Ojai, CA - Live music, Casa Barranca organic wine, and organic vegetarian hors d’oeuvres will enhance the Ojai Valley Green Coalition’s annual fundraiser reception on Friday, October 1, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Held at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church hall at 409 Topa Topa Drive in Ojai, the reception will kick off the popular Green Home & Building Tour, to take place the following day. Highlighting the reception will be a short program featuring Ventura City Manager Rick Cole, called "one of Southern California's most visionary planning thinkers" by the Los Angeles Times. Joining Cole will be County Supervisor Steve Bennett, co-founder of Save Open Space and Agricultural Resources (SOAR), who will present the owners of the tour sites with plaques in appreciation of their leadership by example.

On Saturday, October 2, from 10 A.M. to 4 P.M., the members of the Green Coalition, whose mission is to advance the Ojai Valley as a green, sustainable, and resilient community, hope to educate residents from Los Angeles to Santa Barbara on green building practices as they view five green-built homes and commercial sites. The self-guided tour, with clearly identified eco-friendly features, will have designers and contractors on hand to answer questions.

New this year and running concurrently with the tour will be a Green Home Show at the former Ford dealership building on Ojai Avenue. This show will provide visitors with a display of sustainable-living merchandise and information, and will be free to the general public.

The tour and show are sponsored in part by the Ventura County Contractors Association, the Ojai Valley Inn & Spa, the Ojai Valley News, REC Solar, Shaklee Distributor Brad Hudson, Studio Landscape, Ojai Printing, and Modular Lifestyles. Tour tickets may be purchased online at www.OjaiValleyGreenTour.com for $10; the evening reception will be $25 ($20 for those with paid Green Coalition memberships). For further information, call (805) 669-8445 or visit www.OjaiValleyGreenCoalition.org.