If you eat organic, use natural cosmetics, and are concerned about the environment, you’re a LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability) consumer, a.k.a. Cultural Creative, to marketers. Officially concerned with five things––health, the environment, social justice, personal development, and sustainable living––this “niche” is actually comprised of 30 percent of U.S. adults, or 63 million people. All told, it’s a $228.9 billion industry.

The first to research and discover the Cultural Creative was sociologist Paul Ray who, in 1996, “found a group of educated consumers who make conscientious purchasing and investing decisions based on social and cultural values,” according to the LOHAS website. By doing this he helped guide this cohort––and its values––out of New Age purple and into the green mainstream. LOHAS is also the name of the annual conference that gathers companies that sell products and services to this group. This year it will be held April 26-28th, 2006 in Santa Monica, California.

Filled with talks, panels, and seminars, the conference addresses issues related to hybrid vehicles, eco household cleansers, socially responsible investing, green building products, and more. Last year’s LOHAS included a panel called Transforming Sustainability to Sexy, Consciousness to Cool. The panel included Raquel Welch, Amy Smart, Wendie Malick, and Ed Begley, Jr., who discussed how celebrities are helping to shift the image of “hippy-granola’ to ‘sexy-cool’” by “wearing sweatshop free fashions, driving hybrids, carrying reusable coffee mugs on TV shows, owning solar, practicing yoga, promoting organics, carrying canvas bags to the market, etc.” This year’s event will also include the Inspirational Film Festival, now in its second year. All participants in all parts of LOHAS are encouraged to use recycled paper, reusable tableware, sweatshop-free products––all with the goal of “producing a near-zero waste event.”