If Not Now, When? If Not Us, Who?

Wrote an article for the SM Observer on Global Green USA's Millennnium Awards!

If Not Now, When?  If Not Us, Who?

The Green Celebrate the Green at Global Green USA’s Millennium Awards

Billionaires, Clean Energy Entrepreneurs, Politicians, Bankers, Hollywood, and Los Angeles Mayor Elect Eric Garcetti came together last Saturday night for Global Green USA’s Millennium Awards at Santa Monica’s Fairmont Miramar Hotel.  The event marked one of Garcetti’s (a former Global Green USA Millennium Award recipient himself) first post-election appearances. 

Global Green USA’s Millennium Awards were a chance to get up-and-close with eco-conscious Angelenos, celebrity supporters, and civic leaders to discuss the most pressing issues facing humanity today.  Eco-clothing donned guests sipped wine and cocktails under the Mirmar’s 80-foot tall Moreton Bay Fig Tree (one of the largest in California) before heading into the banquet hall to honor some of the movers and shakers of the Green community.  There they dined on a variety of locally sourced, farm fresh, organic ingredient based dishes created by the Miramar’s FIG Restaurant featuring Santa Monica Farmers Market favorites such as Harry’s Berries and Maggies Farms. 

Garcetti’s keynote address helped Global Green USA celebrate environmental leadership and the importance of sustainability in the future of Los Angeles.  Garcetti also discussed the tragic Santa Monica shootings and touched upon the ways in which we should deal with health and safety in our communities.

This year’s Millennium Awards honorees include: Philanthropist Tom Steyer and Sen. Kevin de Leon, Co-Chairs, Proposition 39 (The California Environmental Leadership Award), Danny Kennedy, Co Founder of Sungevity (The Corporate Environmental Leadership Award), Seane Corn, Founder, Off the Mat (The International Environmental Leadership Award), and Ben Goldhirsh, CEO and Co Founder, GOOD Worldwide (The Community Environmental Leadership Award). 

Other key attendees of the Millennium Awards included Ed O’Neill of Modern Family of and Cathy O’Neill, Ed Begley Jr. of Arrested Development, Fran Drescher of Happily Divorced, and author and founder of Project Angel Food Marianne Williamson.  The event also featured a special musical performance by Concord recording artist Spencer Day.

Global Green USA was founded in 1993 by philanthropist and activist Diane Meyer Simon as the American arm of Green Cross International (GCI), an organization launched by former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in order to inspire people reconnect to the environment and thus shift attention to sustainability. More than thirty countries have established Green Cross National organizations, which are part of Green Cross International.

Global Green USA is the only national environmental organization headquartered in greater Los Angeles, with satellite offices in New Orleans, Washington DC, and New York.  For nearly 20 years, the organization has been a national leader in advocating for smart solutions to global warming including green building for affordable housing, schools, cities and communities that save money, improve health, and create green jobs.

Global Green USA has influenced more than $20 billion dollars for green building projects and educates millions of people about climate friendly solutions through its annual Red Carpet/Green Cars Oscars campaign.  Global Green USA is also leading efforts to help rebuild a green New Orleans (they were the one’s that brought Brad Pitt to the Big Easy for the post Katrina Sustainable Design Competition).  This has lead to the greening of New Orleans schools, the education of thousands of residents to rebuild their homes more energy efficiently, and helped create the Holy Cross Project, a sustainable village in the Lower 9th Ward with 23 units of affordable housing and a community/climate action center.

One of Global Green USA’s newest projects is the “Solar for Sandy” initiative to help in the resilient rebuilding, with a goal of installing back-up solar systems on schools, women's shelters, and centers in 4-5 neighborhoods devastated by Hurricane Sandy.  The goal of creating a solar energy source for places such as Rockaway Beach Surf Club (which was widely noted as a nerve center for post-Sandy relief efforts in the Rockaways) is to both provide ongoing savings in energy bills, and back up electricity.  Additional equipment including batteries will provide electricity even when the electricity grid goes down since nearly every solar system in the areas flooded after Sandy were grid tied without back up capacity, and went down as intended, and therefore did not provide electricity. 

Global Green USA’s National Green Schools Initiative focuses on protecting the country’s most precious resource: children.  Over 20% of all Americans go to school everyday and many attend schools with poor health quality, high energy bills, and poor learning environments.  For the past five years, Global Green USA has worked with the Los Angeles Unified School District to insure the largest new school construction project in the country is built to healthy green standards.  The 35 new green schools that Global Green USA helped to bring to reality will serve more than 40,000 students and teachers each year.  Green schools has been show to help increase students performances up to 20% by creating fewer sick days, improved attendance, and higher teacher retention.  

And at the core of all of these actions is the Global Green USA’s value shift of creating change through a belief in sustainability.  For as Matt Peterson, CEO of Global Green USA, stated during the event’s opening remarks: “If not now, when?  If not us, who?”

Kat Thomas is a Santa Monica writer who believe the answer is always now.  You can read more of her writings on her food blog: edibleskinny.com