Stars Talk L.A Wildfires, Home Rebuilds and What to Do With Your Tesla at EMA Impact Summit
Phil Rosenthal, Kevin Nealon, Miranda Cosgrove, Jenna Dewan, Drew Scott and Malin Akerman were among the stars who kicked off the Environmental Media Association event on Thursday.
The Environmental Media Association kicked off its ninth annual Impact Summit on Thursday, rolling out a two-day lineup of stars and activists for wide-ranging conversations about the environment.
A large focus of the summit’s first day was discussing the aftermath of the Los Angeles wildfires that devastated the Pacific Palisades and Altadena areas earlier this year. Jenna Dewan led a conversation about philanthropy and how the city banded together after the fires, while Property Brothers star Drew Scott moderated a panel about rebuilding homes in the destroyed areas.
“You’re rooted in your home, it’s your memories, it’s everything in your life. It’s where you wake up every morning, go to bed every night and it affects every aspect of your life, whether it’s work or relationships,” Scott told the audience at the Pendry West Hollywood. “And we’ve had that ripped away from us, a lot of families did here in January.”
Ben Stapleton, executive director for the U.S. Green Building Council California, noted how “the world is watching us and seeing as Americans, as Angelenos, how do we respond to the tragedy? How do we do this in a way where we come together? Can we rebuild at scale in a way that can be more resilient and be more sustainable, and can we have a different narrative that the world can come see here for the Olympics, for other events, than what they’re seeing coming out of the U.S. right now?”