The Jurlique LOHAS Scholarship Recipients

Jurlique, the biodynamic beauty skincare company, in cooperation with LOHAS, awarded 12 scholarships for students in eco and green studies to attend the LOHAS conference in Boulder, Colorado, June 18th through 21st. The students come from a variety of backgrounds, ranging from an MBA candidate at Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management to Yale School of Divinity, yet each scholar demonstrated a unique and dedicated approach to promoting sustainability across the varying sectors of the marketplace.

The Jurlique LOHAS Scholarship is meant to educate students and ultimately the next generation of green thinkers about ways to reduce environmental footprints in all facets of life. 'We are inspired to discover a deep wellspring of talent and commitment,' says Eli Halliwell, CEO and President of Jurlique. 'We look to them to bring this education back to their communities, universities, employers and networks,' he added.

The recipients of this year's Jurlique LOHAS Scholarship have the chance to hear from green industry leaders in all sectors of the marketplace, awarding them the opportunity to learn more about their particular field of interest, as well as broaden their horizons on the larger green arena. Speakers at LOHAS include the President of the Discovery Channel, Eileen O'Neill, who has just launched the first ever 24-hour television network, Rodney Yee, the Yoga expert, Bob Helmuth of PAX World Funds, Graham Hill of Treehugger.com as well as executives from Wal-Mart, Patagonia, and Whole Foods.

Such a coalition of diverse for-profit corporations and non-profit organizations means that 'lasting generational change has arrived,' said Halliwell, who noted that the 40 year-anniversary of the spring of 1968 has a personal meaning for him -- although it was before he was born.

Halliwell's own parents were student activists at Columbia University. 'Forty years later,' Halliwell said, 'we see that students are now deeply engaged in meaningful social change and in ways that can make a positive and sustainable difference. This is not a trend. This is a cultural shift.'

He notes that Jurlique, known as the biodynamic beauty brand, seeks to educate consumers about the importance of sustainable practices, and supports the LOHAS vision.

Dubbed the 'Down Under wonder' in May's 'green' issue of Vanity Fair, a typical week in Eli's schedule is as likely to find him in Jurlique's farm fields working on irrigation issues as it is to find him in Japan, where Jurlique has 15 stand alone stores. An anomaly among executives in the beauty industry -- in which a variety of functions such as sourcing, R + D, and manufacturing are routinely sub-contracted out, as a key to his commitment to sustainable business practices, Eli has taken the unusual step of determining to keep Jurlique a vertically-integrated, company. From seed to sale, Jurlique is itself considered a 'closed system' green corporation, continually seeking ways to create a lighter footprint.

As the number one selling prestige skincare brand in Australia, Jurlique has successfully broken the stigma that natural products don't produce results that work. Along with the Australian and Japanese markets, Jurlique also has a significant presence in the U.S., with 11 independent stores in locations ranging from Montana Avenue in Santa Monica to Soho in New York. Jurlique now has 60 locations in 22 countries.