By Marjorie Galas

February was a month for film and music awards.  Many highly publicized award shows provided gifting suites, set up to allow guests to sample various indulgences. 

Events held for attendees of the Grammys and the Oscars provided more than just high-end gadgets and gizmos.  Attendees of these award shows also had the opportunity to learn about environmentally friendly practices and products at events designed to raise awareness of green issues and inspire involvement in the global community.

On Friday, February 6^th, the 2^nd Annual Green with Music event was held.  The event was broken down into two parts: the daytime Eco-Luxurious Gifting Retreat and Spa Tibet, and in the evening, an open-to-the public Eco-Benefit Party to support the Wherever the Need Foundation.

Initiated by publicists Beverly Visty-Doman and John Forrester, “Green with Music” was developed to bridge the music and environmental worlds.  “Our events create evocative atmospheres and merge celebrity culture with meritorious green brands, holistic lifestyle practices and eco-charities,” states Visty-Doman in a press release. 

The Eco-Luxurious Gifting Retreat and Spa Tibet offered attendees the opportunity to sample various products and speak with company representatives who offer green alternatives to everything from household cleaners to furniture to cosmetics and clothing.  Held at the penthouse of The Mercury, a variety of rooms were designated for food tasting, holistic body treatments, eco-friendly spray-tans, and product explorations.  Amongst the companies in attendance were Orange 22, designers of recycled furniture, KisClean, providers of sustainable cleaning products, Sweet Earth Chocolates, creators of organic and fair-trade certified chocolates, and Duchess Marden, a skin care line made entirely of plant-based elements. 

Spa Tibet, offered by Melanie Sachs and staff from the Diamond Way Ayurveda, assisted participants in meditation and relaxation techniques including facial and pedi-massages.  The staff counseled individuals on approaching daily routines in a healthy and holistic manner.  Michael Mills, a personal trainer at E.D.G.E Private Training Studio, gladly spoke to participations about the benefits of incorporating organic foods and products into their daily routine.  “What we put into and on our bodies is an important balance to a daily workout regimen,” Mills explains.  “I provide this knowledge when I work with people one-on-one.  I highly endorse a green lifestyle.”

In the evening, Green with Music continued with the Eco-Benefit party.  This event was open to the general public and all proceeds raised where presented to “Wherever the Need,” a UK based charity focused on educating impoverished global locations in obtaining and conserving clean drinking water and eco-sanitation toilets. 

Now in its 6^th year, Global Green held its Pre-Oscar Party on February 19^th.  The mission of this event was to collaborate with the Hollywood community to raise funds and awareness of “National Green Schools,” an initiative focusing on the need to modernize existing schools and build new schools with green operating standards.  In addition to fundraising, the event also kicked off the Global Green Red Carpet/Green Cars campaign, encouraging celebrities to use fuel-efficient vehicles for their red carpet arrivals at the Oscars. 

Global Green was founded in 1993 by Diane Meyer Simon as the American extension to former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev’s “Green Cross International.”  Global Green has been working with the entertainment community to encourage the “Smart Climate Solutions” program.  The program highlights the need to support building green homes and structures, buying green products, and voting for political leaders who support green causes and legislation.  This year’s event featured performances by Sheryl Crow and Gavin Rossdale at the Avalon in Hollywood.

Jennifer Horton, Vice President of 11-16 Entertainment, expressed her appreciation for green events while sitting in the lounge of Spa Tibet at the Green with Music event.  With a roster that includes many young artists, she notes not only are her clients willing to participate in such events, but they look forward to endorsing them.  “It’s so encouraging to see their enthusiasm.”

For more information on Global Green, please visit:

http://www.globalgreen.org/

For more information on Wherever the Need, please visit:

www.wherevertheneed.org

For more information on Green with Music, please visit:

www.greenwithmusic.com