Recycled outfits take centre stage at Eco Oscars
Guests gather on green carpet as Prince William’s Earthshot Prizes reward environmental pioneers
IT WAS not your average red carpet – in fact, it wasn’t red at all.
As the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge followed A-list actresses into the Earthshot Prize last night, the carpet was a vivid shade of green and there were no new designer outfits in sight.
Guests at the “Eco Oscars” were instructed not to buy new dresses or suits for the occasion, “upcycling” old favourites for their big entrance.
The Duchess of Cambridge wore a 2011 Alexander Mcqueen gown, first seen at a Bafta event in Los Angeles during a royal tour to the United States in the same year.
The Duke, who paired a black polo neck with a dark green velvet jacket he wore to a 2019 charity gala – recalling Daniel Craig on the red carpet earlier this month – pointed out the green carpet to his wife as they arrived at Alexandra Palace in an electric Audi.
Dame Emma Thompson, who gave out one of the awards, said the invitation to the awards specified that guests bear the environment in mind, making sustainable fashion choices to avoid any further impact on the planet.
The awards, masterminded by William, saw five pioneers take home £1million each, in recognition of their efforts and inventions to solve key environmental problems from air pollution to climate change.
They included an Indian entrepreneur whose tractor-mounted technology converts crop residue into fertiliser and fuel, drastically cutting air pollution, and a company in the Bahamas which grows new, extra-resilient coral to replace dying reefs.
One climate-friendly winner has developed hydrogen technology prize judges promise will “change the way we power our world”, while the city of Milan won for its food waste hubs taking unused meals from supermarkets and distributing them to the hungry, and the Republic of Costa Rica, which pays citizens to plant trees.
The live ceremony was not without its glitches, as a laughing Dame Emma confessed to the audience that her microphone failed after she dropped it into the lavatory under the eco-friendly lighting.
Prize-winners appeared via video link, with guests asked not to fly into Britain especially for the awards, with plant-based canapés and music sets powered by cyclists.
The Duchess of Cambridge, presenting an award in a rare speaking appearance on television, said: “For too long we’ve neglected our wild spaces, and now they’re facing a number of tipping points. If we don’t act now, we will permanently destabilise our planet and rob our children of the future they deserve.”
The Duke, addressing young people watching, promised: “For too long, we haven’t done enough to protect the planet for your future. But Earthshot is for you. In the next 10 years, we are going to act. Keep learning, keep demanding change, and don’t give up hope.”
On the green carpet, Dame Emma – wearing a teal Stella Mccartney suit and vegan trainers – said she had chosen to repeat the same outfit she wore to her 2018 investiture for services to drama, at Buckingham Palace. “They said you’re not allowed to buy anything new so I wore the last thing I wore when I saw Prince William,” she said. “Including my Dame badge.”