The Golden Globes will serve a meatless meal to the A-list celebrities attending the annual gala event this Sunday in order to “raise awareness” around “environmental issues.”
The Hill reports that the Hollywood Foreign Press-hosted fete will cut meat from the menu in order to set an example for the average Golden Globes viewer, whose meat-consuming habits, they say, are killing the planet. Don’t worry, though. Celebrities aren’t being asked to skimp. Instead of filet mignon and lobster, Hollywood’s elite will dine on “king oyster mushroom scallops on top of wild mushroom risotto with roasted Brussels sprouts” and “golden beet soup” — a meal concocted just for Sunday’s party by the executive chef of one of the country’s most expensive and exclusive hotels, The Beverly Hilton.
The Hollywood Foreign Press told the Associated Press in a statement that they believe the meal will set an example to average, everyday Americans, of how to approach the issue of climate change in a practical way.
“If there’s a way we can, not change the world, but save the planet, maybe we can get the Golden Globes to send a signal and draw attention to the issue about climate change,” Hollywood Foreign Press Association President Lorenzo Soria said. “The food we eat, the way we grow the food we eat, the way we dispose of the food is one of the large contributors to the climate crisis.”
“People were basically saying it’s too late, we’re ready with all the orders, the holidays and all that,” Soria he added. “But after we began discussions, meeting for one or two days, [the hotel] accepted the change completely. They started to experiment with how to do plant-based meals that was not just their symbolic steps, but also something that guests will enjoy.”
If the HFPA wants to start pressing environmental awareness, though, it might consider starting with the event attendees and not the event viewers. Many of the celebrities who will be in attendance Sunday night will fly into Hollywood for the event on private jets or on commercial aircraft. Still more will travel to the Beverly Hilton for the gala dinner and awards show in limousines from massive California mansions that emit far more carbon than the average American’s home.
The world’s richest 10% — many of whom are A-list Hollywood celebrities — produce half of all global climate emissions, according to the British global NGO, Oxfam. Although he won’t be at the event, action film star Tom Cruise is easily among the world’s worst carbon emitters, for example, owning a small fleet of private jets and several homes, and while he may be a bit ahead of his colleagues, they aren’t far behind.
Leonardo DiCaprio, a Hollywood environmental activist who is often criticized for his hypocritical approach to saving the planet, was among the first to applaud HFPA’s decision to go “plant-based” for the Globes, tweeting, “Thank you HFPA.”
If the HFPA wants to curb carbon emissions, it could also start with its own industry. According to a 2006 UCLA study, Hollywood’s film and television production creates more carbon emissions than at least five other industries in the greater Los Angeles area, including aerospace manufacturing. Only actual petroleum refining was worse for the environment.
Of course, the vegan meal is unlikely to be the only climate change-related grandstanding expected during the Golden Globes. The broadcast begins Sunday night at 8pm.