Who's got the greenest balls of them all?

Dueling green galas on the eve of the inauguration 7

Muckraker: Grist on Politics

The New York Times reports on the competing green balls that will welcome in the new president tonight. There’s Al Gore’s green gala and another ball put on by the International Conservation Caucus Foundation. (A third green ball, hosted by Planet Green, already took place on Saturday night.)

Tonight’s dueling balls showcase an interesting dichotomy within the green movement.  Gore’s ball, which has more of an activist bent, is co-hosted by the Sierra Club, the Natural Resources Defense Council, Earthjustice, the Vote Solar Initiative, and Youth for Environmental Sanity, among many other groups and businesses. Wal-Mart, KPMG, and the American Gas Association are also on board, but these and other corporate sponsors have incorporated green practices into their businesses, say the Gore folk. The organizers are decorating with tree seedlings, using recycled-fiber carpet, recycling and composting waste, and offsetting their carbon emissions. The food is going to be organic, and cooked across the street, to lower the carbon footprint, natch. Will.i.am and Maroon 5 will serenade the crowd.

The International Conservation Caucus Foundation’s ball is hosted by The Nature Conservancy, Conservation International, and WWF, among others, and will be just a few blocks down the street. “Roses will be flown in from Ecuador. Marinated beef is being flown in from Texas to Virginia, where it will be grilled and then trucked to the auditorium,” reports the Times. “We are not into symbolism,” said caucus president David H. Barron. “We are focused on a much bigger impact.”  As the Times puts it, “the caucus gala sticks to its philosophy that the environment and wildlife are most effectively protected by governments and businesses.” To that end, sponsors include ExxonMobil, Chevron, International Paper, and Wal-Mart (which appears to be hedging its bets).  Famous anticipated guests include Robert Duvall, Bo Derek, and Ed Norton.

I’ll be reporting from the Gore gala this evening, so you’ll get the inside scoop. (Don’t worry, I’ll be taking public transit and recycling my prom dress.)

Kate Sheppard is Grist’s political reporter.

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  1. davedenali Posted 3:58 am
    19 Jan 2009

    We Ho for the Environment. ExxonMobil is one of the largest single sources of greenhouse gas emissions on the planet, a dedicated supporter of extreme anti-environmental candidates over the years, and is widely reported to have funded numerous "think tanks" that produced global warming denier reports -- helping lead to public misperceptions that persist to this day.
    If the Times piece about TNC, WWF and the International Conservation Caucus Foundation is accurate and they accepted ExxonMobil as a sponsor, they are beneath contempt.  This is the equivalent of inviting Dick Cheney to give your keynote speech and putting Bush on your Board. There is a point where you no longer have any credibity, and when you take Exxon as a sponsor, you're there.  

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  2. davedenali Posted 4:07 am
    19 Jan 2009

    David Barron, get real."We are not into symbolism," said caucus president David H. Barron.
    It wasnt actually the symbolism part that bothered me David. It was the utter baseless hypocrisy and greenscamming of the public --  For starters.
    Exxon?  You people agreed to be sponsored by Exxon???  Bush-Cheney lovin, greenhouse gas emittin', global-warming denier fundin, Alaska despoilin' and justice-delayin' for 20 years Exxon?  We're not talking "symbolism" David.  We're talking SELLOUT.  We're talking GREENWASH.

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  3. davedenali Posted 4:46 am
    19 Jan 2009

    last noteThe Bush/Cheney Administration and Exxon are the same people. They attended the same secret Cheney-led lunches where they undid our environmental laws. They sang from the same global-warming-denier hymnal. Accepting Exxon in an "environmental gala" is a way of pretending that eight years of Bush-Cheney-Exxon didnt matter.  And that is a filthy lie -- we lost 8 years we didnt have to lose.

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  4. Delay And Deny's avatar

    Delay And Deny Posted 5:16 pm
    19 Jan 2009

    Now, How Many Green Edicts Does That Violate?

    I have created a term for the Obama Administration...Let's call it the Age of Hypocrisy.    Do as I say, not as I do, as my dad used to bellow.
    "Roses will be flown in from Ecuador..."
    Huh?  What happend to localism?  What happened to not using aeroplanes needlessly?   What happened to any sense of rationality?
    Yep...we can see it for what it is -- a coterie of elites, parting at Versailles (or should I say Versace) and throwing crumbs down to the Commoners.



    You are now living in the Hansen Economy!

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  5. davedenali Posted 8:29 pm
    19 Jan 2009

    clarificationjaballo, Barack Obama doesnt have the first thing to do with the choices made at a Nature Conservancy/World Wildlife Fund/CI ExxonMobil Green Phonies Party.  Nor does James Hansen.  Note that at the real green organizations event the food choices are very different -- and defensible.

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  6. amazingdrx Posted 1:43 am
    20 Jan 2009

    Good DaveSomedbody has to throw the jabbering one the ocasional bone.  We all need a reminder of the bush era, right here and now, everyday.
    When the gibberish stops that means the bushwackers have gone underground and will surely fool the voters once again.  Jeb is still awaiting his turn.
    And commander in chief Palin still appeals to the undead too.

    http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog John Schneider, Northern Wisconsin

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  7. Say What Posted 8:52 am
    27 Jan 2009

    The NGO version of private jetsSay what? We flew in underprivileged kids from Kenya to sing for us? Trust me, you could have found plenty of underprivileged kids in DC who can sing. Apart from the inexcusable carbon footprint, what about the cost? With the massive, massive budget problems at the BINGOs, huge layoffs coming, big cutbacks in programs...they had no business spending big bucks on these balls. This is the NGO version of Citigroup's brand new private plane or Thain's 35k crapper. I get the need to wine and dine the people on the Hill, but hey - in this day and age, have some common sense. Tone it down, keep it reasonable. No private jets, no flowers flown from Ecuador. Don't cry poverty and then squander money like this. Donors pay attention, you know.

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