Celebrity Trash

There's something about Jon Stewart that reminds me of Kermit the Frog. The dark eyes, the pensive, self-deprecating humor. Or maybe just the greenness, which in Jon's case is coming less from a cozy felt skin than from the Oscars. Oscars can be recycled, you know. Apparently the Academy does get some back, to be re-polished and sent on their way to delight another celebrity. These are the things I learn from our professional event greener, Darby Hoover.

Darby was headed out to her secret underground bunker where she'll be fielding calls and emails up until the last minute about greening the Oscars. It's her second time working with Oscar to put some green behind the glitz, so I asked her for her favorite item this year. She said, "Garbage."

Yep, this year there will be compost bins available throughout the Kodak theater, including at the Governor's Ball. What silverware Wolfgang Puck and his crew can't provide as real flatware will be biodegradeable. This celebrity compost will not be directly for sale, so those of you hoping to fertilize your azaleas with Keira Knightley's crudite are out of luck. And the power LADWP's providing for the telecast? 100% renewable. Paparazzi, you'ld best be recycling those flash batteries.

The Oscars are a bit modest about this greening. Apparently you will not be seeing the tiny compost bins on the red carpet. After the year of Inconvenient Truth, where green politics were front and center, it's nice to see the Oscars continuing their commitment to being green even out of the spotlight. Much like we'd hope for all kinds of environmental policies, that they become part of our daily lives, efficiently working behind the scenes. Like Darby is right now.

Oh, and American Idol? Darby's waiting for your call.