Who’s Who in Green - Summer Rayne Oakes

There are few people who manage to not only call attention to important environmental issues, but do so in an effortlessly sexy, stylish and fun way. Summer Rayne Oakes is one of those people. The model, activist and television host is certainly genetically blessed, as anyone can see from her many eco-fashion spreads – but there’s far more to her than that. She’s smart, dedicated, and really into bugs. Seriously – she has an entomology degree. It’s just one of the many things that made her EarthFirst.com’s #1 Hottest Girl in Green, and deservedly so.

Summer Rayne grew up among Pennsylvania farmlands, and her experiences there led her on the path of protecting the earth. A dedicated naturalist from an early age, she was the youngest board member of the Environmental Advisory Council as a student. Summer Rayne graduated with honors from Cornell University and signed with Boss Models upon graduation. She soon won the Udall Environmental Scholarship, and worked to improve conservation programs “by successfully integrating human dimension aspects, scientific research and the intrinsic value of nature into comprehensive management plans.”

Her journey of cause-related modeling has brought her all over the world, as has her work in sustainable design and development projects. She’s also picked up plenty of accolades along the way, including Global Citizen by Vanity Fair, one of Outside’s Top Environmental Activists, Cosmopolitan’s Fun, Fearless Female of 2007 and one of Amica Magazine’s ‘Top 20 Trendsetters Under 40’.

She’s now a spokesperson, resident expert and the youngest member of the board of advisors for Planet Green. Her work has been featured on NPR, CNN, HGTV, Sirius Satellite Radio, MTV News, Discovery Channel News and many more outlets, and recent interviews have appeared in Elle magazine, Allure magazine and Shape magazine. She also writes for Lucire, PlanetGreen.com, Treehugger and The Huffington Post. She even created educational curriculum entitled ‘ECO FASHION 101’ that was launched in Philadelphia schools in 2005. Look for her book entitled Style, Naturally: The Global Guide to Sustainable Fashion and Beauty this December.

If all of that sounds incredibly ambitious, exhausting and exhilarating, get this: she also helps run a boutique consultancy business that develops, implements and manages traditional, online and grassroots/guerilla campaigns across the globe. Her many high profile clients include Conde Nast, the Democratic National Convention ’08, Discovery Television and Sony Entertainment.

Watch Summer Rayne talk about conscious consumerism in this video clip:

In a personal statement on her website, Summer Rayne says, “I firmly believe that we all want—or at least would like to be (whether we know it or not)—part of something that is greater than all of us. This is why I am here. This is why you are here. Oftentimes I get the question, “What can I do? ” If questions answered questions, I would reply: “What are you capable of? ” Moreover, what are you interested in doing? That of course is not the answer anyone is looking for, but it serves as a rhetorical reminder of our own personal interest in making a difference. It touches on the assumption that you, like me, all want to do better, not only for ourselves, but the rest of the planet.”

All of this, and she’s only 23 – Summer Rayne’s green score is building fast and will undoubtedly go through the roof as she continues to dedicate her life to varied aspects of sustainability. We wish Summer Rayne much luck and success on her quest to green up the world.

Summer Rayne Oakes’ Green Score: 24,332

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