Artists Add ‘Big Green’ to Their Palettes : Environment: Major works donated to a benefit for the California Environmental Protection Act.

Eric Orr wants to save the Redwoods. George Herms wants to preserve an audience for his art. Woods Davy wants a good future for his children.

But while differing on the reasons behind their involvement, the 33 mostly big-name artists--who donated works for Saturday’s “Artists Unite for Big Green” benefit--all agree in the good of the cause. What has brought them together is their support for the Tom Hayden-led California Environmental Protection Act of 1990, better known as “Big Green.”

Katie Arnoldi, the wife of participating artist Charles Arnoldi and co-chair of “Artists Unite for Big Green,” said the idea for the fund-raiser came about as a result of conversations with her artist friends, many of whom live at the beach in Venice and Santa Monica, and thus have special environmental concerns related to the ocean.

“It’s something one can’t not get involved with--living on this planet,” said Lita Albuquerque, who donated her 1978 photograph, “Blue Rock,” to the effort. “There was no question that I would participate. We all have to live here and deal with these problems.”

Said Charles Arnoldi, who donated an untitled 1989 monoprint: “The environment is changing so rapidly, and it seems to me that we have to force people to deal with these issues--the atmosphere, the ocean, food. And (Big Green) seems to cover all of those bases. I’m not overly political, but we all owe it to the planet. It may sound corny, but we’ve all got to do something. And if this thing passes, it’s going to force them (the state’s lawmakers) to deal with these issues.”

The initiative, which faces rival measures on November’s ballot, is widely considered the most sweeping environmental initiative ever proposed in California.

Its provisions include: creating an elected Environmental Advocate to enforce all state health and environmental laws; phasing out by 1996 all pesticides shown to cause cancer or reproductive harm in laboratory animals; and phasing out all ozone depleting chemicals by 1997.

Through Saturday’s benefit--a party at Santa Monica Airport’s DC-3 restaurant and a raffle of the artworks--(organizers decided against an auction because they didn’t want certain artists’ works to garner more money than others)--organizers hope to raise close to $200,000. But Arnoldi, who noted that a main goal of the event is to merely create publicity and a push for getting Big Green passed in November, noted that the fund-raising goal might be easily surpassed since “well over $100,000” had already been raised by the middle of this week.

Tickets for the “Artists Unite for Big Green” party--which runs from 1-4 p.m. and will be attended by lawmakers and celebrities--are $75 each. Raffle tickets--the grand prize is 16 of the show’s 32 works--will sell for $100 each.

Information: (213) 395-1990.