Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images

During the week leading up to the 84^th annual Academy Awards (which appear to have been watched by more people than last year’s telecast), the Hollywood community made a concerted effort to keep things as environmentally friendly as possible. From a range of eco-friendly events to Livia Firth’s much-discussed Green Carpet Challenge, this year’s Oscar hoopla had a decidedly emerald glow.

Established by Firth in 2010, the Green Carpet Challenge is her annual pledge to wear only eco-positive clothing on the red carpet, and was taken on by an array of stars at last night’s ceremony. Best Actress winner Meryl Streep is already blowing up fashion pages today with the details of her Lanvin gown, which Firth happily related was the French fashion house’s first custom “eco gown.” 

“The gown is gold, full-length and made from Eco Certified Fabric sourced with help from the GCC,” Firth said on British Vogue's fashion blog. “I could not be more delighted!” Firth wore a red Valentino number made from polyester derived from recycled plastic bottles.

As detailed by CNN, actress Missi Pyle from Best Picture winner “The Artist” wore an eco-friendly dress by Miami fashion student Valentina Delfino, who won the “Red Carpet Green Dress” contest held by Suzy Amis Cameron, wife of Academy Award-winning director James Cameron. The dress is so cruelty-free that the silk was taken from silkworms without killing them.

The men also go into the green scene, as reported by Ecouterre. While Colin Firth economically “recycled” his Tom Ford tux from last year’s Oscars, Best Actor nominee Demian Bichir and actor Kenneth Branagh both sported Ermenegildo Zegna tuxedos “made with eco-friendly, non-mulesed merino wool.”

As usual, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have taken their eco-friendliness to the next level. As much as both sides of the power couple are known for extensive charity around the world, their latest green endeavor is much closer to home. One of them, anyway. 

As explained by Contact Music, a family outing to Legoland last had to be curtailed by their security after the park became too populated for celebrity comfort. Thanks to a suggestion by Maddox, one of their six kids, The Sun reports that a source close to the couple says they’re now planning on building an underground theme park on their property in the south of France with an “eco-friendly theme.” According to the Sun’s source, the park will run on solar power and utilize recycled water. Talk about the best play-date ever.

The lean towards green wasn’t just confined to the stars. The notorious “gifting suite” scene where companies bestow celebs with free merchandise (better known as “schwag”) in hopes of a little high-powered exposure was overrun with eco-friendly fun stuff. As reported in the Examiner, among those gifts was the Filter2Go, a specially designed bottle that filters tap water on the go.

UPDATE: Samata Angel was the Global Campaign Director for Red Carpet Green Dress, working closely with Missi Pyle. The dress material was dyed by A Dyeing Art in Glendale, CA.

/Getty Images

BEVERLY HILLS, CA - FEBRUARY 06: (L-R) Actors George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill attend the 84th Academy Awards Nominations Luncheon. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)

It really is quite astounding the myriad ways the Academy Awards and Hollywood in general put their collective green foot forward as the big night approaches. It’s a recurring theme, as this week Global Green held their eco-positive Pre-Oscar bash, where actress Emmy Rossum wore a dress made partly out of pineapple. Across town, a slew of A-list stars hit up a Vanity Fair party, which also hosted Livia Firth’s Green Carpet Challenge, as reported by the L.A. Times. It was the third annual event where Firth (wife of actor Colin) calls out fashion houses to create sustainable gowns for Oscar night.

Far removed from the glitz of Hollywood parties, Best Actor nominee Brad Pitt’s nonprofit organization Make It Right is dealing with environmental issues in a more hands-on fashion. FOX News in Kansas City (Pitt is from Missouri) reports this week that Make It Right is donating $2.3 million towards converting an old school that has sat dormant for more than ten years into a community center with housing, a gym and medical services.

Make It Right was also in the news recently for teaming up with the Santa Monica-based prefab-home manufacturer LivingHomes to create the C6, LivingHome’s first attempt at a prefab structure that’s both sustainable and affordable.

The collaboration between LivingHomes and Make It Right began when they came together to make plans for building 150 LEED Platinum level homes in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans post-Katrina.

Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

(L-R) Actors Kevin Connolly, Adrian Grenier and Jerry Ferrara.

Environmentally minded celebrities like Rosario Dawson, Orlando Bloom and Adrian Grenier will stroll the green carpet (natch) in front of the Avalon Hollywood tonight to support the 9^th annual pre-Oscar party for Global Green, the American affiliate of Green Cross International.

According to the event press release, general admission tickets to the bash are going for a very reasonable $50 (VIP packages start at $1000), and will be available at the door. Proceeds from the event are dedicated for Global Green’s national Green Schools initiative, as well as a campaign around the Rio Earth Summit this June, which they would very much like for President Obama to attend.

The much-discussed Chevy Volt will serve as the event’s automotive sponsor, with Chevy rolling out a “sneak preview” of the 2012 Volt that qualifies for the both the carpool lane sticker and the new $1500 CA Clean Vehicle Rebate.

On the more extreme end of green transportation, immensely cool 100% electric motorcycle the Xenon by Evolve will be auctioned off for Global Green’s causes. Reminiscent of the light cycles from the movie "Tron: Legacy," these futuristic bikes should really come with a Daft Punk helmet.

The evening will be powered by the music of headliner Shelia E (who always sets a party off right) and DJs Michael Smith and KCRW-FM radio host Garth Trinidad.

Semper Fi: Always Faithful

Former Marine Corps Sgt. Jerry Ensmigner lost his daughter to a rare form of leukemia and later discovered the drinking water on the base where his family lived was contaminated.

Following last week's posts on nominees for the Academy Award for Documentary Features comes another film: Semper Fi: Always Faithful. 

The documentary, directed by Rachel Libert and Tony Hardmon, traces the history of one of the worst water contamination incidents in U.S. history. 

It focuses on former Marine Corps Master Sgt. Jerry Ensminger's struggle after the death of his 9-year-old daughter Janey, who was diagnosed with a rare type of leukemia. Ensminger, who served for almost 25 years, discovers that the Corps he dedicated his life to was also the source of severe water contamination that was hidden from the public.

The contaminated drinking water at Camp Lejeune, a Marine Corps base in North Carolina, exposed nearly one million people to toxic water. 

Ensminger and his family lived on the base during the time of peak contamination, which was estimated to have begun in 1957 and lasted until 1987 when many of the wells were closed. Tests in the 1980's showed the water posed some health concerns, but residents were never notified, even after the well closures.

In 1997, Ensminger saw a news report about residents who were exposed to chemicals on Camp Lejeune, and took the Marine Corps motto "Semper Fi," which means "Always Faithful," to heart in his fight for the cause.

The water contained carcinogens from leaking underground storage tanks located 1500 feet from water wells, industrial area spills, waste disposal sites and waste from an off-base dry cleaning business. The chemicals, including trichloroethylene (TCE) and tetrachloroethylene (PCE), can cause conditions such as severe cancers, miscarriages, liver and kidney damage and heart defects, according to the Center for Disease Control.

The levels of these carcinogens found in the water were up to 280 times higher than the maximum level of contamination allowed in drinking water. Ensminger worked for more than a decade to expose the contamination and fight for the people who were devastated by the toxic water.

Legislation named for his daughter is currently pending in the House, with similar legislation in the Senate, that would provide healthcare to former Camp Lejeune residents impacted by the water. 

According to the Huffington Post,"the film stands as a testimony to what happens when the public's health is neither protected nor considered," especially at a time when the EPA is criticized for over-regulation. The Washington Post said the film is driven by the "implacable moral authority" of Ensminger.

The Academy Awards will be presented on Sunday, Feb. 26 at the Kodak Theatre. Other environmental documentaries being considered are "Jane's Journey," and "If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front."

Andre Zacher Neos Film CC Medien

A portrait of Jane Goodall while the documentary was being shot in Tanzania.

The list of nominees for this year's Academy Award for Documentary Feature is out. Of the 15 films, two of them focus on environmental issues and the people and organizations who influence them: "Jane's Journey" and "If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front."

Jane's Journey, written and directed by Lorenz Knauer, traces famed primatologist Jane Goodall's life. From her childhood to her life in Tanzania, where she began research on chimpanzees in 1960, to her current work as an activist, the documentary looks at her message and international influence both in her research and advocacy.

Now, 77, she speaks around the world and raises money for the Jane Goodall Institute, a nonprofit dedicated to understanding and preserving apes and inspiring young people to care about animals and the environment. Readers can get an early inside look at Goodall's life on her blog, which chronicles her travels with photos and videos.

The documentary was filmed in Tanzania, England, USA, Australia, and Greenland, and was released Sept. 16. 

As a girl in England, Goodall dreamed of living with animals. She jumped at the chance to visit a friend's farm in Kenya as a young woman, quitting her job and moving back home to work as a waitress to save for her travel fare, according to her stie.

Three years later, she was a research assistant studying chimpanzees at the Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania. She discovered the animals used simple tools to collect food, a surprising realization because the trait was attributed solely to humans.

Her observations showed that chimps are more like humans than anyone had imagined. They could be kind and altruistic or violent and cruel. She was inspired, and began traveling the world to advocate for conservation. Her book, The Chimpanzees of Gombe: Patterns of Behavior, was published in 1986 and chronicles 25 years of her observations, research and analysis.

Goodall writes on her site that in spite of the seemingly insurmountable problems in the world, she is able to base her hope for the future on four factors: That humans are beginning to understand that the future depends on the Earths, and thus can begin to solve the problem of protecting it, the unyielding human spirit, the resilience of nature and the energy and passion of young people.

It is easy to be overwhelmed by feelings of hopelessness as we look around the world. We are losing species at a terrible rate, the balance of nature is disturbed, and we are destroying our beautiful planet. We have fear about water supplies, where future energy will come from – and most recently the developed world has been mired in an economic crisis. But in spite of all this I do have hope.

Reviews are mixed about the film. The New York Times said it was intellectually flat but it "skirts by on the lightly likable charm of its subject," and the Village Voice called it "journalistically lame."

The Academy Awards will be presented on Sunday, Feb. 26 at the Kodak Theatre. Check back tomorrow for the scoop on "If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front,"which looks at the motives and development of the ELF, by Marshall Curry Productions, LLC.