ecorazzi.com :: the latest in green gossip

May 25th 2009

Exclusive: Quantum Wellness Author Kathy Freston Shares Her Thoughts

Filed under: books — Michael Parrish DuDell @ 12:08 pm

Kathy Freston is a solider for good health. As one of the wellness movements most outspoken authors, Freston has worked tenaciously to share honest and thoughtful information about diet and health. Pretty frigin rad, right? 

Kathy’s book Quantum Wellness hit shelves last year with outstanding success  – even helping to convince Oprah to go VEG for 21 days!!  Kathy’s newest book, Quantum Wellness Cleanse: The 21-Day Essential Guide to Healing Your Mind, Body and Spirit, takes it one step further by giving an in-depth look at the powers of rebooting your life with a healthy and powerful 21-day cleanse. 

Freston recently took time out of her busy schedule to sit down for an exclusive interview with your favorite green blog. Check it out below!

Ecorazzi: You went from a career as a model and actress to author and wellness expert. How did that journey take place?

Kathy Freston: Sometimes I think the universe does you a big fat favor in allowing you to fail. Because I had a mediocre career as a model (I was never an actress, except in commercials), I was always looking for comfort and upliftment in other ways. Since I never felt I was “enough” in a material way - pretty enough or successful enough - I began looking for meaning in other arenas. I studied with spiritual teachers and did workshops on improving myself; I read books on philosophy and worked on my personal growth in whatever manner I could. It was during this time that I began to look more closely at food, and how my choices and habits were not in line with my deepening awareness of spiritual principles. Once I started delving into how food - meat, chicken, fish, dairy, and eggs - arrived on my plate, I became obsessed with pushing myself to live in a more evolved manner.

Click here to continue reading our exclusive interview with Kathy Freston!

May 7th 2009

Kathy Freston’s “Quantum Wellness Cleanse” Launches With NYC Bash

Filed under: books — Michael Parrish DuDell @ 11:47 am

Kathy Freston needs no introduction! As the famous Oprah veganizer, Kathy’s book Quantum Wellness is changing lives one page at a time! 

Freston’s new book Quantum Wellness Cleanse: The 21-Day Essential Guide to Healing Your Mind, Body and Spirit recently hit stores and Ecorazzi was at the launch party in NYC to celebrate! 

The event was held at Pure Yoga — a majestic, four story yoga studio on the Upper East Side. My date for the evening was Crazy Sexy Life superstar Kris Carr (Dude — it’s platonic, she’s married, relax!) who helped me chow down on some incredible vegan nosh. 

Of course we also spent time with some of our favorites — like the crew from Candle Cafe and Candle 79, Sarma Melngailis, owner of Pure Food and Wine and animal-loving philanthropists Peter and Mary Max.

As the night came to end and everyone was cooing over their new copy of Quantum Wellness Cleanse, I though to myself, ” We NEED to have Kathy on the site!” And so we are! 

Ecorazzi is pleased to announce that next week we’ll feature an exclusive interview with the author who’s inspiring the world to clean up their diet! 

Make sure you pick up your own copy of Quantum Wellness Cleanse today! 

May 5th 2009

Exclusive: Mariel Hemingway Chats With Ecorazzi About New Cookbook

Filed under: books, food & drink — Michael Parrish DuDell @ 11:29 am

Get out your noisemakers – it’s an Ecorazzi Exclusive!

Mariel Hemingway and I met just a few weeks back when I hosted a live interview with the star at the Go Green Expo here in NYC. Long story short: we rocked the house something silly!

And so, because we were such a great team at the Expo, I thought, “ Why not give our readers a little bit of the Hemingway/DuDell saucey sauce?”

Mariel’s Kitchen: Simple Ingredients for a Delicious and Satisfying Life is Hemingway’s new book and available for pre-order TODAY! Learn a little bit more about the author in our exclusive interview below and share your thoughts!

Ecorazzi: Most people know Mariel Hemingway as an actress and model. How did you first get interested in green living?

Mariel Hemingway: I grew up in Idaho and nature was always a part of my life. It’s where I felt most comfortable and connected to myself. I’ve always loved the outdoors, so becoming an ecologically conscious person was a natural segue.

E: What would you say is the first step to becoming a more environmentally aware person?

MH: For me, the first step is to take care of your body and focus on what you eat and where your food comes from. It starts with making sacred space on the inside and letting it bleed into your daily existence. Then you can create sacred healthy space on the outside.

Click here to continue reading Ecorazzi’s exclusive interview with Mariel Hemingway

April 23rd 2009

It’s A Boy! Skinny Bitch Gives Birth To A Healthy Skinny Bastard

Filed under: books — Michael Parrish DuDell @ 10:48 am

First there was plain old Skinny Bitch. But she got kinda hungry and Skinny Bitch went In the Kitch. Then bitch got knocked up and Skinny Bitch Bun in the Oven was created. Well turns out it was a boy! Ladies and Gentleman I am thrilled to introduce you to Skinny Bastard: a Kick in the Ass for Real Men Who Want to Stop Being Fat and Start Getting Buff. 

If you didn’t figure it out from my fancy word play, Skinny Bastard is the latest book from Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin — the creators of the mega-successful, mega-world-changing Skinny Bitch franchise. 

Because I’m kind of a big deal (people know me — I have many (faux) leather-bound books), I was lucky enough to get a copy before the rest of the world meets the bastard on May 1st, and let me tell you: YOU WANT TO BUY THIS BOOK!!

Never afraid to preach the hard-hitting truth, Skinny Bastard breaks it down hardcore for all the dudes out there on subjects ranging from how the dairy industry ruins everything to why meat is the biggest party-pooper of them all! 

By the time you’re done reading this book you’ll be motivated to drop that greasy burger and get your life on track! Yep, you heard it here: Ecorazzi officially endorses Skinny Bastard. We think it’s just grand! 

Skinny Bastard hits the shelf on May 1st, but we highly recommend you pre-order it NOW!

April 21st 2009

Prince Charles Pulls An Al Gore: Set To Release Book And Movie On Environment

Filed under: books, film-tv, movies — Michael Andre d'Estries @ 12:50 pm

Prince Charles is tearing a page out of Al Gore’s green book with a one-two punch book and documentary warning of the negative impact big businesses are having on the environment. The 60-year-old royal is calling the project “Harmony” and has waived his usual author’s fee in favor of royalties going towards his charity.

The prince said: “I believe that true sustainability depends fundamentally upon us shifting our perception and widening our focus, so that we understand, again, that we have a sacred duty of stewardship of the natural order of things. In some of our actions we now behave as if we were masters of nature and, in others, as mere bystanders. If we could rediscover that sense of harmony - that sense of being a part of, rather than apart from nature, we would perhaps be less likely to see the world as some sort of gigantic production system, capable of ever-increasing outputs for our benefit - at no cost.”

Charles will team up with former director of green charity Friends of the Earth Tony Juniper to help create the book and film. Publisher HarperCollins says the prince’s book will argue humans have become dangerously disconnected from nature through their relentless pursuit of economic growth and technological progress. It’s expected to draw on Charles’ experience as an organic farmer, with scenes in the documentary to be filmed on his Highgrove estate.

April 16th 2009

Vegan Bestselling Author Victoria Moran Introduces The Love-Powered Diet

Filed under: books — Michael Parrish DuDell @ 12:53 pm

I first discovered author Victoria Moran nearly 5 years ago when I read her fantastic book Fit From Within. Of course at that point I had no idea that she was a long-time vegan, a supporter of Farm Sanctuary and an overall totally awesome chick! 

Now a half-decade later I am pleased to announce that Victoria is releasing a new book entitled The Love-Powered Diet. Billed as a resource to help “make peace with food and have a body you’re proud of,” Victoria teaches her readers how to relate to food as a loving friend, not a feared enemy.

The Love-Powered Diet has already been hailed by health professionals like Rory Freedman, Dean Ornish M.D, John Robbins and Neal Barnard M.D, and is without a doubt a bookshelf MUST HAVE!

Check out the video below to hear Victoria chat about her new read and then stop on by BeliefNet.com to visit her blog. The Love-Powered Diet will be available May 15th and can be pre-ordered at BarnesAndNoble.com.

April 2nd 2009

Bestselling Author Jonathan Safran Foer Talks Vegetarianism Abroad

Filed under: books, interviews, video — Michael Parrish DuDell @ 2:04 pm

25 years of living in this world and I’ve NEVER been out of the country! Crazy, right?

Lucky for me there are plenty of VEGtastic superstars who’ve gone abroad and are able to report on eating plant-based food in other countries.

In the video posted below, bestselling Author Jonathan Safran Foer talks about his experiences with vegetarianism. He says:

“I’ve only been to one place in my entire life where it was hard to be a vegetarian and that was the Ukraine, which I recounted in my book a little bit. I just can’t imagine it easier to be a vegetarian. I don’t know if I’ve ever been in a restaurant where there wasn’t a vegetarian option. And not only that, but one that was good. Certaintly if you do any of your own cooking or any of your own shopping it’s as easy as easy can be. When I look at menus now it’s like I don’t even see the meat things. It’s here are my options and I’m gonna choose one of them and I’m going to enjoy it.”

Check out the video below to hear more of what the green-loving writer had to say!

March 24th 2009

Our Choice: Al Gore Set To Publish Sequel Book To An Inconvenient Truth

Filed under: books — Michael Andre d'Estries @ 4:37 pm

In April of last year, The UK Sun quoted Al Gore as saying that a sequel to his hit An Inconvenient Truth was indeed in the works. Left to the imagination was whether Gore meant a film or book was coming first. Well, his blog cleared all that up today with a press release announcing his new book Our Choice — described as “picking up where An Inconvenient Truth left off”. From the release,

Our Choice utilizes Mr. Gore’s forty years of experience as a student, policymaker, author, filmmaker, entrepreneur and activist to comprehensively describe the real solutions to global warming. A co-recipient of the Nobel Peace prize in 2007 for his environmental work, Mr. Gore continues to make sense of the pressing issues we face and Our Choice will unquestionably inspire and rally those ready to fight for solutions that were deemed impossible only a short time ago.

In terms of green cred, it comes fully loaded: 100% recycled paper, locally produced and sourced editions, low VOC inks, carbon neutral, and 100% of the proceeds will go towards the Alliance for Climate Protection. Said Vice President Gore, “An Inconvenient Truth reached millions of people with the message that the climate crisis is threatening the future of human civilization and that it must and can be solved. Now that the need for urgent action is even clearer with the alarming new findings of the last three years, it is time for a comprehensive global plan that actually solves the climate crisis. Our Choice will answer that call.”

In terms of a movie, based on the revamped and higher-quality slides we witnessed on Capital Hill in January from Gore, a new sequel doc sounds probable.

Look for Our Choice to hit bookstores on November 3, 2009.

March 16th 2009

The Green Quote: Reverend Al Sharpton Offers “Passionate” Advice For Change

Filed under: books — Michael Parrish DuDell @ 10:10 am

“My message to people hoping to make a change is, first, that they should choose something that they’re passionate about. The only way you’re going to make something count is if you’re willing and ready to do the extra work or make the extra effort. There’s no career and no life situation that is going to be stress free and obstacle free. Whatever you choose, there’s going to be a side to it you do not like and a side to it that is going to be difficult for you. The only thing that’s going to make you persevere enough to make a point beyond that is if it’s something you’re really passionate about and do no matter what. ”

- Reverend Al Sharpton sharing his ideas about change in Ingrid Newkirk’s book One Can Make a Difference. Visit Borders.com to get your copy of One Can Make a Difference! 

March 13th 2009

Josh Dorfman Releases Green Budget Book Just In Time For Recession

Profits to fund growing empire, mercenary army

Filed under: books — Michael Andre d'Estries @ 2:21 pm

The Lazy Environmentalist, aka Josh Dorfman, has just released a brand-new book to help anyone go green cheaply and easily.

Titled “The Lazy Environmentalist on a Budget: Save Money. Save Time. Save the Planet.“, it’s the second eco-guide from Dorfman and a welcome addition to his growing green empire. Besides being CEO and founder of the green furniture business, Vivavi, Josh is also the spokesperson for Brita’s FilterForGood campaign to help reduce bottled water waste and for Green Works, Clorox’s line of natural cleaning products. This coming June 16th, Sundance Channel will premiere a new seven-part series called The Lazy Environmentalist featuring Dorfman seeking out environmental experts in various fields (fashion, food, business, etc.) and showing them how easy it is to transition to green.

Needless to say, the guy’s got street-cred it teaching people how to take their lives in a greener direction — and on the cheap. Here’s a brief review of the new book from Amazon:

Find bargain basement deals on stylish organic bedding and bamboo furnishings at the largest retailers in the world. Score instant rebates on everything from compact fluorescent light bulbs to energy-efficient air conditioners. And earn reward points for carpooling with friends.  In a time when many people are feeling financially restricted, The Lazy Environmentalist on a Budget is your guide to effortlessly saving the planet while keeping some extra cash in your pocket. Fun, easy and inexpensive: No I’m not talking about the ideal date — I’m talking about The Lazy Environmentalist on a Budget. Once again Josh Dorfman shows that going green can help you look and feel fantastic, and this time it makes perfect dollars and cents.

Want one? Hit up B&N here.