Last night, several hundred of New York’s most fashionably eco-aware gathered at the Museum of Natural History for a screening of CNN’s “Planet In Peril,” a two-part documentary reported by Anderson Cooper , Dr. Sanjay Gupta, and Jeff Corwin, set to air on October 23rd and October 24th.
The guest list read like the seating chart at Michael’s, and of them at least Larry King, Arianna Huffington (sans crutches) and CNN president Jonathan Klein were visible in the well-dressed crowd.
The chicken and beef skewers were proof that this was no Earth Day rally; and for the generous forestation of the crowd with model-like six-foot waifs, grilled veggies and spinach tartines did the trick.
David Lauren and girlfriend Lauren Bush were just a few among the green movement’s good-looking rear-guard to sip martinis and muse passionately if not altogether scientifically about the dangers of environmental degradation and the magnificence of the planet beyond Central Park.
“They really showed how beautiful our world is,” said the young Mr. Lauren. “It just overshadowed whatever beauty is in this room.”
Girlfriend Lauren Bush smiled and nodded in agreement.
“It’s one of those things we need to look at,” said Dr. Sanjay Gupta, who was looking particularly strapping this evening."People haven’t really taken the time to understand how complex the issue of climate change is … and what’s happening to people all around the world.”
One who has started taking the time: Luigi Tadini, the heartthrob V.P of Tadini Jewelers and a frequent late-night cameo at the fashionable places, explained why he co-founded the Junior Council for Riverkeeper with his good friend, the heiress-model Amanda Hearst. "We knew we needed to get involved in the environment,” he said.
“I had a sense of nostalgia watching all those animals,” said writer-producer Richard Temtchine (Almost Famous , Nothing to Lose.) His latest film (How to Seduce a Difficult Woman) is set to be released in May. “The animals … they reminded me of a woman I used to know … I was in love with a rare breed of turtle!”
But for some guests, attendance at this event—which could just have well been about a Marc Jacobs show as about global warming—was not a sign that serious change was coming.
“Just as yoga has become trendy, being green has become trendy too,” said one guest–who asked not to be named!—as his drink threatened to spill over the lip of his Martini glass. "I mean, you don’t see any ugly shoes or moo-moos around do you?”
The brawny Jeff Corwin, wildlife biologist, admitted as much.
“Do they want to go green because it’s in or because the next generation will blame us?" he asked The Observer. Glancing around at a colorful array of vertically endowed urban celebutantes, he added: “Ultimately, every individual must recognize…that they will leave a footprint on this earth … you have so much you can do!”
And if this party were any indication, that footprint is starting to look more and more like a Jimmy Choo than a Birkenstock.
