The Green Oscars

Friends asked me to come over and watch the Academy Awards last Sunday. I haven’t seen a movie in the theater in over 12 years, so my understanding, and hence, enjoyment, of the Oscars is somewhat diminished by my total lack of reference. I went over anyway, but only for the last 30 minutes or so. I was busy baking a cake, cleaning the house, doing laundry – all those Sunday afternoon things that turn into Sunday evening things.

The awards have changed – or maybe it’s me who has changed. There was a lot of singing that I don’t remember from when I was a kid. The actresses are really, really thin and don’t look all that well. Come to think of it, the guys didn’t look terribly well either. I was surprised and a bit dismayed at what seemed to me like the forced friendship, kindness and joviality between the hosts, and between the hosts and the Award winners. It all just seemed a bit, well, fake. It dawned on me that these are actors, and why should an awards night be any different from any other night – especially when they are specifically trying to outdo each other? It also seemed like they were very proud of themselves and their industry, which again, probably goes with the territory.

As I found my interest (which was fair-to-middling to begin with) waning, I also found my little activist voice thinking, “Why is it that actors, producers, writers, cinematographers, and everyone else involved in film making are the only ones getting these highly-advertised, yearly awards?” Instead of letting that same voice answer something cynical, I thought maybe it’s time for someone to start the Green Awards. And lo and behold, they have. In England. As it turns out, we also have several Green-award presenters here in the US:

Green Giant (yes, like the green beans) holds its The Green Awards every year in Los Angeles.
Global Green USA holds two awards shows every year, the Millennium Awards in Los Angeles and the Sustainable Design Awards in New York.
TreeHugger has its Best of Green every year, but this isn’t an awards show, it’s an awards list.
NRDC holds the Growing Green Awards at Yoshi’s in San Francisco, April the 28th, 2011.
Farmani Group hosts the Green Dot Awards. They are also the founders of the The Lucie Awards (the Oscars of photography).

Wouldn’t it be nice if Farmani could get all these other award ceremonies together and form the Oscars of environmental stewardship?

-Jocelyn Broyles

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Miranda L.

1:33PM PST on Mar 7, 2011

I didn't know about the green awards. Thanks for the informative article.

March 7
send a green star

Sarah Z.

9:47AM PST on Mar 7, 2011

Thanks

Sue M.

7:02PM PST on Mar 6, 2011

thanks.

March 6
send a green star

Past Member .

11:32PM PST on Mar 5, 2011

Ulala koorts

March 5
send a green star

Julianna D.

11:01PM PST on Mar 5, 2011

Thanks!

Loo S.

9:36PM PST on Mar 5, 2011

thanks for the article.

Trish K.

11:16AM PST on Mar 5, 2011

I don't watch the Oscars anymore but I would watch the Green Awards. We might then get some action world wide. After being seen it would just turn into a pissing contest of one wanting to outdo another and that is not a bad thing when it comes to living.

Lynn C.

8:49AM PST on Mar 5, 2011

Yes, it would be nice to be able to thank those who are doing wonderful things for our planet with green awards. I do believe it could happen now because of the renewed interest in the safety of our food and water.

Julie W.

1:13AM PST on Mar 5, 2011

Great idea. But I think it will be a long time before they get all the 'hoo haa' that the Academy Awards get.

xxx y.

4:46PM PST on Mar 4, 2011

thanks