Anna Cummins, founder of 5 Gyres, was honored with a Golden Goody Award (aka Oscar for social good) on Saturday, Dec. 8 for her work to stop plastic pollution, during the greater Los Angeles chapter of the USNC for UN WOMEN First Annual Special Assembly.
This event was held at the SGI Culture of Peace Resource Center in Santa Monica, and included an environmental leaders panel, the awards presentation, fashion show by designer Marina DeBris, and international exchange of local sustainable businesses with organic food.
TV host Sarah Backhouse (Future360.tv) presented this lifetime achievement award on behalf of the Goody Awards in a packed room of about 150 plus women and men with global reach.
Backhouse said Cummins was dedicated to stopping plastic pollution that she even spent her honeymoon crossing the North Atlantic Gyre with her husband and co-founder, Dr Marcus Eriksen, who was there with their new baby girl.
During the presentation, Goody Awards Founder Liz H Kelly also congratulated Cummins and gave a shout out to local fashion designer and artist Marina DeBris, who built a special Golden Goody Award stand made out of trash that included a plastic mermaid, snorkel and shovel.
This Golden Goody Award recognizes Cummins’ decade of dedication in non-profit environmental and marine conservation focused on stopping plastic pollution.
She’s the co-founder of The 5 Gyres Institute and Tedx speaker, who has worked for Save our Shores and Algalita Marine Research, and received a fellowship from the Sustainable Communities Leadership Program.
Along with Cummins, the environmental panelists included Dr. Elaine Enarson (founding member of the Global Gender and Disaster Network and founder/co-facilitator of the US Gender and Disaster Resilience Alliance), Martha Dina Argüello (Executive Director of Physicians for Social Responsibility – Los Angeles), and Dr. Richard Matthew (Professor of International and Environmental Politics, UC Irvine).
Many local businesses also sponsored the event, including Mink Shoes, Bird Pick, and Green Light Districts. From ginger root tea to fresh fruits, vegetables and organic juice, there was no shortage of healthy food.
To encourage everyone to get involved, Cummins asked the audience to join the Goody Awards and 5 Gyres “Have a Green Plastic-Free Holiday” campaign that will continue through New Years.
Simply tweet actions you take to prevent plastic pollution (examples: took my own utensils to a holiday party, brought my water container to a hike, etc) with #EcoGoody to join the conversation online.
For the individual with the most #EcoGoody tweets, the Goody Awards will make a charitable donation to the charity of their choice.
For more information and photos of the event, visit goodyawards.com, 5gyres.com, or facebook.com/unwomenla.
