Green auction raises €1.66m

A GREEN auction of fine art, celebrity experiences, luxury travel and high fashion took in a total of $2.4 million (€1.66m) to benefit the environment.

Organisers said the Green Auction: Bid to Save the Earth held for a second year in March and April, raised $1.4 million at a live auction at Christie’s and more than $750,000 from an online auction, led by a three-night private yacht cruise in Cannes which sold for $100,000.

Four environmental nonprofits will benefit from the auction — Conservation International, Oceana, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and The Central Park Conservancy.

Bidders at the live auction paid as much as $100,000 to spend a day with former President Bill Clinton or a trip to Hollywood to attend the hottest Oscars parties.

A one-hour tennis lesson with John McEnroe fetched $26,000.

Oceana board member Susan Rockefeller, one of the auction’s co-hosts praised the event for its ingenuity and creativity.