One of my favorite moments on Oscar Night during our Party with a Purpose (www.leezagibbonsoscarnight.com for more info) was standing on the stage and telling the audience that since our entire focus of the night was "giving back", they could feel good about knowing how their attendance was being used to do just that. I told our party-goers that a tree would be planted in their honor in keeping with our desire to make our party carbon neutral. Thanks to Debbie Levin and her innovation and leadership through the EMA (Environmental Media Association), I was able to deliver on my desire to plant a tree in honor of our guests to erase their carbon footprint for the night. Debbie made that happen for us by connecting us to an organization called TreePeople, one of the coolest groups at the forefront of eco issues and a real jewel for the city of Los Angeles. Last week, along with a team of celebrities and the passionate TreePeople staff and volunteers, we planted a hundred oak trees to pay off my promise!
All of us have special causes and charities we support. For me, of course, it's the Leeza Gibbons Memory Foundation and our work to educate and empower family caregivers of those with chronic illness and disease through Leeza's Place (www.leezasplace.org). But no matter what our other concerns are, if we all don't dedicate ourselves to taking care of mother earth…those other goals become less powerful. If we don't protect the planet, what good is all the rest?
I think it is THE thing that unites us all. Many people are intimidated by the "green" movement. I have been too! I like to think of it not as a metric by which you can judge your environmental consciousness, but rather a train you can jump on at any stop. You simply do what you can with what you have from where you are.
That's why I love the TreePeople organization! Once you have had the experience of physically planting a tree that will live on hundreds of years after you are gone, you feel such a connection to the earth. All of the love and intention that was present at our “Night to Make a Difference” Oscar Party, will live on in the trees that now grace the beautiful TreePeople land just off Mulholland Drive in Los Angeles.
Rachelle Carson, Marisa Ramirez and Claudia Jordan were in my group, which was led by TreePeople staff member Ryan. After we dug the hole, planted and watered our tree, Ryan told us that they have a tradition for every new tree. He said it begins with a name for our Oak. We quickly decided upon “Hope". Then we held hands in a circle and chanted, “Trees need people; People need trees. Welcome HOPE!” I have to tell you…it was one of those moments where you begin to envision a future after you're gone, seeing classes of school kids visiting TreePeople and seeing our tree Hope, somehow knowing that in it, we get to live forever.
Jim Hardie, the head of TreePeople, is so passionate that once you meet him, you want to know what he's doing to feel that good! Trust me, it's his love of nature… Thanks Jim, for inviting us all to experience such a beautiful moment. And thanks especially to Laurie Kaufman of TreePeople and Lisa Barnet of the EMA who worked so hard to pull it all together!
During our live webcast on Oscar Night direct from our party at Mr. Chow, celebrity hairstylist, philanthropist and entrepreneur Ken Paves did a report on his dedication to the work at TreePeople. Ken's message and TreePeople's story was beamed to 71 countries. If you ever wonder what kind of a difference you can make in the world, all you have to do is recall the story of how it was a teenage boy in the 1960's who conceived of the concept of TreePeople to use trees to heal our cities. Since then, TreePeople has been serving the Los Angeles area for over three decades. Simply put, their work is about helping nature heal our cities by offering sustainable solutions to urban ecosystem problems. It’s a clear reminder how one idea from one individual added with action creates transformation.
Thanks again to all of our celebrity Ambassadors of Change from our Oscar Party who allowed us to use their example of inspiration in action to put together our “Night to Make a Difference” which led to so many wonderful things…including some beautiful new trees and one which is very special to me called "Hope".
