Image: http://thehighlow.com/2012/02/with-meryl-streep-on-board-is-red-carpet-dressing-going-green/

It’s no secret that I love to watch the Academy Awards every year. Cheering on my favorite movies from the past year, seeing what kinds of drama will unfold during the ceremony, watching people swan down the red carpet — I love it all. This year, I had some extra reason to be happy that one of my favorites, Meryl Streep, won her third Oscar: She was wearing an eco-friendly dress! 

She wasn’t alone, either. Dresses made of sustainable materials are on the rise, with a few celebs rocking the green look (even if their dresses weren’t green in color). Streep’s gold dress was custom-made of eco-certified material from Lanvin.

Eco-friendly fashion on the red carpet is largely due to Livia Firth, wife of Colin Firth, whose Green Carpet Challenge marked its third appearance at the Oscars this year. Everyone who participates in the challenge must wear sustainable ensembles on the red carpet, including the jewelry. Other celebrities participating in the Green Carpet Challenge included Viola Davis, Kenneth Branagh, Demian Bichir, and Michael Fassbender, as well as Livia and Colin Firth, of course.

Livia’s dress is actually made of recycled polyester from plastic bottles.

Image: http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk/columns/belinda-white/TMG9108425/Oscars-2012-Livia-Firth-recruited-Meryl-Streep-and-more-for-her-Green-Carpet-Challenge.html

The best part is that I had no idea I was looking at eco-friendly dresses on these lovely ladies. They didn’t have to sacrifice glamor or sophistication in order to be green, which is how it should be. A couple of years ago, we saw James Cameron’s wife Suzy Cameron wear an eco-friendly blue dress. Natalie Portman is also known for wearing only vegan-friendly clothing.

Hopefully one day, sustainable materials will be the norm, and we can all dress ourselves responsibly, on the red carpet or off.

Which celeb would you most like to see wearing some eco-friendly fashion?