Grades of Green’s 2013 VERTE event at the stunning Bel Air Bay Club on April 11 was an overwhelming success, raising awareness and funds to expand the program that inspires and
empowers students to care for the environment. VERTE, which means “green” in
several languages, was created to recognize some of the environmental champions
who have helped Grades of Green reach over 100,000 students.  With funds raised at VERTE, Grades of Green hopes
to reach even more kids and expand the movement to the next 100,000 students.

This year’s honorees
were Kevin Reilly, Chairman of Entertainment, Fox Broadcasting Company, and
Republic Services.  Reilly, a founding
Board member of Grades of Green, was honored for his unwavering support of
Grades of Green’s vision to make environmental protection second nature in
young minds.  He has been recognized by
the Hollywood Reporter as one of the three leading environmentalists within the
entertainment industry, and has led the environmental effort at Fox by
supporting the development of the “Green Production Guide,” which has been
recently merged with other studios to become a major resource for film, television,
and commercial professionals looking to turn their products green.

Republic
Services is committed to sustainability by reducing consumption and increasing
diversion from the landfill. Republic Services has partnered with Grades of
Green to develop environmental education programs for hundreds of kids in
Inglewood, El Segundo, Torrance, Whittier, and Hermosa areas. As a result, thousands
of kids are being educated on the “how’s” and “why’s” of protecting the
environment, including how to compost, sort waste and recycle on campus.

The
evening featured appearances by Mindy Kaling, creator, executive producer and
star of The Mindy Project, as well as
a live musical performance by Darren Criss, star of Glee.  JD Roth, executive
producer of the ABC’s Splash, hosted
the evening’s festivities for the third straight year.

VERTE
started off with a cocktail reception overlooking the sunset on the Pacific
Ocean, where special wines from Phifer Pavitt were poured, guests got to peddle
the power to make their own ice cream thanks to Peddler’s Creamery, and
students from the Young Musicians Performance Academy performed, accompanied on
vocals by Grades of Green Youth Board Advisor Jane Fishman.

Guests
got to use their mobile phones to bid on some incredible auction items, ranging
from trips to Africa and Mexico to visits to TV shows like Big Bang Theory and the
American Idol finale, to name just a few of the hundreds of items that were
available to bid on.

In
addition to Mindy Kaling, Darren Criss, and JD Roth, VERTE was bustling with
several celebrities, including Jake Johnson, Lamorne Morris, Max Greenfield,
and Hannah Simone of New Girl, and
Ali Fedotowsky, former Bachelorette, who interviewed guests as well for E!
Entertainment. Mindy Kaling’s introduction to Kevin Reilly had all the guests
laughing as she joked, “I’m actually a little surprised that I was asked to
introduce Kevin since I hate the environment. I came in a Hummer and I didn’t
carpool because the passenger seats are filled with empty water bottles.”

The
evening ended as Darren Criss serenaded the audience with several songs,
including the Rainbow Connection from his favorite green stars, the
Muppets.  Guests got to cap off the
evening by a visit to Grades of Green’s Swag
Bar, which included an array of eco-friendly items.

To see the full list of VERTE’s sponsors, go here.

To
check out and/or purchase photos from the event taken by Ken Pagliaro, go here.

To see a video about Grades of Green that was shown at VERTE, go here.

To
read more about VERTE see these articles: