Nationwide Search Recognizes Female Leaders in Sustainability

LOVELAND, Ohio - April 8, 2013 - PRLog -- Over the past five weeks lur® apparel, a sustainable women’s fashion brand, held a nationwide search to recognize women committed to working for social and environmental causes. The search, called the 2013 Sustainable Leader Award, included a round of nominations followed by a round of voting by visitors to the lurapparel.com website. The contest saw over 12,422 participants and 2,793 votes cast for 46 nominees. After the 14-day voting period, lur® apparel crowned permaculture proponent Josefine Nowitz as the winner.

Ms. Nowitz is a student at the University of Massachusetts (UMass), a member of the Sustainability Team for UMass Auxiliary Services, and a founding member of the Permaculture Initiative on campus. Permaculture is an ecological design science based on principles and patterns found in nature. It provides a guiding set of principles to help transition communities, campuses, and culture towards sustainability and regeneration.

At UMass, the Permaculture Initiative was founded in 2010 and has since created a number of edible and sustainable landscapes on campus, developed experiential and academic programming, and strengthened local networks to enhance community resilience. In addition to receiving the 2013 Sustainable Leader Award, Ms. Nowitz and the Permaculture Initiative were selected as Champions of Change during President Obama’s Winning the Future initiative.

“Winning lur®’s Sustainable Leader Award will allow the UMass Permaculture Initiative to gain national recognition and encourage other universities around the nation and globally to follow our footsteps toward becoming more resilient and sustainable campuses through permaculture,” said Ms. Nowitz upon hearing of her win. She continued, “The prize donation will help us host the UMass Permaculture Your Campus Conference this June. The conference is the premiere gathering of passionate visionaries from around the globe who are committed to environmental, social, and economic sustainability using permaculture strategies.”

In addition to Ms. Nowitz, the Award program recognized 46 other nominees for their dedication to a more sustainable tomorrow. “Each and every nominee is an inspiration to us at lur®,” said brand co-founder Alan Brown. “We believe no matter the impact, every person working to benefit people and planet deserves recognition for their work.”

lur® apparel created the Sustainable Leader Award as part of its larger mission to leverage sustainable fashion for meaningful change in the world. With the help of two non-profit partners, a portion of lur® apparel’s sales go to providing vocational training for women in Guatemala. This training helps create a rising tide of prosperity for their families and communities. To learn more about lur® apparel’s commitment to social responsibility and to see the brand’s new spring fashions visit www.lurapparel.com.

About lur®

Lur® knits beauty, sustainability, and social responsibility into each and every piece of clothing. That’s because lur® takes pride in knowing that for a piece of clothing to be truly beautiful, it needs to benefit more than just its wearer. Thanks in part to its unique fabric, lur® apparel is more sustainable and environmentally friendly than organic cotton - while still remaining just as beautiful and soft to the touch. A portion of the profits from lur® apparel go to help women establish their own businesses and gain access to education to allow themselves, their families, and their communities the opportunity to rise out of poverty.