Boogeying to Bollywood music, watching Tango and belly dance performances, a photo slideshow and more made for an eclectic evening at the Bollywood Blowout fundraiser at the Ideal Hotel, operated by Red Lotus Society. Proceeds went to both Red Lotus Society, which promotes meditation and peace, and the GP2 Project related to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
Miche Walsh, the leader of the GP2 Project, part of a non-profit Walsh founded called Act Globally, Think Universally, Inc., educated the crowd about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a swirling gyre of marine litter trapped by ocean currents. Walsh said there are actually two patches – a shocking total of 1.5 times the size of the United States. One patch is off the coast of Japan, and the other extends from off the coast of San Francisco to Hawaii. Sadly, sea turtles, fish and other wildlife are dying by the millions from eating the plastic and debris. The first-ever global green cleanup expedition is planned for the spring of 2010.
Guests learned about this environmental crisis, but we also had fun dancing, socializing, checking out the silent auction, and feasting on Indian samosas and other veggie food. The dinner was served on compostable plates and utensils were made of potatoes. Our cups, too, were biodegradable, made of corn.
Hopefully the event inspired people to make conscious future choices like buying reusable water bottles rather than individual plastic ones thrown away after one use, and educating themselves about how their habits affect the planet. A recent story on CNN told the masses one of the most significant ways to improve climate change is to turn to a vegetarian diet. Vegan diets and raw food diets are even more beneficial to our fragile earth.