It may be just about one month since everyone had to wear green in fear of getting pinched on St. Patrick’s Day, but we’re now focusing our attention to a different kind of “green:” the kind that focuses on giving back to our planet. This year’s Earth Day is slightly different from years’ past as it marks the 45th anniversary of the day’s inauguration. To us at Pure Concept Salon + Spa, giving back to the planet is an easy task. While each day at the salon we use products that have natural ingredients and we help give back to communities in need during the year, this time of the year, we don’t just focus on Earth Day; we make April Earth Month.

Pure Concept does something every year for Earth Month — like paint our rain barrels that you can see at either location or our baskets that you can purchase a raffle ticket for — but this time, we’ve joined forces with other Aveda salons in Greater Cincinnati, the Northern Kentucky area, and the Dayton area by teaming up to do Cocktails for a Cause. This year, that cause is none other than the Ohio River Foundation (ORF). A nonprofit, the Ohio River Foundation is dedicated to protecting and restoring the quality of water found in the Ohio River, as well as its ecology so the river and its tributaries can be enjoyed by future generations. The foundation is equally dedicated to ensuring the Ohio River and its tributaries are healthy for current and future generations as well. Here at Pure Concept, we know how vital it is for people and other creatures across the globe to have access to clean water, which is why we’re taking to the catwalk this year to help the Ohio River Foundation.

You read that right; the Pure Concept team is jaunting down the catwalk to help our planet and the Ohio River by showing off the latest fashions — of Panem, that is. For 2015, Cocktails for a Cause is doing a “Hunger Games” theme, specifically, this year’s name is the Water Games, for our Earth Month purpose of donating to the ORF. Each one of the Aveda salons in Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky, and Dayton was designated a specific District of Panem to focus their fashions on. Pure Concept drew District 10 as our fashion-forward, post-apocalyptic clothing choice, which means we’ll be strutting our stuff as livestock on the runway.

While we can’t tell you what the other salons will be doing on while they do their turns on the catwalk, we can give you a little more information about how our lovely livestock models will come to be. The members of our team who are currently in our apprenticeship program will be the ones creating the looks the Pure Concept team will model while on the runway. Our apprenticeship program is hands-on training on the floor in the cosmetology field before apprentices go on to become designers and/or stylists. Since we know you’re wondering, yes, our apprentices will only use Aveda products to stylize the hair; nails will be done with OPI, Essie®, and CND VINYLUX® polishes; and they will use Aveda products to apply the bovine-like makeup to our models.

But, we can’t give away any more information about what our models will be doing on the runway for the Ohio River Foundation — you’ll have to attend this year’s Cocktails for a Cause to see the bovine beauties. Ivy Lounge Cincinnati (formerly Obscura) will host this year’s event and it begins promptly at 6 p.m. on April 25 and goes until 9 p.m.  Tickets are $20 per person, and all money raised from ticket sales — as well all money from our basket raffles — goes toward our contribution for the ORF via the Sierra Club. Ivy Lounge Cincinnati is also having 10 percent of bar sales go toward the ORF during the evening as well. You can contact Emily Shamblee at 513-247-0674 to purchase a ticket. Please let Emily know if you’re with the Kenwood or Deerfield salon so each salon can meet their respective goals in helping the Ohio River Foundation.

Tickets will cost more at the door, but like in years past, Cocktails for a Cause will most likely sell out. So contact Emily today if you want to see the most fashion-forward, post-apocalyptic cattle models you’ve ever laid eyes on, and all while helping ensure our planet has cleaner water for years to come while doing so.