Jemal Countess/Getty ImagesJustin Timberlake was honored this weekend, but not before getting a good ribbing.
What happened?
Timberlake was the big draw at Environmental Media Awards in Los Angeles, where he was given the EMA Futures Award for the development of his green golf course, Mirimichi, in his native Tennessee.
After Jimmy Fallon appeared in a pretaped video riffing on "playing with Justin's balls" during a round of golf, Timberlake cracked, "I'd like you guys to know that I recycle my balls at least three or four times a week—that was a terrible sex joke."
J.T. told reporters on the red green carpet that growing up in rural Tennessee inspired his eco-friendly consciousness. His first big step was his last concert tour.
"We started trying to go zero with our carbon imprint with the bus rides that we took and the plane rides that we took," he told me. "And you kind of realize that It's very easy to look at it and be like, Wow, this is daunting! But when you kind of break it down it; it's a lot easier than you think."
He was presented with his award by TV legend Norman Lear.
He explained how the project came about.
"It started off as a sentimental purchase because it's where my stepfather taught me how to golf," Timberlake said of Mirimichi. "It was special to our family because it was sort of like a community park in a way and they were going to auction it off. So we bought it for sentimental reasons and during our first meeting it was like, What do we do now? It had kind of gone unattended. So I wondered, Is it possible to make a golf course eco-friendly? And it turned out it's possible."
Other EMA winners included the Yogi Bear movie (yeah, the flick featuring Timberlake voicing Boo Boo) and television shows like Futurama, Real Time With Bill Maher and preschool favorite, Bubble Guppies.
The night's afterparty, held on New York Street on the Warner Bros. lot, was decked out with food from celeb eateries like Real Food Daily and Chaya Brasseries as well as booths spotlighting some of the night's sponsors, including Lexus, Britta FilterForGood and Stila makeup.
Grey's Anatomy star Kim Raver said she upped her green living when she became a mom. "I think it gave me a better perspective of wanting to take care of future generations," she said, adding, "We try to do what we can, but you can always go even further."