Billie Eilish and his mom Maggie Baird, Nikki Roseau and Bill Nye were among the notable names recognized at the 2022 Environmental Media Association Awards Gala Presented by Toyota Saturday night at Sunset Las Palmas Studio.
The group has been recognized for their contribution to making the planet a healthier space for future generations and Eilish and Baird, who founded and chair national nonprofit Support+Feed, kicked off the show by accepting the Missions in Music Award. Eilish took the stage in a green ensemble alongside her mother, beginning her speech with a humble tribute to her relative.
“I work with brands and we do things in the fashion industry – which I’m such a big fan of and really involved in – it’s horribly upsetting how people don’t really think about it first. “, explained Eilish. “I mean, people kind of think about it, or pretend to think about it, and I would just say my mom was… she still thinks about it that way that I’m so impressed.”
She continued, “I feel like I don’t know anything. I’m just trying to do what I can, and I’m going to her for everything I need to know. She really deserves everything I know. ‘ai. I feel like I’m living almost the life she should have and I’m always trying to do what my mom would want me to do. She’s always thinking about the future.
Gratitude flowed from both sides as Baird also thanked her husband and children for putting up with her eco-conscious whims throughout their formative years, noting how “no one really appreciates it when you forbid them to use paper towels” or single-use plastics in their homes. However, it is clear that some of his lessons left a lasting impression on his children.
Baird’s efforts to save the planet have ultimately become a family affair – his son, Finneas O’Connell (and Eilish’s producing partner) sits on the nonprofit’s board of directors, and Eilish has offered to help by sponsoring the company’s six-day “Overheated” climate. conference which took place in June.
“When they were little, we would sit in the park with a lot of kids and talk about books. And as you get older, of course, you get a lot of dystopian novels, like you do. As we read those dystopian novels, everything what I could think of is that we’re living in a goddamn dystopian novel. We’re living like we’re on page 10 of book one. We’re on book four, like page 325. If that’s” Harry Potter” is like 782. We need to start acting like where we are in this novel. It’s urgent,” Baird said.
Through Support+Feed, Baird has worked to provide people across the country with access to plant-based foods. The company started in Los Angeles and has since expanded to New York, Washington DC and Philadelphia, focusing on communities most affected by food insecurity and climate change.
“We have been incredibly slow to deal with the disaster, which is animal agriculture. And it’s time. We’re out of time. So I know there are a lot of you right now. Please use your rig, modify your production, review your craft services and meals to serve your crew as well as business lunches and board meetings,” Baird continued.
“Plant-based foods are not the only solution to climate change. But there is no solution without it. so we have the privilege of choosing what we eat for the people most affected by climate change who are least responsible for it,” she said.
Hosted by Wendie Malick and David Piquethe evening’s outdoor ceremony was greeted with hearty plant-based creations and also featured appearances from young activists who were paired with influential actors, models and industry figures such as Paris-Jackson and Emile Hirsch to present each prize.
Nikki Roseau walked the carpet alongside his former “Twilight” castmate Pierre Facinelli and his frequent collaborator, director Catherine Hardwick, who presented her with the Innovator Award for creating her sustainable jewelry line BaYou with Love. Onstage, Reed recounted how she quit acting five years ago and turned to the new venture, a venture at the intersection of sustainability, technology and business.
“I quit acting and started my whole life over and did something really scary,” she told the crowd. “I left the only career I’ve ever known to try my luck.”
Reed then addressed the growing problem of climate change in her remarks, citing an analogy from Jane Goodall (of whom she is a self-proclaimed “stalker” fan) to reflect the interconnectedness of life.
“I was left with this beautiful visual of how truly we are all one. This mural that she painted with her words about our forests, our oceans and our animals and how, if we think of it as a kind of beautiful living tapestry, then when each species goes, it’s like pulling a thread of this tapestry,” she said. Explain. “And there are only a certain number of sons. We are unraveling.
Reed also passed on the need to teach the next generation to “fall in love with nature.” “Otherwise there’s no future,” Reed said. “I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to look at my kids or grandkids 50 years from now and say ‘I’m sorry.’ I want to look back and say “I was there and I did something”.
Nye accepted the reality TV program award for his Peacock series “The End is Nye,” through which he sheds light on the various science-based environmental issues plaguing the planet.
“We make the world a better place through science. So if you’re not optimistic people, we’re not going to do anything,” Nye said. The science TV host closed his speech by urging viewers to keep doing the work to get the EMA’s message across to ‘dare I say, change the world’.
Full list of winners and winners of the evening:
Feature Film – “Don’t Look Up”
TV Episodic Drama – “Yellowstone”: Keep the Wolves Close
TV Episodic Comedy – “Abbott Elementary”: Art Teacher
Children’s TV – ‘Kid Correspondent’: Which snack is best for the planet?
The Hollywood Reporter’s Pictures for the Planet EMA Award for Doc Film – “Eating Our Way to Extinction”
The Hollywood Reporter’s Pictures for the Planet EMA Award for the series Doc – “America the Beautiful: Brave New World”
Reality TV – “The End is Nye”: The paradox of the volcano
Variety Television – “The Trouble With Jon Stewart”: Climate Change
