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With so much ground to cover this past weekend and so many slices of LA to savor with Culture Collide, CicLAvia, Wine Fest and more going on, we knew the best way to cap it had to be a joyride away, up in the hills.
Sunday's destination was the Wright Organic Resource Center for a celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Toyota Prius. Set on 24 acres with stunning views to all sides, this was an ideal setting for such a gathering, made possible partly because the winner of Toyota's Facebook contest to find the most passionate Prius owner, Martin Esquenazi, happens to live down the PCH in Redondo.
The afternoon featured a series of panels on topics such as integrating ecological material into architectural design, green tech gadgets, and sustainability in daily life. The discussions, curated by SHFT.com and Wired, were informative and inspiring, with notable speakers including the owner of the Wright Organic Resource Center, Eric Lloyd Wright, who first apprenticed under his grandfather, Frank Lloyd Wright.
The day really took a turn toward best-Sunday-ever status as cocktail hour was matched with an intimate set of music from M. Ward, himself blown away by the natural backdrop of sea, shore, islands, and sky and a short yet boogie-provoking DJ set by Shepard Fairey.
The makeshift parking lot looked like a veritable Prius dealership, highlighted with colorful decals and stickers indicating some of the more competitive - or shall we say passionate - owners. But there were some special guest cars among them, including prototypes of the 2012 Prius Plug-In Hybrid, which is expected to get 13 miles on a charge before switching to gas, requiring only 3 hours to fully charge from a standard 110-volt outlet (1.5 hours on 220V).
The event concluded with a delectable locally-grown, organic farm-to-table meal cooked onsite by Outstanding in the Field, whose founder, Jim Denevan, was giving away signed copies of his cookbook to guests as they left. The Wright Organic Resource Center occasionally hosts both private and public events throughout the year. Check out one of their potlucks and learn more about sustainable architecture at this incredible property.
