View photos from the CNI Benefit Dinner 2003
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Lizette Castano, (213) 746-2966
ROB REINER PRESENTS LAURIE DAVID, ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVIST,
WIFE OF LARRY DAVID, WITH
THE CHILDREN'S NATURE INSTITUTE LEAF AWARD
Santa Monica – At a private benefit, on Sunday, October 12, The Children's Nature Institute (CNI) honored Laurie David at Melisse Restaurant.
Rob Reiner presented David with the CNI Leaf Award, proposing that there should be a ban on human cloning, but with a "Laurie David exception" citing that such an exception would stop global warming and the war on terrorism. "Because we all know if we all drove hybrid cars, we would no longer need one drop of oil from the Middle East," said Reiner. David's husband, Larry David, chimed in from his seat, "And there'd be a lot more shopping!"
David, known for producing commercials that link fuel efficiency to national security, drives a RAV 4 electric vehicle and according to Reiner, is a "massive nudge." When Reiner asked guests to raise their hands if they drove to the benefit in a hybrid or electric car, hands went up mostly at tables with Laurie's guests. "Most of the people here are driving hybrid cars because of Laurie David," Reiner said.
David credited Reiner for inspiring her to seek out her first volunteer job with The Children's Nature Institute in her acceptance speech. "I have a vivid recollection of those first four hours of volunteering- I was assigned to the pipe cleaners and twig section, where we made ladybug masks and caterpillar capes for the [Kids' Nature Festival]. I consider this my first foray into environmental activism," David remarked. David sat on the CNI Board of Directors in the early 1990's. Ten years later, David now works on a wide range of environmental issues including global warming, fuel efficiency, and blocking Bush administration environmental rollbacks. Currently on the CNI Advisory Board, David is also a Trustee of the Natural Resources Defense Council, and Chair of the P.S. Arts Board of Directors.
"According to the Trust for Public Land, Los Angeles has fewer areas of parkland than any other major city in the country, which means that 75% of children don't live within walking distance of a park," said David. She continued to say that organizations like The Children's Nature Institute can easily be trampled by "flashier, bigger budget and higher profile organizations. But…we're all here tonight to try to protect it."
David's husband, Larry David, while not in the spotlight during the event, included a piece entitled "Ode to My Wife" in the evening's tribute book in which he claimed that the woman who sleeps in his bed, is not the woman he married. "The woman I married would not chastise me for flushing a toilet. This is where I draw the line."
Melisse owner Chef Josiah Citrin offered his praise for The Children's Nature Institute, peppering the evening with his own "nudging," urging guests to raise bids at the silent auction for this "wonderful organization."
Thirteen-year-old Eli Stein, one of the youngest people to ever climb Mount Whitney, spoke about his experience as a "Kid Leading Kids" (junior volunteer guide) for The Children's Nature Institute, and narrated a video about CNI's Outreach program for underprivileged children. "Young kids see the world differently than adults. When kids see a pill bug curl up into a ball, they want to play with it. Adults sometimes want to explain why they're doing what they're doing and how they did it. What we all need to know, young or old, is that they are a part of a mysterious and magical world."
The Children's Nature Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that meets the unique need of providing environmental education for the youngest children in Los Angeles (newborns through 8-year-olds). Run almost entirely by trained volunteers, every year CNI serves 15,000 children, parents and teachers with educational field trips to parklands, in-class nature education workshops and the Kids' Nature Festival.
Proceeds from the benefit will help fund the CNI Outreach Discovery program for underprivileged children in Los Angeles' poorest and lowest-performing schools, children living in shelters, and children with disabilities.
The CNI Leaf Award is presented to members of the community who have supported and championed environmental education for young children. Past CNI Leaf Award recipients include former Councilmember Mike Feuer in 2001, Kelly and Allan Brown in 2000 and Santa Monica Mountains naturalist and author, Milt McAuley in 2000. # # #
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CNI Benefit Dinner 2003
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