Thanks to my friend Jeremy Marin, I attended the annual Earth Night fundraiser put on by the Environmental League of Massachusetts on Wednesday. After the year that environmental governance enjoyed in the state, it was a night to celebrate, and perhaps to crow a bit, and they did.

The VIP reception beforehand was supposed to feature climate champ Ed Markey, but he was off in China, discussing global warming policy with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other colleagues. That guy has to work on priorities.

Standing in for him, or perhaps he had planned to be there from the beginning, was Ian Bowles, every bit on Markey's level as an advocate, but at the state level. The secretary of energy and environmental affairs noted several successes from the recent past, and said he sees the federal government "borrowing a lot from the Massachusetts playbook."

In the main meeting space, ELM president George Bachrach's theme was "now is the time," which he worked with a pleasant cadence. It's the time in Washington to address greenhouse gases, not only in Congress but in the White House. It's the time to send the message to the auto industry that "living in the 19th century is not enough. They have to come into the 20th century, and maybe someday into the 21st." He mentioned a couple of the legislative victories, including the Green Communities Act, adding, "That is why we are here, to convince those in power that now is the time."

He was followed at the lecturn by Jim Gordon, the president of Cape Wind, who picked up Bachrach's refrain, perhaps to slightly better effect. While Bachrach had spoken, schmoozing continued barely abated in a side area, but as Gordon spoke, the kibbitzers slowed, at least for a moment.

The bulk of the speaking program consisted of giving awards to four climate champions, including state Rep. Steve Kulik of Worthington. Among his comments was a shout-out to former House Speaker Sal DiMasi for his leadership on environmental issues; State Rep. Frank Smizik similarly invoked DiMasi in a conversation during the reception.

Other recipients were Steve Long, director of governmental affairs at the Nature Conservancy; Jihad Rizkallah, vice president for design and engineering at Stop & Shop; and Ralph Earle III, for 18 years' service on ELM's board.