February 12th, 2009

By Shermakaye Bass
Green Right Now

Over the past few years, the Academy Awards have become a fuel-efficient vehicle for Hollywood’s green movement. And perhaps no environmental nonprofit has gleaned more momentum from star power than Global Green USA, which helped put the celebrity machine into first gear in 2003, when it shuttled A-list’ers to the Oscars in alternative-fuel cars.

The sight of Leonardo DiCaprio (who drove his own Prius) and others wheeling up in hybrids seems to have galvanized Hollywood greens who’d already felt the call to tout eco-awareness. The following year, Global Green USA unfurled its first “Red Carpet-Green Cars” pre-Oscars Party, attended by a slew of luminaries, including DiCaprio.

On Thursday, Feb. 19, the tradition continues at the Avalon in Hollywood (tickets, still available, range from $125 for general admission to $2500 for Patron level.)

Since its first bash harnessing the sheer energy of Tinsel Town, Global Green USA – the US affiliate of Green Cross International, founded by former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev in 1993 - has hosted increasingly stellar pre-Oscar Parties to raise funds for its many projects, as well as to promote general awareness of global climate change.

Last year the nonprofit drummed up more than $420,000 for its initiatives, such as the high-profile “Rebuilding New Orleans” green-building project, faithfully supported by Crescent City part-time residents and Global Green supporters Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.

This year, the 6th Annual pre-Oscar Party will again focus on New Orleans – particularly, on green school construction in the Big Easy. The party will unleash a cool river of pop-culture icons, with co-hosts including DiCaprio, Orlando Bloom, Penelope Cruz, Kate Bosworth, Marisa Tomei, Neil Patrick Harris, Heather Graham and Lyn and Normal Lear – with music by Sheryl Crow, Blackcowboy and Bush lead singer Gavin Rossdale.

Wingdings past have drawn the likes of Tom Hanks, Edward Norton, Charlize Theron, Pitt and Salma Hayek, who have stepped out for Global Green, attending fundraisers for everything from the 4th Annual San Francisco Benefit on Dec. 2, 2008, advancing the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Poland that month, to last summer’s 12th Annual Millenium Awards honoring environmental innovators. Also, a number of high-profile actor/activists sit on the American organization’s Board (Hayek, Norton, DiCaprio).

Global Green USA President and CEO Matt Petersen (pictured second from left above) recently spoke with GreenRightNow.com about deploying Hollywood greens in the battle against climate change. And while it’s true that a handful of non-greens have dismissed Hollywood’s enviro-involvement as trendy – or worse, self-aggrandizing – most people would agree that mixing celebritydom with environmentalism is a wholly organic a recipe. As natural as granola. The stars have the platform, environmental leaders have the message.

But Global Green’s celebrity push didn’t begin with the Oscars.

“The event started as a way to try to connect Hollywood to the global environmental movement in a different way,” Peterson says. “In August of 2002, we hosted an event to raise awareness of the World Summit on Sustainable Development, which the media had done virtually nothing on (and which then-President George W. Bush’s administration refused to attend or endorse). We were able to draw attention to this important environmental event, thanks to Leonardo DiCaprio (the celebrity “face” for GG USA’s 2002 party).  That told us a lot about how we could direct the megaphone of Hollywood onto the issues we need to tackle. … Then later, (GG USA) board member Jordan Harris came up with the idea, ‘What if we put celebrities into hybird cars going to the Oscars?’ And we launched the Red Carpet-Green Cars campaign. …It sent a strong message, without these stars even having to say anything. The goal was to make fuel-efficient cars sexy.”

Clearly, the campaign has had some impact. Reams of Hollywood royalty now tool around town in fuel-efficient autos (whether directly inspired by Global Green or not). In fact, driving green has become almost de rigueur in Los Angeles’ hallowed hills and canyons.

But is that enough to stem global warming’s tide? And is the Hollywood green movement having any real impact?

“I think that, collectively, it is raising awareness,” Petersen says. “It’s a cumulative impact. .. and we’ve had a great, a very positive, response. The science is growing, the urgency is clear.”

He adds that Global Green “started doing this before An Inconvenient Truth came out. And we’ve worked hard to tie our efforts to real substantive projects and advocacy initiatives to change policy. The combination of substance along with reaching out to pop culture has its appeal – certainly in this town. People realize they have an obligation as people in the public eye to shine a light on the issues.”

(Photo credit: Global Green USA, Leonardo DiCaprio, top; 2007 pre-Oscar party group.)

Copyright © 2009 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media
###