ecorazzi.com :: the latest in green gossip

February 27th 2007

Elizabeth Hurley In Love With Her Organic Farm, Wants Animals

Filed under: animals, buildings and construction, green and famous, healthy living — michael @ 5:31 pm

A few months back, Elizabeth Hurley announced that she was quitting acting and setting up an organic farm. The rest of the world, including her fiancé Arun Nayar, thought she was crazy. Now, Hurley is gushing about her progress and even telling friends to buy animals and trees in lieu of fancy presents for their wedding. From the site, Inside Entertainment,

“The UK’s Daily Snack reported that guests have been asked to skip the silverware in favour of organic Gloucestershire Old Spot pigs, poultry, chicken, cows, lime trees and more.” Another UK site is reporting that, “The pig that Hurley most covets is a Gloucester Old Spot Pig which would cost one of her guests £189. Her ex-boyfriend Hugh Grant has already sponsored a London Zoo monkey called Elizabeth as a wedding gift.”

While the organic status of the farm is not yet certified (a process that can sometimes take a few years), Hurley is still very excited to be involved in the process. “It’s the only place I want to be. When we get our organic status we’re going to farm properly and we’re going to have a herd of cows and proper sheep and proper chickens, and we’re going to have Gloucestershire Old Spot pigs,” she said.”

It’s actually really fantastic to see Liz moving ahead with her plans to truly start an organic farm. It’s also quite smart (and responsible) of her to have guests to her wedding help make the project a reality with their donations of animals and plants. While it’s yet to be seen what products Hurley intends to sell from the farm (something she’s intent on doing), it will be even more revealing as to whether or not the commitment will stick. Once you get the past the romantic notion of owning your own farm, actually running the entire operation is very hard work. Will Hurley be cut out for 4am milkings? We’ll soon find out!

February 27th 2007

Royale With Cheese: Prince Charles Slams McDonalds

Filed under: green and famous — michael @ 5:10 pm

While billions served may not care necessarily about the detrimental effects of scarfing down a Big Mac, Prince Charles thinks differently and is convinced the food chain should be shut down for good. Attending the launch of a public health awareness campaign to fight diabetes in the United Arab Emirates, Charles spoke to nutritionist Nadine Tayara and said, “Have you got anywhere with McDonald’s, have you tried getting it banned? That’s the key.”

The debate concerning the American food chain’s impact on obesity around the world has long been a standing issue. There have been lawsuits filed, documentaries made, protests, and warnings from nutritionists. Some people in the medical field believe eating at fast food chains — even once a month — can have damaging health consequences.

In response to the royal slam, McDonald’s said it was “disappointed”, adding that other royals “have probably got a more up-to-date picture of us”. A McDonald’s spokesman suggested Charles was unaware of the company’s efforts, which included improved labeling and supporting sustainable agriculture.

Prince Charles has long been a supporter of a balanced diet; especially for children. Both him and celebrity chef, Jaime Oliver have worked hard to improve the organic quality of food throughout the UK system. He recently hosted a reception at Clarence House in London for cooks and head teachers to stress the importance of giving pupils healthy meals. Charles also has a farm on his Highgrove Estate in Gloucestershire, England that outlaws the use of artificial pesticides or fertilizers.

February 27th 2007

Oscar Auto Beat: Which Green Wheels Hit The Red Carpet?

Filed under: campaigns, green and famous, honors — michael @ 4:33 pm

It’s been a bit of an uphill climb to find any news on what green vehicles celebrities took to the Oscars as part of Global Green’s Red Carpet/Green Cars campaign. That being said, here’s what we know….and we’ll be sure to update this as more comes in…

>>The Tesla Roadster: We’re still not sure who had the privilege of riding in this vehicle. One site claims that there were 30 of the two-seater Teslas available on Oscar night. We’re going to say that they probably got their numbers mixed up.

>>The Hydrogen-Powered BMW 7: According to Autobloggreen, Davis Guggenheim, director of the Oscar-winning documentary An Inconvenient Truth, arrived in this dual/gasoline vehicle. When both fuels are used together, the BMW 7 can get about 400 miles in between fill-ups. Not bad. On the hydrogen-only level, it has a range of 125 miles. Nice looking car, too.

>>The Plug-in Prius: We can confirm that Leonardo DiCaprio arrived in one of these converted Hybrids–which contain more powerful batteries and can get over 100mpg. Many believe that such exposure is a precursor to Toyota’s next incarnation of the Prius; expected to hit the Geneva Auto Show next month.

>>Standard Hybrid: I can’t confirm this for real, but did Al Gore just show up in a standard Prius? The only pics I saw have him and Tipper standing next to a black Prius. Anyone?

Of course, also included in the Global Green fleet were clean diesel, and ethanol-powered vehicles as well as the all-electric ZAP cars and other models. We’ll have to wait until more information leaks in on who exactly took a ZAP to the carpet. Should be interesting. Stay tuned.

February 27th 2007

Gore Wars! Right and Left Punch It Out Over Al’s Energy Consumption

Filed under: buildings and construction, green and famous — michael @ 10:18 am

The director of Who Killed The Electric Car, Chris Paine, once said “that to be an American, is to be a hypocrite.” Many of us involved in supporting the environmental movement can probably find our own vices that do not reflect the values we support. The simple truth is that we do what we can and work hard to encourage others to do the same. The same can be said for celebrities — some worse than others — but everyone (hopefully) working on enacting change the best that they can.

It’s a valid point to consider that Al Gore has a lot more to account for. As the new symbol of environmental power in America, his time in the spotlight is scrutinized repeatedly. After all, if he wants us to follow the message he’s giving, we have every right to expect him to show us the way through his own actions. If Ed Begley Jr. can drive an electric car, compost in the backyard, and take his home off-grid –all the while encouraging all of us to do the same — shouldn’t Al be humming a similar tune?

After An Inconvenient Truth won the Oscar for Best Documentary, a group called the Tennessee Center for Policy Research released an article showing that Gore’s residence in Nashville consumes more than 20 times the national average of electricity in one year; nearly 221,000 kWh. In fact, according to the article, “since the release of An Inconvenient Truth, Gore’s energy consumption has increased from an average of 16,200 kWh per month in 2005, to 18,400 kWh per month in 2006.” A hypocrite?

If one were to simply read this article without doing some fact-checking, you could quickly agree that this would be the case. However, such a one-sided report timed for release exactly after the movie won raised my suspicions — and it appears, the suspicions of others. According to the Tennessean, Gore’s power bill shows that he is offsetting his energy use. From the article,

“Gore purchased 108 blocks of “green power” for each of the past three months, according to a summary of the bills. That’s a total of $432 a month Gore paid extra for solar or other renewable energy sources. The green power Gore purchased in those three months is equivalent to recycling 2.48 million aluminum cans or 286,092 pounds of newspaper, according to comparison figures on NES’ Web site.”

Not only that, but Gore told the site, ThinkProgress.org, that he has “taken numerous steps to reduce the carbon footprint of their private residence, including signing up for 100 percent green power through Green Power Switch, installing solar panels, and using compact fluorescent bulbs and other energy saving technology.” The Gores also drive a Lexus hybrid SUV — not as green as Begley’s all-electric RAV4, but not a clear sign of hypocrisy either.

The big picture here is that both sides are correct. The real problem is that neither of them necessarily wants to show the big picture. On one hand, Gore is offsetting the energy of his home with carbon credits, solar power, and other energy efficient technologies. On the other hand, his home is a monster consumer of energy and should do more to reduce its dependence on electricity. Just because we can all offset now doesn’t mean we shouldn’t work harder to reduce consumption.

I think the Tennessee Center for Policy Research should have mentioned some of Gore’s efforts to reduct his carbon footprint before releasing such a one-sided article. It provides factual information, but doesn’t allow people to make an informed decision on the V.P.’s actions. Should Al continue to work hard to follow the message he preaches? Absolutely. But then again, aren’t we all attempting to do the same thing?

Thanks to Becky for the tip!  

February 27th 2007

Lauren Bush To Launch A Green Clothing and Accessories Brand

Filed under: fashion, green and famous — lynn @ 5:43 am

Fashion model Lauren Bush is probably the green sheep of the family. Hehe, it’s so nice to get that thought out of the way.

Anyway, we may soon be seeing the release of an organic lifestyle brand she’s launching.

The niece of President Bush is working on an organic concept of lifestyle branding for which she will be the spokeswoman—and likely the face. Her name, however, won’t appear on any labels, and there certainly won’t be any “Lauren Bush” shop-in-shops at the local Macy’s or Bloomingdales.

Lauren is also an honorary spokeswoman for the UN World Food Programme and has helped organize anti-hunger campaigns and was also present at last year’s War On Hunger summit, a far different campaign from that of her uncle’s, I should say. Famous Veggie also lists her as a vegetarian.

Via Treehugger

February 27th 2007

Angelina Visits Africa On Darfur Mission

Filed under: campaigns — lynn @ 5:20 am

Angelina Jolie skipped the Oscars in favor of a trip to Africa, where she’ll be staying for a few days to fulfill her duties as superhero savior Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR, or the UN Refugee Agency). She arrived in N’Djamena, Chad on Sunday and will be visiting refugee camps.

Her aim with this latest trip is to continue to raise awareness about the continuing crisis, and also see the current conditions – which have deteriorated since her last trip in 2004.

In other Angie news, it looks like she and Brad are all set to adopt a Vietnamese baby. They’ve reportedly filed all the necessary papers and will be adopting a boy from a Ho Chi Minh City orphanage. At the rate they’re going, it seems like we can expect an addition to the Jolie-Pitt brood every year.

Update: The adoption stories turned out to be false. Click here for more info.

February 27th 2007

Stars Make A Statement At The Oscars With The Red Teardrop Pin

Filed under: campaigns — lynn @ 3:04 am

The Oscars is a big night not just for fashion designers but also for jewelers to bring out their best work and drape them on the stars of their choice. But a few celebs chose an accessory that makes a statement. Leonardo DiCaprio, Djimon Hounsou, and Ryan Gosling all wore a red teardrop pin as a show of support for Amnesty International and the fight against conflict diamonds.

The pin was designed by Alessandra Gallo Jewellery and handcrafted by Ricardo Basta of Beverly Hills. It’s a subtle statement made by Amnesty International and Global Witness on the diamond mining industry.

“Americans buy half of the diamond jewelry sold worldwide — $33 billion a year in U.S. sales,” said Larry Cox, executive director of Amnesty International USA. “We feel that this industry has an obligation — and consumers should demand — that the diamonds that are bought and sold are conflict free, given the devastating human toll blood diamonds extract.”

The pins were auctioned off after the event and funds raised will go to Amnesty International’s rehabilitation program for child soldiers. Ryan was planning to auction his pin to support a burn victim from Uganda. Filmmakers were also asked to wear the pin to the event. Personally, I’d have liked to see more actresses wearing the pin as well.