Ecorazzi

Having had much success (and in many ways inspired other mags) with their green issue last year, Vanity Fair has decided to repeat with a eco-theme for the 2007 May edition. Gracing the cover is Leonardo Dicaprio along with Knut the polar bear cub. The magazine flew DiCaprio (offset?) to the Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon in Iceland for the shoot and then digitally added Knut in later. Photographer Anne Leibovitz provided the vision for the cover shot. As the magazine pointed out, “While Vanity Fair is aware that there are no polar bears in Iceland, it notes that if the present trends continue, there won’t be any in Canada, either.” Cute. For some outtakes of the shoot with Leo and Knut, click here.

The mag is chock-full of green goodies — including a preview on DiCaprio’s new 11th Hour documentary that’s been in production for years and light on details. Other highlights include an article from Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on the Bush administration’s miserable environmental record, a test drive by contributing editor Michael Shnayerson of the new Tesla Roadster, and a report from the Amazon on the devastating effects of deforestation and global warming. New computer models out of Britain show the rainforest starting to dry out by 2050 and then turning to savanna by 2080. Q’Orianka Kilcher to the rescue?

Finally, the magazine highlights activists and scientists who are propelling a cultural turnaround on green issues. From the release,

“The portfolio includes: Robert Redford, who has been an environmental activist since 1960 –long before it was fashionable; Julia Louis-Dreyfus, also a longtime activist, who has helped raise millions for the N.R.D.C., the Waterkeeper Alliance, and the Trust for Public Land; Green musicians Alanis Morissette, Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, and Perry Farrell are among those featured in a group shot; winemaker Peter Mondavi, who is making his vineyards completely organic; scientists from Woods Hole and the Scripps Institution, who are discovering new ways to help the earth; and “The Next Generation” of student environmental activists, college students from around the country who are fighting to implement sustainable energy policies at their schools.”

Overall, this sounds like a phenomenal issue and we’re looking forward to getting our hands on it. The May Issue of Vanity Fair hits newsstands in New York and Los Angeles on April 4 and nationally April 10. To lean more, hit their site!