ecorazzi.com :: the latest in green gossip

June 15th 2009

Exclusive: PETA Co-Founder And President Ingrid Newkirk Eats Lunch With Ecorazzi

Filed under: ecorazzi exclusive, video — Michael Parrish DuDell @ 6:09 pm

Ingrid Newkirk is, if nothing else, one hell of a devoted animal rights warrior. As the Co-Founder and President of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), Newkirk has the spent the last 30 years fighting for the cause she feels most passionately about.

Ingrid’s latest book The PETA Practical Guide to Animal Rights has just been released and “provides readers with the tools they need to get out make a difference for animals.”

Just hours ago I had the opportunity to sit down with the overachieving animal queen over Caesar Salads (me) and Vegan Bacon Cheeseburgers (her) at Blossom Café here in NYC. Check out my exclusive interview below!

A side note: if you live in NYC, make sure to stop by the Columbus Circle Borders tomorrow, June 16th, at 7 p.m to hear Ingrid chat about her new book. We’ll be there too!

April 17th 2009

Mariel Hemingway Plus Ecorazzi Equals Go Green Expo Match Made In Heaven

Filed under: ecorazzi exclusive, events, events: nyc, interviews — Michael Parrish DuDell @ 9:42 am

We’ve got some exciting news for you today, Ecorazzi readers. 

Tomorrow afternoon I will hosting a live one on one interview with Mariel Hemingway at 12:30 p.m at the Go Green Expo in NYC!

The Go Green Expo is the nation’s premier eco-friendly tradeshow and will feature over 250 booths brought to you by some of the countries greenest companies.

On Sunday I’ll also be moderating an expert panel with green leaders like: Treehugger’s Ken Rother, The Lazy EnvironmentalistJosh Dorfman, Riverkeeper’s Craig Michaels, Greenopia’s Gay Browne, Sierra Club’sDan Miner and Green Debot’s Sarah Beatty.

So what are you waiting for? Get your tickets at GoGreenExpo.com and spend your weekend at the show!

April 15th 2009

Get Your Green Questions Answered With Ecorazzi At The Go Green Expo

Filed under: ecorazzi exclusive, events — Michael Parrish DuDell @ 6:47 pm

As Ecorazzi previously mentioned, on Sunday, April 19th, I will be moderating a discussion on Green Leadership at the Go Green Expo in NYC. 

The expert panel  will consist of: Treehugger’s Ken Rother, The Lazy Environmentalist Josh Dorfman, Riverkeeper’s Craig Michaels, Greenopia’s Gay Browne, Sierra Club’s Dan Miner and Green Debot’s Sarah Beatty.

So what’s this got to do with you? EVERYTHING!!

Besides simply asking the panel my questions, I want to give all of you the chance to chime in and get involved! Therefore, during one section of the chat I will turn the floor over to our readers and ask selected questions submitted  to the site.

Simply comment on this post and submit the question you’d like answered. If you’d rather not share it publicly, you can shoot me an email at parrish@ecorazzi.com.

All questions must be submitted by Saturday, April 18th. On your mark, get set, GOOOOO!!!

April 6th 2009

Current TV’s Max And Jason To “POWER” New Green Doc

...and you can follow them every step of the way here on the razz.

Filed under: ecorazzi exclusive, film-tv, green and famous, movies — Michael Andre d'Estries @ 2:06 pm

If you’re a fan of Current TV, you probably know Max Lugavere and Jason Silva. The two of have become the public faces of the Emmy-award winning TV network since being asked to help start things up roughly four years ago. As both producers and hosts (they recently even landed their own late-night talk show on the network), they’ve explored a myriad of topics and done some pretty heavy investigative journalism. They’ve also had a hell of a lot of fun — guest-hosting E! Television specials, hitting magazine covers, and even starring in GAP’s Fall 2008 ad campaign.

Now, they’re about to launch their most ambitious project to date: a new environmental documentary called Power. The media-labeled “Gore Boys” hope to present a different type of green film — one that focuses less on the doom and gloom and instead explores the solutions currently available to make our world more energy independent and efficient. They’ve teamed up with director Hunter Richards, as well as the incredible talent over at Digital Domain, to help make the entire vision a stunning experience on screen.

The really cool thing? They’re just getting started with filming and production of this feature film and want to share the entire experience here on Ecorazzi. So if you’ve ever been curious about how a documentary of this massive scale comes together, stick around — this is going to be one hell of a ride.

We recently chatted with Max and Jason about their lives at Current, the new film, and where things currently stand with regards to production. Check it out after the jump:

Click here to read our interview with Jason and Max…

March 25th 2009

Exclusive: Earthlings’ Shaun Monson On New Iberia Research Center And More

Filed under: animals, ecorazzi exclusive, film-tv, interviews, movies — Michael Parrish DuDell @ 9:27 am

Every now and then a movie comes out that changes our world in a big way. No, I’m not talking about Paris Hilton’s The Hottie and the Nottie. 

The film Earthlings was released in 2005 and for the past 4 years has opened many eyes to the horrific ways animals are treated in our society.

Often refered to as “the vegan maker,” Earthlings is a feature length documentary about humanity’s absolute dependence on animals and our  complete disrespect for these so-called “non-human providers.” The film is narrated by Academy Award nominee Joaquin Phoenix and features music by the critically acclaimed platinum artist Moby.

I recently had the chance to chat with Earthlings director Shaun Monson and pick his brain on some of today’s hottest topics. Check out the interview below. 

Ecorazzi: First off, what inspired you to create Earthlings?

Shaun Monson: I got the idea because I was filming some public service announcements. It was mostly domestic animals, dogs and cats, and when they were killed on the street or euthanized in the shelters, they were put into this room that resembles a large refrigerator. But when I saw them piled up in there, it suddenly made me think of meat in a refrigerator. Even though they looked nothing like meat, there was this parallel - dead animals kept in a fridge - and that made me think of cows and chickens and pigs and eggs and milk, and so on. That was the beginning of Earthlings really, the first spark of inspiration.

So instead of making a couple of public service announcements on one issue (in this case spaying and neutering domestic pets), it began to encompass food. And as I thought more about food, then it was like, “Well, hang on a second, what about clothes?” And it grew from there. Of course then I felt overwhelmed about how I couldn’t do it, how vast the subject matter was, how problematic, and who was I to make this film, there’s simply too much information, etc., etc. But that’s how it began. And all I could do was just work on it until it was done.

Click here to continue reading Ecorazzi’s exclusive interview with Shaun Monson!

March 16th 2009

Exclusive: HSUS President Wayne Pacelle Gears Up For Star-Studded Genesis Awards

Filed under: animals, ecorazzi exclusive, events, interviews — Michael Parrish DuDell @ 10:42 am

You don’t have to be one of the 10 million members of the Humane Society of the United States to recognize the name Wayne Pacelle — the President and CEO of the nation’s largest animal organization.

Under Pacelle’s direction, the HSUS has achieved massive victories for animals throughout the world and will celebrate some of those triumphs on March 28th at the 23rd annual Genesis Awards. Ecorazzi recently had the chance to sit down with El Presidente and pick his brain. Check out the interview below! 

Ecorazzi: You’ve been involved with the HSUS for 15 years. How did you first become interested in animal welfare issues?

Wayne Pacelle: You know I think I was genetically programmed to advocate for animals. It was always a very powerful emotional feeling that we should not misuse our power in our relationship with other animals. I never imagined it as a profession, but my volunteer work led to employment and here I am at the HSUS and it’s a real privilege to be able to work for the nation’s largest animal protection group.

E: The HSUS just announced that JCPenney agreed to go fur-free. Tell me about how your organization played a part in that.

WP: We did a major set of investigations into some really troubling aspects of the fur industry. One was we looked in China and found that millions of dogs and cats were being killed for their fur and it was finding it’s way into fur trim. So that decreased confidence in fur trim. A lot of people had thought, “No big deal it’s just a little bit of fur,” but when we brought up that dog and cat fur was being used it suddenly became much more radioactive from a moral perspective.

Then we also did an investigation into the killing of these Raccoon Dogs – which are canine type wild animals that are used in fur production in China as well as Finland and some other countries. We saw some really inhumane killing methods and brought that to the attention of JCPenney and other major retailers. I really think that information was decisive in JCPenney deciding to forgo the use of fur.

Click here to continue reading Ecorazzi’s exclusive interview with Wayne Pacelle!

March 10th 2009

Exclusive: Author Extraordinaire Sharon Gannon Pens Yoga and Vegetarianism

Filed under: books, ecorazzi exclusive, interviews — Michael Parrish DuDell @ 9:48 am

If you’ve ever said the word “Om,” chances are you know the name Sharon Gannon.  

Sharon began studying yoga in 1976 and in 1984 co-founded the Jivamukti Yoga Method with David Life. The Jivamukti Method emphasizes vinyasa, scriptural study, devotion, prayer, music, chanting and meditation as well as animal rights, veganism, environmentalism and political activism.  I mean does it really get any better than that?? 

Gannon runs the Jivamukti Yoga School in NYC and has written a new book Yoga and Vegetarianism. Check out Ecorazzi’s exclusive interview with Sharon Gannon below!

Ecorazzi: What inspired you to first explore the world of yoga?

Sharon Gannon: I wanted to feel more connected to life, I wanted to discover how to understand and communicate with animals, trees, elemental beings and the wind. A yogi is someone who is trying to live harmoniously with the natural world. I wanted to live in a way that my life might contribute something beneficial to others. My definition of others has always extended past the human realm.

E: How do you find that yoga relates to vegetarianism?

SG: The methods of yoga are methods that can help a person become more in tune with life, and in doing so, discover who they really are as part of life—not just a skin-encapsulated ego, separate from it. The goal of yoga is enlightenment and what is realized in the enlightened state is the inner-connectedness of all of life—the Oneness of being, the wholeness (holiness) of life. So the biggest obstacle to that realization is perceiving others and the natural world as separate from you.

In the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali offers practical advice for how to overcome the obstacles presented by the others in your life. He says: if you are seeing others and not the Divine Oneness of being then: #1. Don’t hurt them, #2, don’t lie to them, #3. Don’t steal from them, #4. Don’t manipulate them sexually and #5. Don’t be so greedy that you cause them to become impoverished. Those five bits of advice are referred to as the yamas. Yama means to restrict, so these are the five ways that a person who is interested in yoga (enlightenment) should restrict their behavior in regard to the others in their life. Each one of those yamas supports a vegetarian (vegan) diet. I think it is self-evident why. But if the reader is unsure then read my book, because the basis of the whole book is drawn from this concept of the yamas.

Click here to continue reading our Ecorazzi’s exclusive interview with Sharon Gannon!

February 27th 2009

ARFF Exclusive: Dr. Neal Barnard Shares How Veganism Can Change YOUR Life!

Filed under: ecorazzi exclusive, interviews — Michael Parrish DuDell @ 6:04 pm

Sure, we here at the Razz think veganism is the hotness, but we’re not M.D’s or anything! Dr. Neal Barnard, however, is an accomplished medical doctor and just so happens to share our opinion!

Barnard is the President and Founder of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine — a nonprofit organization that promotes preventive medicine, conducts clinical research, and encourages higher standards for ethics and effectiveness in research.

This dietary rockstar has written about a trillion books on healthy living and will be attending the Animal Rights Foundation of Florida’s 20th Anniversary Gala on March 14th.

Neal was gracious enough to take time out of his busy schedule to sit down with Ecorazzi for a chat. Check out what he had to say!! Trust me — you’re gonna be healthier for reading it!

Ecorazzi: You started the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine over 20 years ago. What inspired you to form an organization that promotes a healthy plant-based diet?

Neal Barnard: Well, when I was in medical school there was no emphasis on nutrition at all! The population at that time was following a pretty unhealthy diet that was not just bad for animals, but also very bad for our coronary arteries. So I wanted to have an organization that promoted preventive medicine, conducted research on the power of diet to improve health, and also advocated for more ethical research.

E: You mentioned your own medical training and the lack of nutrition education within those programs. How do you feel medical programs are doing these days in terms of nutritional training for future doctors?

NB: We have been working very hard to bring nutrition back into medical training where it’s been neglected — and this is a very, very important area. Medical schools still neglect nutrition, and yet research has shown that when people switch their diet — particularly with vegetarian and especially vegan food – their risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, blood pressure diminishes dramatically. Doctors need to be able to use those tools.

Click here to continue reading Ecorazzi’s exclusive interview with Dr. Neal Barnard!

February 25th 2009

ARFF Exclusive: PETA’s President Ingrid Newkirk Gives Ecorazzi The Scoop!

Filed under: ecorazzi exclusive, events, interviews — Michael Parrish DuDell @ 11:25 am

Chances are you know the name Ingrid Newkirk. If you don’t, I’d put twenty dollars and a pint of soy ice cream on the fact that you probably know the organization she calls home.

Ingrid is the President and Co-Founder of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals – the largest animal rights group in the world. With over 2 million members, PETA speaks (OK, sometimes screams) for those creatures who have no voice at all.

Ingrid will be attending the Animal Rights Foundation of Florida’s 20th Anniversary Gala on March 14th and we had the privilege of sitting down with Newkirk for a chat!

Check out what Ingrid had to say about ARFF, Meatloaf and willing her body parts when she dies!

Ecorazzi: Hi Ingrid! Welcome to the Razz! Give our readers a brief history on PETA and how you decided to form the organization.

Ingrid Newkirk: Well, I grew up thinking that I cared about animals — and I truly did — but I’m now almost sixty and back then it meant that you knew that somebody kicking a dog was wrong or starving a horse, but you also wore fur, ate animals and didn’t think there was an option to testing cosmetics or shampoos on animals. So when I discovered that there were compassionate choices and that all animals are important – which I thank Peter Singer for that lesson – I suddenly realized that many things in my life had to change or I couldn’t really ever call myself a person that believes in kindness to animals.

So I formed PETA with five friends and our goal was to show people how appalling animals are treated in places most never go, like: laboratories, behind the Big-Top, fur farms and slaughterhouses. We didn’t want to make them sad or depressed, but instead show them that there are wonderful things they could choose instead of supporting those industries. And that’s what we’ve done for almost 30 years.

Click here to continue reading our exclusive interview with PETA President Ingrid Newkirk!

February 21st 2009

Ecorazzi Hits CNN, Chats Up Green Oscars, Celebrities

Filed under: ecorazzi exclusive, events: la, film-tv, movies, television — Michael Andre d'Estries @ 3:24 pm

Have you ever heard of the website “Ecorazzie.com”? We’re pretty sure it’s an evil twin of Ecorazzi.com, but in a parallel dimension. Unfortunately, CNN thinks it exists in this one and used it for our first interview on the network. Alas! Oh well, at least they’re as bad at spelling as we are.

One of our shining stars, Tracy Metro, was interviewed by CNN’s Kristi Lu-Stout on the”eco-cred” of this year’s Academy Awards — as well as our picks for greenest actor and actress. She did an amazing job and we look forward to seeing the full interview this Sunday sometime on CNN. Maybe they’ll get our name right by then. Check it out below: