The Oscars And Sustainability– An Award Winning Combination

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Academy Awards. Credit: blog.livingroomtheaters.com

Academy Awards. Credit: blog.livingroomtheaters.com

Over the past years, the Oscars and sustainability have proven to be an award-winning combination.  On Sunday, people globally will tune in to the 86th Academy Awards presentation to celebrate the best movies over the past year.  It is important to salute the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (The Academy) for its commitment to “green” living.

It does not come as a surprise that the organization would have sustainability as part of its agenda considering that so many of its members are outspoken supporters of the green movement, and they often lend their faces and financial support to environmental, health and social concerns.  The popularity of many of these celebrities, including, but not limited to George Clooney, Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, Orlando Bloom and Selma Hayak, goes a long way to raise awareness of and garner support for environmental, health and social issues.

The commitment of the Academy to raise awareness of environmental issues and garner support through example also is noteworthy.  This effort begins with the selection of the Dolby Theater, formerly the Kodak Theater, as the venue for the annual event.   With this long-term agreement to be the home of the Oscars, Dolby is committed to environmental sustainability.

Dolby Theater-- Home of the Oscars. Credit: www.cnn.com.

Dolby Theater– Home of the Oscars. Credit: www.cnn.com.

Global Green Oscar Week Kickoff

The Academy validated its commitment to sustainability with its annual kickoff by Global Green USA.  This year the celebration was “dedicated to rebuilding communities subject to environmental degradation.”  This organization now is the green event of Oscar week.  It seeks to raise “conscience” about energy conservation, and this year included celebrities speaking about driving to the Oscar celebration in hybrid cars.  This party featured a zero-waste plant-based dinner followed by a live auction that raised more than $20,000 to support its causes.

Red Carpet Green Dress

Second only to the actual awards ceremony, the highlight of Oscar night is the fashion displayed on the red carpet, and here some designers are featuring green dresses.  Perhaps the most notable is Red Carpet Green Dress, who is marking its fifth anniversary for this event.  This organization is the brainchild of Suzy Amis Cameron, wife of James Cameron, who, during press tours for Avatar (a Cameron film), sought to draw attention to the importance of sustainability in the fashion industry.  Mrs. Cameron notes that “[w]hile there are still great strides to be made, it’s important to point out that there are a greater number of sustainable resources available to designers today than there were five years ago.”[1]  This year’s Oscars Red Carpet will feature actress Olga Kurylenko wearing the design by this organization.  Olga’s accessories also are selected with concern for ethical consumerism.  Her limited edition vegan Red Carpet shoes are supplied as a result of a collaboration between PETA and Beyond Skin.

Meanwhile, on the men’s side, Kellan Lutz (Legend of Hercules) will be wearing the first sustainable tuxedo for Red Carpet Green Dress.  This tuxedo was designed by Jomnarn Dul for H Brothers and was constructed from recycled materials.

James and Suzy Amis Cameron. Credit: the highlow.com

James and Suzy Amis Cameron. Credit: the highlow.com

Dining with a Conscience

This year’s Governor’s Ball, the official dinner held following the award ceremony, will be created and officiated by Wolfgang Puck (celebrating 20 years in this role).  To the delight of the green movement, the theme will be the transcendent wonder of nature, with a display of lush vertical gardens under the stars that invite guests to mingle and celebrate nature.  The menu includes a prominent focus on vegan dishes.  All of the food will range from one-bite hors d’oeuvres to small-plate entrees.  Once again, these choices are indicative of the Academy’s concern and focus on the need to raise awareness of the environment and sustainability.[2]

The Academy Awards is one of the most popular events globally and is viewed by many people, thereby creating an excellent opportunity to raise awareness about green initiatives and sustainability.  We are proud to present background information on the efforts of the Academy to make a difference in the movement for sustainability.

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Resources for this article:

1. http://redcarpetgreendress.com/home/olga-kurylenko-to-reveal-the-fifth-design-from-suzy-amis-camerons-red-carpet-green-dress-on-the-oscar-carpet.
2. http://fbworld.com/2014/02/24/starring-role-for-master-chef-wolfgang-puck-at-86th-academy-awards-governors-ball.

All Dressed in Green for the Oscar’s

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With the Oscar’s upon us, our minds as a nation tend to drift towards the extravagance as a result of watching global icons in Hollywood’s biggest party of the year. Opulence and decadence are the most appropriate adjectives to describe the evening and more specifically the gowns and tuxedos worn to the event. It is fairly common for dresses to cost tens of thousands of dollars as designers use the star-studded event to promote their fashion lines and brands on the most expensive mannequins money can buy.[1] Despite the lavishness however, many of these actors and actresses are heavily involved with charities and humanitarian efforts. Their global statuses help to raise tremendous amounts of money for causes they deem valuable, or even crucial for society to survive moving forward. Leonardo DiCaprio for example has consistently sought to bring about awareness of environmental issues through his Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation (LDF). DiCaprio’s latest project is called LYON, which is an organic and fair trade coffee company, whose proceeds support LDF’s other sustainable ventures which include, but are not limited to, “…Wildlife protection, forest preservation, clean water, and climate change.”[2]

In addition, Colin Firth, who currently is working on a project to help save the Brazilian indigenous Awa tribe, who are being threatened as a result of illegal logging of the Amazon Rainforest, is among a growing population of celebrities who are involved with charities and humanitarian efforts geared around the environment and green issues.[3]

And while it is difficult to say that some charities are more valuable or important than others, the impact of green initiatives and sustainability affect us all to some degree or another. I realize that the focus of the Oscars (or any other awards show in general) is not charity i.e. the Guardian Charity Awards. Yet, a lot of good can be done by a simple celebrity plugin. Actors and actresses are already asked what and who they are “wearing” for the evening. By wearing a green inspired dress or tuxedo and mentioning that to the public is relatively harmless, and is in line with the questioning they already receive from reporters for the night. Imagine how much awareness for green clothing can be provided by even a single celebrity endorser. For example, just think about how many eyeballs watch an event like the Oscar’s. Now imagine the amount of attention a green clothing initiative would receive if say a George Clooney wore a hemp fused Armani tuxedo or a Jennifer Lawrence wore a Donna Karen dress made from recyclable materials. The amount of good press for a celebrity who endorses such a movement and for the designer, who took time out to make a sustainable and fashionable garment for a celebrity to wear, would only be equaled by the amount of exposure for the green clothing movement. Celebrities are already involved with green charities. Yet, their statuses as global icons will only help to push a movement like sustainable clothing quickly into mainstream if they choose to endorse it. What a personal and humanitarian statement that would make if a celebrity showed up to an event that is broadcast worldwide in elegant clothing made from green materials. Let’s push our celebrities to wear sustainable clothing and to promote the movement’s ideals to a worldwide audience. In that way the world can see the possibilities of sustainable clothing and can further help to promote a world in which we live green, and be green.

[1] http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2012/02/24/how-much-do-oscar-invitees-really-pay-for-their-red-carpet-looks/

[2] http://www.thedailyactivist.com/celebrity-charities-dicaprios-newest-eco-partners/

[3] http://www.thedailyactivist.com/genocide-in-the-making/