Behind the Scenes at the World's First Green Model Competition

The 10 finalists for Project Green Search strut their eco-friendly stuff at Environment Furniture. From left to right: Zion Francis wearing Stewart+Brown, Leilani Munter wearing Stewart+Brown with McFlashpants jewelry, Karen Pannocchia wearing Stewart+Brown and Charmone shoes, Ariel Clay wearing Mountains of the Moon and Charmone shoes, Erika Schmid wearing Stewart+Brown and Charmone Shoes, Jessica Williamson wearing Deborah Lindquist and Charmone Shoes, Juliana Tran wearing Stewart+Brown and Charmone Shoes, Vanessa Meier wearing Stewart+Brown and Charmone Shoes, Rachel Avalon wearing Stewart+Brown, Rachael Joy wearing Stewart+Brown and Charmone Shoes.

PGS finalist Erika Schmid in EcoSkin, with McFlashpants ring. Schmid hails from Portland, Oregon and just finished her BA in Environmental Management. She volunteers with a number of green causes and used to work as an environmental canvasser.

Eco-Chick Starre Vartan, a judge for PGS, chats with finalist Karen Pannocchia as she gets ready for her "green look."

PGS finalist Leilani Munter gets ready for her shoot with the Tesla Roadster electric car. Munter describes herself as "just your typical recycling, composting, treehugging vegetarian hippie chick that just happens to drive race cars."

PGS finalist Zion Francis is a model, actress, activist, and civil engineer who specializes in sustainability. Hailing from Austin, Francis has volunteered with Engineers for a Sustainable World, the Sustainable Food Center, and various food co‐ops, and worked for the Forest Service in the Sierra Nevada on watershed restoration.

Finalist Vanessa Meier in EcoSkin with McFlashpants necklace. Meier holds a B.S. and M.S. in geology, and has worked extensively to protect our oceans. Living in Santa Monica, Meier is also a longtime vegan, and now works as a green and vegan consultant.

Finalists Juliana Tran and Ariel Clay share a laugh between takes at Environment Furniture.

PGS finalist Jessica Williamson in EcoSkin with a McFlashpants necklace. If Williamson looks familiar, it may be because the green-eyed redhead spent two years as the host of ZapRoot, the hip, irreverent Web series about all things green living. Williamson grew up in New Zealand but now lives in Los Angeles. We can't wait to see what she takes on next.

PGS finalists take in the California view from the Standard Hotel.

The PGS finalists made a special appearance at the EcoStiletto conference across town, showcasing fresh green fashions and spreading the good word about green living.

Eco-Chick (and TDG contributor) Starre Vartan (right) talks with Lauren Selman (left) of REEL Media at the EcoStiletto conference.

Rachel Joy models chic green, with a necklace by McFlashpants. Hailing from Mount Rainier, MD, Joy was once crowned "Mother Earth" in her hometown. Joy has hosted several online shows on green topics, and is a spokesperson for Environmental Defense Fund. She founded ecopop TV.

Finalist Ariel Clay looks great in Stewart+Brown and Charmone shoes. Clay is a model from San Francisco who tries to incorporate green living into everything she does.

Aysia Wright of The Greenloop organized Project Green Search with Remy C. and others.

Michael Kaliski of Omniquest Media chats with PGS finalist Vanessa Meier. Kaliski helped judge Project Green Search and set up the after party at Ecco Ultra Lounge.

Leilani Munter hopes to use her high-profile position as a race car driver to bring the green message to a whole new group of people. She lives in North Carolina.

Jessica Williamson (center) chats with other PGS finalists over eats.

Project Green Search wrapped up with a lively after party at Ecco Ultra Lounge, which boasts LED lighting, carbon offsets and other green features.

Juliana Tran rocks the EcoSkin look with McFlashpants necklace. From Austin, TX, Tran is passionate about healthy food and renewable energy. She worked for an NGO in Brazil and got her degree in environmental studies.

PGS finalist Karen Pannocchia models EcoSkin. The Miami native is an environmental science teacher with a masters degree in the field. She worked in the Dominican Republic for four years on a USAID-funded environmental policy project.