal is to push the city toward zero waste.

Ally is looking toward the future when many are stuck only paying attention to the present.

We say – congratulations again Ally – and keep up the great work!

Learn more about Allisyn & Become part of the community & learn more by visiting The Climate Community.

Congratulations to Brandon McEachern this weeks Climate Community Citizen of The Week.  

Brandon is a wonderful, very energetic and positive young man who is the founder of a website/and a movement called Broccoli City.  Brandon saw a need in US urban communities for exposure to topics such as – “green”, “eco”, “organic”.  He believes (as we do) that people from all walks of life need and deserve information to make informed lifestyle choices.  This opening to educate and create involvement within our nations urban communities is a fantastic opportunity.  We met Brandon through our good friend Apple Levy of The Green Girls. (note Brandon on the left side of the picture with the great big smile!)

The following is a little background that Brandon has shared with us:

My name is Brandon McEachern I am from North Carolina. I moved to LA in 2005 after graduating from North Carolina Central University. I started “Broccoli City” in 2007 to educate my peers on living a healthier lifestyle, not just about going green but also to increase self esteem in our communities. The word *ORGANIC* to us means to be your true self! We started out with just tee-shirts made from organic cotton, with positive messages on them. Now we do events in LA, DC, and Atlanta. We have a daily blog filled with eco-tips,arts,technology and music. This year “Broccoli City” successfully had one of the biggest Earth Day Celebrations in the LA area with more than 2500 attendees. Myself and those who work with Broccoli City now focus in own bridging those gaps for other companies,  with “Think Broccoli” which is the advertising, and consulting side of “Broccoli City”. BC University which focuses on going to schools and speaking to the youth about what matters to them. BCTV which are mini episodes on our website where we have covered big events, and orginal content as well. I will contunie to make this positive movement grow. “Most people live on this Earth but Broccoli City lives in it.

Once again congratulations to Brandon and keep up the great work!!!

Learn more about Allisyn & Become part of the community & learn more by visiting The Climate Community.

We have to give it up for Ally Maize, founder of Green Youth Movement because The Green Initiative Humanitarian Fashion Show was burning HAUTE! Along with Eco designers Emily Factor, Lizzie Parker & Lindee Daniel, teen celeb guests, Brittany Curran, Daniel Samonas & Josh Sussman supported the event. 

As part of the event, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa accepted the Green Youth Movement 2010 Humanitarian Award from Los Angeles-based nonprofit, the Green Youth Movement. Mayor Villaraigosa was honored for his unprecedented undertaking in making Los Angeles greener, cleaner, and healthier through the Million Trees LA Project. The award was presented by Ally Maize, 17-year-old “green teen” and founder of the Green Youth Movement. The event marks the beginning of a partnership between the Million Trees LA Project and the Green Youth Movement to plant a brighter and healthier tomorrow for Los Angeles.

Watch More Videos!



Check out some of our fav snaps from the Green Carpet & Fashion Show taken by the talented & fabulous Djeneba Auayom!

Ally with Mayor Villaraigosa		Josh Sussman of GLEE	Brittany Curran & GYM
Lindee Daniel - Puridee	Josh Sussman with GYM
Ally Maize & Brittany Curran		Apple Levy - Josh Sussman

Learn more about the Green Youth Movement.

It’s Getting Haute in Here:

The Green Youth Movement Presents L.A. Fashion Week’s Eco Fashion Show

Nonprofit Greens the Runway to Raise Environmental Awareness

This season, green is the new black. Los Angeles-based nonprofit, the Green Youth Movement (GYM) will be presenting THE GREEN INITIATIVE: A Humanitarian Fashion Show at 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 20, 2010 at Sunset Gower Studios in Hollywood, California. As part of Los Angeles Fashion Week, this highly anticipated event aims to celebrate sustainable living by showcasing collections from eco-friendly designers. THE GREEN INITIATVE is positioned to prove that fashion and sustainability can go hand-in-hand, and that eco-conscious alternatives can be just as “haute” on the runway.

Produced by The Gallery Los Angeles, THE GREEN INITIATIVE will feature collections from sustainable designers such as Emily Factor, Lizzie Parker and others. All designs are made in the United States, utilize sustainable materials and are responsibly produced – just the kind of environmentally sound solution that the Green Youth Movement advocates in its mission to promote sustainable living and green education amongst the younger generation.

“THE GREEN INITIATIVE is an opportunity to communicate the importance of living sustainably to the next generation of consuming adults,” says 17-year-old Ally Maize, Los Angeles’ resident “green teen” and founder of the Green Youth Movement. “We want people to reduce, reuse, recycle and rethink the choices they make every day in every aspect of their lives, including fashion.”

Proceeds from THE GREEN INITIATIVE will go to the Green Youth Movement’s conservation and reforestation initiatives, notably a tree-planting project in the Silverwood Lake State Recreation Area to offset the fashion show’s carbon footprint.

“Fashion is such a big part of youth culture and serves as an ideal means of raising global awareness of sustainable living,” adds Ally. “We hope THE GREEN INITIATIVE gets people excited about being green and making environmentally-conscious lifestyle choices.”

To join in on the glamour, purchase tickets for THE GREEN INITIATIVE at http://gymfashionshowtix.eventbrite.com.

For more information on the Green Youth Movement, please visit http://www.greenyouthmovement.org.

Release via TylerBarnettPR

Lisa credits the positive influence and guidance of her friends for helping her to realize her ability to make change happen.

Congratulations Lisa!

Learn more about Allisyn & Become part of the community & learn more by visiting The Climate Community.