Last night was the EMAs (pronounced “emmas”, in case you didn’t know), the annual awards gala thrown by the Environmental Media Association in celebration and recognition of those working in film and TV production who are supporting and promoting the green cause both behind the scenes and on camera. Sir Richard Branson and Jason Mraz were both honored last night along with 2012 producers Centropolis Entertainment and National Geographic’s Explorers in Residence Derreck and Beverly Joubert.

Presenters for the evening included Harrison Ford, Calista Flockhart, Kathryn Morris, Ginnifer Goodwin, Olivia Wilde, Alanis Morrisette, Ed Begley Jr., Blythe Danner, Amy Smart, Simon Baker, Dana Delaney, Emily Vancamp as well as Dianna Agron and Kevin McHale from ‘Glee’. Razzi heroes Louie and Vicki Psihoyos also made it back from the controversial screening of their film The Cove in Japan for the event.

Amy Smart and Simon Baker presenting.

It was a pretty lavish shindig with vendors and screens lining New York Street on the Paramount Studios backlot. Tables were lit with faux votive candles, no paper plates in sight as well as eco-luxury gifts and a variety of gourmet and organic foods available all across the outdoor event.

Toyota and Lexus hosted the eco-luxury lounges.

The very excellent Melinda McGraw, from Mad Men and Hank, was on hand and we chatted a bit about how much there is to learn from pioneers like Ed Begley Jr. as well as what she’s been noticing changing on sets in the last ten years. McGraw pointed out that while many scripts are emailed these days it’s still hard to conserve paper with so many changing scripts drafts. Her pet peeve on set? The air conditioning on sound stages. “It does not need to be that cold,” she said. She also noted that she was decked out in all vintage for the evening.

I also caught up with the very talented actress and EMA board member Frances Fisher to talk about on-set habits. She said that because of the largess and temporary nature of film sets it’s hard to know what the better options are for something like craft services flatware. “What’s the impact of disposable plates versus the water used in washing all of these dishes?” It feels like there’s still a lot of assessment to be done on set.

Bill Nye The Science Guy and Ed Begley Jr. both agree that getting out of our cars is the single biggest thing that we can do to help the environment. Nye, back at the EMAs after a few years away, also said that he rides his bike everywhere much to the amusement of his friends. He also has a powerful solar set up at his house which allows him to sell electricity back into the grid.

Derreck and Beverly Joubert, National Geographic’s current Explorers in Residence (definitley in the running for ‘best job ever’) also launched the Big Cat Initiative last night which aims to protect the world’s big cats, starting on their home continent, Africa, but also spanning the world, bringing together governments and NGOs to save these rapidly vanishing creatures.

Along with honorees Branson and Mraz, winners for the evening included Better Off Ted, Brothers & Sisters, The Cove, Food Inc., Disneynature EARTH, The Lazy Environmentalist and Biz Kid$.

Highlights of the evening included a sneak peek at the upcoming 2012, Alanis working her way through Jason Mraz’s extensive list of eco-accomplishments and Cedric the Entertainer’s attempt to get the crowd to relax. I can also say that I hope that Blythe Danner and Sir Richard’s broken limbs heal quickly. What troopers!

Check out this exclusive clip of Jason Mraz performing “I’m Yours”.

“Let’s say you’re a vegan or if you choose to eat raw food. Well, that makes you a little more conscious about what you’re putting in your body, therefore, raising your consciousness, if you will. And the same thing goes for being conscious about thoughts, your own thoughts, and what you’re telling yourself, how you’re living your life, how you’re creating a life experience for yourself. That is definitely going to bring in how the world shows up for you, and how you can see the world improve in certain areas, or how you could inspire certain people to improve their work or outreach and share a little more of life’s resources. There’s really no limit as to how far you can go, and hopefully, the concert we do in San Diego will continue to speak that message.”

– Jason Mraz in a new interview with the HuffingtonPost. His last tour stop in San Diego will benefit the San Diego Youth Services, VH1 Save The Music, and the Surfrider foundation — among many other local charities.

Honorees at this year’s event include Jason Mraz and Sir Richard Branson.

Among the feature films nominated are Earth and The Day the Earth Stood Still. Ecorazzi favorite The Cove is up in the Documentary category along with Food, Inc., No Impact Man and Fuel.

In the TV category, spots went to Grey’s Anatomy for drama, alongside House as well as Brothers and Sisters. Other nominations include The Simpsons in the Comedy category and The Lazy Environmentalist is up for Reality Program.

EMA’s president, Debbie Levin, has said the annual event seeks to honor film and television’s positive role in promoting environmental awareness and sustainable lifestyles.

Photo of Julia Louis Dreyfus at last year’s event: PR Photos

Jason went raw last April when his “trusty sidekick, Toca Rivera…discovered he was Diabetic.”  A year later, Jason likes the diet so much that he’s still rocking it.

To help promote his Cafe Gratitude tour, Jason has been releasing a series of comical videos that we think are pretty neat.

In one of the latest ones, Jason leaves his assistant to prepare some delicious raw vegan food when…

Well, we won’t ruin the surprise. Just watch below!

Over on his MySpace blog, Jason Mraz has once again enlightened us on an aspect of his new, raw vegan life: Breakfast.

The 32-year-old explores his old early morning eating habits — and how he used to feel pretty much like crap with the sugary stuff he was throwing down. He also makes a highly generous plug for Vitamineral Green from Healthforce Nutritionals. Here’s a bit from the post:

The secret to a great day is how you start your day. And for the past year and a half I’ve avoided eating a heavy traditional breakfast. Instead, I merrily jumpstart my day with the ever-so-awesome Vitamineral Green from Healthforce Nutritionals.

One heaping scoop of this stuff in the morning provides an insane amount of goodness for the body. The powdered greens (from dehydrated plants and algae among other things) taken by itself is enough to live on. It goes straight to the blood and straight to the brain and stays with you all day. I stir mine every morning with ONE-Brand Coconut Water, but I prefer to blend it also with some Flax Oil, Freelife Goji Juice, Avocados, Maca Spice (the Peruvian Viagra) and a few dates. I even do Cayenne pepper on mornings that I want something savory. The flavor options are unlimited and there’s no way you can overdose on the stuff.

But I’m no gentleman and I practice unconditional love, which is why I don’t mind mentioning it. Perhaps Vitamineral Green can simplify your morning and amplify your days as it has mine. I constantly face the challenges of appearing in new time zones, performing late shows followed by early morning flights and repeat workdays, trying on new languages and meeting all kinds of new people that I care to be present for. Traditional breakfast doesn’t help me rise to the occasion. The delicious green shakes do.

Well, if the whole singing thing doesn’t work out — Mraz certainly has all the makings of a pitchman! Anyone ever tried Vitamineral Green?

Jason Mraz

“Maybe we should stop trying to save the world. After all, the world I grew up in is soiled with bigotry and homophobia, war upon war, pollution, hunger and poverty. Who wants to save that? Some people do. Some people fear change. And they will fight others and pollute the earth in order to not have to change, to cling to what they’re used to. ”

“What if instead of saving the world – we say we are creating a new one? Last years rally for change in the Obama campaign was a preview of what we’re capable of. By simply trying on new ideas and being okay with letting go of old routines, we can cause an amazing shift on this planet.”

Mraz then goes on to say that we should let go of things we cling to that prevent us from moving forward. Simplifying our lives, while giving those random things away to those less fortunate, recycling, etc. He’s also been inspired by the Humanifesto over at The Superforest. It’s main theme is that good manners are the key to saving the planet. Be kind to others, have that spread, and the world will naturally right itself. It’s a nice, short read.

Also — the singer’s new solar array construction is making progress. Just as we would be (if we had the cash), the guy is totally psyched to tap into the sun. Check out his full entry here.

During the American Idol finale, Jason Mraz revealed backstage that he was getting ready to power his farm with new solar array. Now, the wordplay singer has posted a photo on his blog showing the groundbreaking of the new install. He writes,

“This week on the farm we broke ground on our new sun system. We’re going solar! In just a few days, an array of shiny collectors will mark a celebrated site among the oil green avocado trees. Our system will allow us to run both the house and studio on sun power alone, even on cloudy days, eliminating yet another consuming property from the power grid.”

“With the sun estimated to burn another 5 billion years, I’m stoked about my energy independence. In addition to having a 0.00 electric bill, my solar system will at times send energy back into the grid, reducing the amount of coal or nuclear energy required to keep Southern California illuminated. (The meter on the house actually runs backward when this happens.) San Diego isn’t yet paying for the energy I have to share, but there is a possibility of donating the excess energy to other households.”

We’re stoked for Jason too — and look forward to additional photos of his progress! Check out his blogging goodness here.

“I became environmentally aware when I bought a house and had my own patch of earth to care for,” Mraz said. “I started to notice the trash and the amount of waste and the energy I was consuming. This year I went full out and went solar — everything runs on solar energy. We feel that our little piece of the earth is well and if that can rub off on my neighbor or people who ask me about it, great.”

We’re not absolutely sure if Mraz’s home is off-grid, but it appears that whatever array he’s rocking is definitely more than enough. According to Miller, the guy also composts — so for those that continue to worship at the alter of Mraz, your adoration is not undeserved.

Image credit: PR Photos

We love Twitter — not just because we get to communicate with people in 140 characters or less (Soon, everyone will speak this way too) but because it also gives us yet another insight into what some of our favorite green celebrities are up to. Of course, as some will point out, knowing exactly when someone is about to order a latte isn’t exactly riveting stuff, but for those that are already enjoying the Twitterverse, let us point you towards these five green celebrities we’re enjoying tweeting with.

1. Jason Mraz | twitter.com/jason_mraz
Our favorite raw foods musician Jason Mraz rocks out Twitter several times a day with everything happening while on tour. Our latest favorite insight? A brief video of the raw foods kitchen serving Mraz and Co. while on the road. Raw Food Chef & Resident “Joyologist” Tricia Huffman directs the creation of this yummy grub. Check it out here.

2. Soleil Moon Frye | twitter.com/moonfrye
The former Punky Brewster (we can’t help but mention it) is one solid green momma — with an eco-friendly baby shop in LA (and online) called The Little Seed. Frye is definitely a Twitter addict and streams out several tidbits a day. Our most recent favorite? “My daughter Poet just told me that she doesn’t like our wall paper paper. She wants us take it down + I’m actually considering it. She’s 3.”

3. Ed Begley Jr. | twitter.com/edbegleyjr
If you’re one of the few people actively stalking Ed Begley Jr, you’ll enjoy his Twitter feed — which pretty much let’s you know what events he’ll be at in the coming days. Sure, it’s pretty stale — but we have high hopes that he’ll soon start chatting about solar ovens, violent encounters with Bill Nye the Science Guy, and/or those semi-funny Dish TV ads I’m always seeing him in.

4. Richard Branson | twitter.com/richardbranson
The 58-year old billionaire is one of our greener capitalists — with several eco-initiatives and projects underway to help fight climate change and push us towards renewable technologies. Our favorite tweet so far? “Arianna Huffington and I chatting on Virgin America’s inaugural flight to OC. Have put my trousers back on.”

5. Moby | twitter.com/thelittleidiot
This groovy jam creator is also a hardcore vegan and animal rights activist. Needless to say, his Twitter snips are funny and bizarre — with everything from where he’s headed for some vegetarian chili to what the Empire State Building looks like covered in clouds. Our most recent favorite: “Last night I went to rev jens book party and saw a woman make paintings with her vagina. Also an all elf go-go dance troupe. I love rev jen.”

Did we miss anyone? (Al Gore doesn’t count.) Let us know below who you enjoy following and we’ll mention them in our second green celebrity twitter round-up! (Oh yea, and don’t forget to follow us!)

What can 13 indigenous grandmothers do when they put their heads together? Answer: a whole hell of a lot. 

Singer, vegan and raw foodist Jason Mraz recently took to his personal blog to write about The International Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers and all their world-saving work. Mraz writes:

“Recently I was turned onto the work of the 13 Indigenous Grandmothers; an action team of women from the four corners of the globe who have formed an alliance to bring balance to Mother Earth and all her inhabitants for the next seven generations to come,“ he wrote in his latest blog. “To do work intended for seven generations is a remarkably selfless act indeed. Imagine making something that you know is meant for someone 200 years from now. It’s like planting a tree. In your lifetime you may not be able to swing from it’s branches, but long after you’re gone, many families will.“

The group is formed of women from all over the world who work together to represent a global alliance of prayer, education and healing for our Mother Earth, all Her inhabitants, all the children, and for the next seven generations to come.

Mraz continues, “Are you choosing to think it’s too late to save the planet because you’re not seeing immediate results? Are you personally choosing not to change your diet and bad habits because you think it will make this week suck? Well, think of that distant you in the future who will look back and hug you for the powerful shift in consciousness you decided to make right now.”

Take a scroll on over to GrandmothersCouncil.com and learn what these 13 awesome chicks are up to next!

via: looktothestars.org