As VERTE 2019 draws near, we are cooking up a storm in anticipation!

Gourmet Global Tasting Menu Representing Grades of Green Eco-Leaders

We will be noshing on a gourmet global tasting menu at VERTE courtesy of Chef Octavio Sabado. Chef Sabado is creating an exclusive meal experience similar to Epcot Center at Disney World where you can sample cuisines from around the world – all countries and areas representing a Grades of Green school. We’ll be dining on everything from Mediterranean cuisine representing Turkey to Texas BBQ!

LA Confidential named the Westdrift Hotel and Restaurant one of the top reasons why celebs are suddenly flocking to Manhattan Beach. “Westdrift channels beach-cum-urbane chic. Its lobby intentionally echoes the Manhattan Beach pier with massive wood pilings, while the indoor-outdoor eatery, Jute, overseen by SLS Bazaar’s Octavio Sabado, continues the city’s celeb-chef love affair,” wrote LA Confidential Lifestyle reporter Alexandria Abramian. Executive Chef Octavio Sabado’s Jute Coastal Bar and Restaurant was also named a Best New Restaurant by Tasting Table.

You will not want to miss all that he has prepared for VERTE 2019!

Chef Sabado

Chef Sabado honed his skills under Chef Jose Andres, the Michelin starred Spanish chef known for his international cooking style and philanthropic food efforts, at The Bazaar and the luxury SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills. With some serious international cooking experience under his belt, Chef Sabado is the right chef for this task.

We look forward to celebrating with you, on April 20th at the Westdrift Hotel. Table Sponsorships are still available. You can purchase tickets to VERTE 2019 here.

Are you passionate about making special events come to life? Join the Grades of Green team as an Event Planning Intern and help Grades of Green bring our annual gala, Verte 2019, to life! Your responsibilities will include assisting with event planning logistics, auction coordination, donor acknowledgement, and more.


Check out the Event Planning Intern job description here. To apply, please send a cover letter and resume to info@gradesofgreen.org. Applicants will be considered on a rolling basis.

A Leader Returns

Younes, a Water Campaign alumni and Youth Environmental leadership Winner has returned for the 2018 Fall Water Campaign. Younes now leads his team of 34 students and counting in Morocco at George Washington Academy.

Last year, George Washington Academy’s Campaign Team fought to reduce plastic bottle usage at his school. The team conducted several activities, including a bottle drive, a taste-test competition between the school’s tap water versus bottled water, and hosted an environmental conference at the school to educate the entire school body about environmental issues and solutions.

Today, Younes met with Grades of Green Mentor, Jordan, to discuss the first steps of this year’s Water Campaign! With the team’s activism and enthusiasm, we foresee great things from the team and we can’t wait to find out their solutions and videos for this year!

Grades of Green would not be possible without the support of people that care about the environment and want to help make a difference. Each year, Grades of Green hosts VERTE to raise funds for our programs and each year we have different live auction items that our supporters can bid on. This year, one of our live auction item experiences included a Costa Rica Adventure donated by Bodhi Surf + Yoga. This one-of-a-kind experience included weeklong, holistic, and well-rounded surf and yoga camps in none other than the beautiful Costa Rica! All of the proceeds from this item will go to supporting students within our programs, like our Water and Waste Campaigns.



Grades of Green is excited to inspire and empower kids around the globe to advocate for improving waste and water issues in their community. We plan on doing this through our Water and Waste Campaigns where we will continue to work one-on-one with student groups around the world to research water or waste issues in their community, come up with some innovative solutions to those environmental issues, and then educate their community on how to implement those solutions. This fall, Grades of Green will be working with student groups to develop customized water quality and water conservation solutions. Any student in grades 6th – 12th can participate for free, and the programs will be open to school groups, after school programs, sports teams, community teams, and more! The winning campaign teams will also receive a $500 grant to go toward expanding their innovative water solutions, and one grand prize winner will receive a $1,000 grant.




If you are interested in joining either of these movements, email us at info@gradesofgreen.org for more information on how you can get involved. Looking to get inspired? Here’s a video example from a past Water Campaign Team! When you’re ready to join our Water Campaign, click here to register.



Something special is happening on May 5th. Join us at our annual Grades of Green gala, Verte 2018, for an unforgettable night of fun and inspiration in support of the next generation of leaders.



Purchase your tickets here!

Interested in being a Verte 2018 sponsor? Click here for more details!



Location:


Plaza Courtyard PCT. 200 N Sepulveda Blvd, El Segundo, CA 90245

Schedule:

6pm ~ Cocktails, Silent Auction, Interactive Art Installation

7:30pm ~ Dinner, Awards, Program, Live Auction

After party ~ Dessert, DJ, Dancing and Fun!



Master of Ceremonies: 

Court Crandall

Honoring the City of Santa Monica, a leader in municipal climate action, and announcing our Environmental Leader Award Winner.

Dinner from The Paella Project and George Lopez’s Chignon Kitchen. Tequila donated by Nosotros.



Grades of Green started just nine years ago at one school in Southern California. Since then, we have grown to inspire and empower more than half a million students across 44 states and 20 countries to take action and care for our environment. Your support enables us to mentor young people and provide them with the leadership skills, resources and connections they need to solve today’s environmental challenges. Even though these kids are collectively conserving (literally) millions of gallons of water, diverting tons of waste from landfills and creating measurable differences – the biggest impact is their voice. At Grades of Green we’re mobilizing an entire generation to tackle local challenges that lead to global impact.

FOMO is the horrible sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach when all your friends are out having fun and you’re stuck at home. This feeling has been so widespread the internet came up with an acronym for it: FOMO – the Fear Of Missing Out. Have no fear, there is no need to have FOMO at VERTE 2017, because we’ll be sharing some of these great memories via Facebook Live.
Grades of Green’s Verte Gala celebrates all the inspirational and innovative students, educators, schools, communities and donors all around the world who are forward thinking and pushing the boundaries to protect our planet.
We know you’re probably itching to know what to expect so here’s a sneak peak:
Silent Auction – We have all kinds of great items this year: Smile beautifully with Summer Orthodontics; work a sweat with FitOn Studio’s Lisa Austin; show off that new diamond necklace from Rock & Gems; or spend an evening with friends cruising the Pacific. There is no doubt these items will make you feel good about treating yourself and giving back at the same time!
Live Auction – These big ticket items are going to go fast! Who would not want to go to on a South African Safari or take a spa week at a beautiful ranch in Montana? Or maybe you’re trying to minimize your carbon footprint and want to enjoy a catered party for 35 at Manhattan Beach’s Plaza Bank? Or a private dinner on the strand? Or gift the dream of being a Laker Ball Boy to a special child in your life? Join us at Verte for a chance to bid on these and other Live auction items!
Grades of Green student, Sam, will be at Verte!  Sam has been collecting used shoes to donate to people in need all around the world and lessen the amount of waste that enters landfills. His goal this year is to collect an astounding 25,000 pairs of shoes. To help Sam, we’d like to use Verte 2017 as another opportunity to support him in reaching his goal. Let’s help turn Sam’s ripples into waves and have his local initiative reach those in need globally!
The Verte Gala will be held at the eco-friendly Ritz-Carlton, Marina Del Rey on the evening of May 13. In order to not cause yourself grief with FOMO, watch via Facebook Live.

If you’re looking at this after our online sales link is closed, do not hesitate to call (310) 607-0175 or email info@gradesofgreen.com to see if you can still join us at Verte 2017!

At Grades of Green’s annual fundraising event, Verte, 5th grader and Youth Corps student Xanna gave a fabulous presentation to inspire people to get more involved with Grades of Green. Xanna delivered her speech to the over 300 Verte guests, and spoke about her passion for the environment, how she came to be involved with Grades of Green, what she is doing to make a difference and what everyone can do to help. Xanna was nominated as the most inspiring student in all of Long Beach Unified School District, and after watching this video, you will see why! To see Xanna’s speech, click here.