Matt Peterson: Diamonds At His Feet

Matt Peterson: Diamonds At His Feet (8)

Global Green

Global Green is synonymous with celebrity. From Leonardo DiCaprio to Brad Pitt, Harrison Ford to Cameron Diaz, all of Hollywood’s socially conscious heavy-hitters are in with Global Green. Which isn’t surprising given LA-based non-profit’s background. Global Green is the US affiliate of Green Cross, which was founded by none other than Perestroika superstar himself, Mikhail Gorbachev. But how did this all come about? To find out the answer to this and many other questions, I headed to Global Green’s HQ on Main Street in Santa Monica

I found Global Green CEO, Matt Petersen (42), in his modest office dressed in organic threads, commuter cup in hand, bike casually thrown against a bookcase. He, like the rest of his staff, embody the green movement. And their homey office — complete with recycling bins, dual flushing toilets and bountiful pot plants — is in stark contrast the glitz and glamour of their annual Oscar bash. But more on that later….

Global Green

SB: What was Gorbachev’s vision for Green Cross and how is Global Green fulfilling that?

MP: Gorbachev had a vision for the need to connect humanity with the environment; in order for humanity to survive it would have to live in harmony with nature. We’re addressing three of the greatest challenges facing humanity: eliminating weapons of mass destruction, ensuring access to clean water and combating climate change. We’ve also worked on green schools, green cities, green building programs as well as sustainability programs. All that came together when Hurricane Katrina happened and we mobilized to go down to New Orleans to help.

SB: What is the role of non-profits in solving our planetary woes?

MP: Non-profits can play a role as catalysts but what I’m really interested in is notion of social entrepreneurship where non-profits — lead by interesting, dynamic people – take risks and make things happen that you wouldn’t otherwise be able to make happen. Social entrepreneurs exist in other worlds, in government they do but they have a harder time because they have many more constraints and same in the business world but they are also constrained by the markets this notion that you have increase shareholder value by ridiculous amounts every quarter, 20% rates of returns and endless growth, the system on both sides is screwed up. We need to start valuing the non-profit sector and the work of social entrepreneurs.

Global Green

SB: Is the media doing a good job? What stories should they be telling that they currently are not?

MP: The media only tells stories that they think are going to sell advertising, now that’s a crass generalization, but when they tell stories about non-profits they don’t get great ratings. There are some exceptions. I think CNN’s Heroes and Discovery’s Planet Green are great and then there’s niche media that’s going on online and in print. The upshot is I don’t the media is doing an adequate job. It was doing a better job in the run up to the Inconvenient Truth. We did some great things too – getting stars into hybrid cars at the Oscars, working with Leonardo DiCaprio over the years and working with Brad Pitt in New Orleans. We broke through the media clutter and helped get the message out. Media loves celebrity and it helps get their attention.

Global Green

SB: No kidding. How did Global Green start working with celebrities?

MP: For a long time I resisted working with Hollywood despite being here. I didn’t feel it was priority. But then in 2001, 2002 I began thinking how do we get thru to the next level. There’s a parable called “Diamonds Are At Your Feet” about a man who goes searching for riches and after losing everything comes back home to discover that what he wanted was right there all the time. I remembered that story when I was talking to a friend of mine who said: “Why don’t you start a committee and invite celebrities?” It was just one of those times when someone gave you the right idea and the confidence to go out and do it. Cut to 2002 and the Summit on Sustainable Development. The media wasn’t giving it any attention. Zippo, nothing. So in mid August we organized a conference asking for Bush to go as well as organizing a petition on climate change. We sent out a bunch of invitation to celebrities and the one person that responded was Leonardo Di Caprio. Leo wrote a speech for the event and invited his friends, Cameron Diaz and Toby Maguire.

Global Green

SB: Lemme guess, the media got interested?

MP: Yes. The resulting press event got more coverage than the World Summit on Sustainable Development. ET did a two-minute story on it; and Extra did a five minute story. At that stage you’d never seen that much coverage for an environmental story in the popular press. It was a huge breakthrough. We recognized that it’s an unfortunate necessity that we have to use celebrities. But we’d obviously hit on something. I know it’s not rocket science, but we’re able to put together the right combination of substance and platform for the celebrity and we get to work with them to make them comfortable for them to partner with us.

Global Green

SB: Tell me about how the Prius became the celebrity’s vehicle du jour for award shows?

MP: That was started by our Red Carpet Green Cars campaign where we got celebrities to drive hybrid cars to the Oscars. It was intended in part to be a silent protest in the run up to the Iraq War and the need for fuel efficiency as well as more domestic initiatives to reduce our dependence on oil. Cameron Diaz, Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins, Harrison Ford and Calista Flockart were amongst the first ones to do it and that was back when the Prius was the little tin can!

SB: Speaking of the Oscars, your party is one of the hottest tickets in town. Who was there this year?

MP: Gavin Rossdale and Sheryl Crowe were there, they put on an amazing show, Heather Graham, Rosario Dawson, Leonardo DiCaprio, James Cromwell, Ed Begley Jr….

Rosario Dawson

SB: Impressive. Okay, it’s all about you now. Enlighten me on a typical day in your life.

MP: Ha! Healthy breakfast. Coffee — always from my commuter cup — which seems to confuse some Starbucks baristas I’ve encountered, especially the ones I encounter while traveling (now, if I come across any uncooperative ones I’ll blast them on facebook). Check emails. Meet with my staff to find out how we’re going to raise money we need to accomplish our projects and achieve our policy goals. Gym. Play basketball or soccer with my son. Spend time with my girlfriend.

SB: Okay, quick fire round. Favorite non-profits?
MP: RAN, Ceres.

Matt Gorbachev

SB: Green people you admire?
MP: David Ore, Paul Hawkin, Sheila Watt Cloutier.

SB: Favorite eco-threads?
MP: Simple shoes, Loomstate jeans, Paul Smith organic cotton dress shirts as well as one killer designer suit (Zegna, Armani) that I’ll wear forever. Seriously, if you look at any photo of me and Brad Pitt, you’ll see I’m always wearing the same suit!

Matt Billyzane

SB: Eco sins?
MP: Travel (work-related) and take-out.

SB: One thing we can do to save the world?
MP: Reduce electricity consumption.

Days after my interview with Petersen, the “Diamonds At Your Feet” parable had stayed with me. What hidden gems would I discover in my own sphere of consciousness if I just looked at things a different way? One thing I knew, it probably wouldn’t be as bling-tastic as Leonardo DiCaprio.