My childhood dream was to win an Oscar. I think originally it was for Best Actress, but as I moved from in front of the camera to behind, my dream was to win for Best Director - preferably in the documentary genre. Turns out, the first Hollywood Award ceremony I would attend would be the "Green Awards", in Los Angeles, last weekend.
It all started back in late March at my D3 Green Group meeting. Someone brought to my attention a flyer from the Green Awards/Green Giant contest - the deadline to enter was only 72hrs away. I left the meeting thinking, "Why not go for it"? I'd been working on my "A Greener Apple (NYC)" campaign since 2008, and committed myself to doing my part in Greening the City that I love, by helping to Green the City Schools. Why not enter the contest in the Green Parent category, and make the Green School Film I had wanted to make, not to mention, the Grand prize was $25,000!
I decided to enter, and spent the next 24hrs writing my essay, which had to be a measly 100 words. Then I had to figure out what I would do for my short 1-minute video. By Saturday night at 10pm I had the rough script, as well as, the 99-word essay fleshed out. Time for bed, Sunday was the deadline and I had my work cut out for me!
I made it with 2 hours to spare, not realizing the time difference of the Sunday night deadline.
After I uploaded my submission, the real work began, asking my family, colleagues, Facebook friends, green like-minded parents, etc. to vote for me. Yes, that was a big part of the contest, having people vote for you. And it wasn't just once; you had to have them vote for you for 2-weeks straight - Everyday!
Well, whatever I did seemed to work. On April 6th, 2-weeks after the voting period ended, the finalists were announced and I was one of them! At long last I was being recognized for all the Green Visuals I had produced, and now there was a chance to get the necessary funding to make the Green Schools Film that I so wanted to make.
Twelve of us "Finalists", three in each of the four categories, were flown to LA (with a guest), for the celebrations on Friday, May 13th. It was a wonderful experience - everything was top-notch, honoring the work we were all doing in the Green Space. We had Green Carpet treatment all the way to the venue, and even at the venue! Yes, I walked the green carpet, in my green dress.
Bea Johnson's "Zero Waste Families" took the Green Parent category grand prize. Bea and her family really live a radical waste-free lifestyle and deserve to be recognized for doing so. Bea, so consistent in her messaging, immediately upon receiving the award questioned how she could recycle or re-use the trophy and the bag in which it came. Congrats to all my fellow finalists, and the four grand prizewinners. It was an 'giant' honor being a part of this Award Celebration.
Let us all join together and take the initiative to find our way to making a difference... by changing the lives of people... thereby changing the life of the planet into a sustainable living space for the future!