Voting opens for Best Green International Celebrity award

(AFP PHOTO/Thiago TEIXEIRA)

On August 5, voting for the Best Green International Celebrity at the International Green Awards opened to members of the public. This year's nominations include former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney, actress Cameron Diaz and supermodel Gisele Bündchen.

Now in their sixth year, the International Green Awards are designed to honor creativity and effectiveness in sustainability and environmentally friendly practices. The awards honor companies from around the world across 20 categories including Best Not-for-profit Green Organization and Best Green Advertising . Winners of this year's awards will be announced on Thursday, November 24.

Voting for the Best Green International Celebrity runs until the middle of October (exact date is yet to be confimed); voters have a choice of selecting one of 15 international nominees, including Cameron Diaz, Paul McCartney, Gisele Bundchen, Chinese actress Li Bing Bing, actor Rahual Bose from India and Sheikh Abdul bin Ali Al-Nuaimi of the Saudi Arabian royal family. More details and a full list of the nominees are available via the website of the International Green Awards.

According to a statement by the International Green Awards, the Best Green International Celebrity awards are designed to "raise the bar around the 'cult of celebrity'" and "put the spotlight on those who [...] harness the power of the media, [and] challenge conventional thinking on the climate agenda." The awards also note that celebrities have an enormous influence on trends - influence that could be used to promote environmental causes.

Later in the year the annual eco-themed beauty contest Miss Earth also uses image to promote environmentally beneficial causes. Winners of the contest are judged on both looks and environmental knowledge and will be announced on November 12, after which they will spend a year promoting their chosen eco-cause.

International Green Awards - http://www.greenawards.com

Best Green International Celebrity page - http://www.greenawards.com/about/best-green-celebrity/nominees

Miss Earth - http://www.missearth.tv/