May 9th 2008
As promised, here is the video interview of Ecorazzi’s Anna Griffin and electric-car star Chelsea Sexton at the Elle Eco Spa Bus tour. For additional details on the event, read our full article here.
May 1st 2008
The New York City-based Go Green Expo had its Big Apple debut this past weekend at the Hilton New York. The green weekend kicked off with an inaugural awards gala which included a runway fashion show featuring eco-wear by Maggie Norris, a former designer for Ralph Lauren. Host Nigel Barker of America ’s Next Top Model auctioned several couture pieces – topping at $7,000 - benefiting Riverkeeper’s Amazon Conservation Association. Award recipients included Congressman Steve Israel, Captain Planet Foundation’s Laura Turner Seydel, Live Earth Founder Kevin Wall and NYT best-selling author David Bach for their individual contributions to the green movement this year. Celebs in attendance included the always-stunning actress Sissy Spacek, model Lauren Bush, Playboy model Lindsey Vuolo and TV personality Pat Mitchell.
The weekend continued with a three-floor, green-living and sustainability event including vendor booths, panels and film screenings. Goodies ranged from bamboo-clothing by Carole Wang to green printers, ride-share companies, bags, jewelry, cosmetics, to organic foods and beverages like Sobe. Many of the products featured boasted free-trade production.
One of the most notable extra-curriculars was the Fields of Fuel, film screening chronicling Josh Tickell’s U.S. road-trip in a “Veggie-Van” fueled by vegetable oil from fast-food eateries. He also breaks down green energy and major myths and misconceptions. Who knew (aside from Josh) that Rudolf Diesel, who created the first diesel engine, had designed it to run on vegetable oil, not petroleum?! To call this film eye-opening would be a great understatement. Despite its current grass-roots marketing effort I would confidently put all bets on this powerful, film as a shoe-in for the next Best Documentary Oscar. “Fields of Fuel” already won the Audience Choice Award at the Sundance Film Festival. The inspirational Josh Tickell took park in Q&A with expo-goers and has been working on this film for almost 10 years and has loved inspiring others. Check out a clip of the movie here or visit the official site at http://www.fieldsoffuel.com/.
For pictures from the fashion show and the gala, please click more below to view Ecorazzi’s gallery!
April 30th 2008
The 2008 Humane Society Genesis Awards took place earlier this month, and Ecorazzi field reporter Anna Griffin was on the scene to chat up various attendees and get their impressions of the event. We’ll be posting various vids over the next couple days from the gala — as well as some earlier great interviews coming down the pipe.
I wanted to post Anna’s brief talk with LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa first because I understand there was some heat over his comments based on our first impressions after the event. Check it out below and feel free to chime in.
April 23rd 2008
Edward Norton wants to talk to you about fish. Not Tyler Durden, or the Incredible Hulk, but…fish. Fascinated yet? You should be. National Geographic’s second season of Strange Days on Planet Earth, (premiering today on PBS) investigates the role of sea life in global climate change, piecing together ecological puzzles so intriguing you’d swear you were watching a detective story.
The star once again proves his commitment to the environment by hosting and narrating the two latest episodes, Dangerous Catch and Dirty Secrets. Even being an activist for years and spearheading such initiatives as Bag the Bag and Solar Neighbors, Mr. Norton admits that the occurrences in Strange Days surprised him.
“My reaction was, Wow, I didn’t know any of this!” he recalled in an interview with Ecorazzi earlier this week. “The science in it was so impressive, and the way it was framed as an investigation..it reminded me of CSI, or some combination of CSI and the twilight zone…because these very strange things are happening. And why? And how can they possibly be connected?”
The point, of course, is to show viewers how everything ties together, from the fish on your dinner plate to the bushmeat people are eating in Ghana. The journey is led by teams of scientists who begin researching unusual coastal phenomena - and find out a whole lot more than they bargained for.
“What these [scientists] are uncovering is really a headspin,” Mr. Norton explains. “It points at the fact that we’re really messing with the whole machinery of the planet…and the potential consequences of it are so enormous, it’s almost paralyzing. But then I like that they took these daunting realities and said, ‘the way this connects straight back to you in your daily life is actually very simple.”
So, what exactly is this mystical fish connection and what can we do? Find out by watching Strange Days on PBS tonight. You can find local listings here.
And for those of you who want more Edward Norton, click “more” for an in-depth discussion between myself and Mr. Norton in our exclusive, in-person Ecorazzi interview. (I can’t be a ‘razzi without a little gushing. This is the part where I get to say I really really really really like and respect him a lot. Phew! Back to our regularly scheduled post…)
April 12th 2008
I’m incredibly happy to announce that Rebecca Carter, Co-Founder of Ecorazzi, has given birth to a beautiful boy!
Angulo Carter was born April 9th at 8:44pm at the Miami Maternity Center. He weighed in at 6 pounds 4 ounces and measured 19 3/4 inches. Both baby and mom are doing well and were home after only five hours at the hospital.
Congratulations to Rebecca and Edmundo! And welcome Baby Angulo!
March 17th 2008
First off, let me just get this out of the way: HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY!!! Ok…moving on.
This weekend I spent some fabulous green time as a judge at Whole Foods in NYC searching for the next Whole Earth Generation spokesperson. If you read my previous post, you know that the Whole Earth Generation is an original online series of 10-minute shows created for kids by kids to help raise awareness for the environment. Now I can’t say anything officially…but I think we just might have found one of our youngins!
On the judging panel with me was Alison Becker a hostess with the mostess from VH1, Rebecca Ulanoff, Marketing Team Leader at Whole Foods, and Hunter Gross- a 12- year-old badass with his own green company. Yeah that’s right…HIS OWN GREEN COMPANY, PEOPLE!!! Hunter and his folks run ProjectKool, a eco-friendly company offering cool and creative canvas alternatives to the boring (and wasteful) paper lunch bags that eventually end up clogging our landfills. Go check out Hunter’s site and help support an awesome green dude!
Big thanks to the team at OrganicWorks Marketing for running everything smoothly and treating us all so well. If you think your kid has what it takes to represent America’s next Whole Earth Generation, visit youtube.com/wholefoodsmarket and submit a video. And…that’s a wrap!
March 11th 2008
SXSW Interactive and Film kicked off with a twittering of panels, parties, and keynote events. While sustainability was not necessarily a primary theme throughout the festival, there were even a few panels committed to the “green” digerati.” However, the biggest green coup at SXSW were the two finalists up for Web Awards in the Activism Category: World Without Oil and Make Me Sustainable (MMS). World Without Oil won the award, but MMS definitely made their presence known within SXSW circles. We had a chance to sit down with two of the founders, Benjamin Brown and David Delcourt, to chat about some new tools that they showcased at SXSW, their partnership with Reverb, and some exciting new ways to make summer concert going more sustainable.
What is the SXSW Carbon Tree?
MMS: The SXSW Carbon Tree tracks our collective impact, the real time carbon reductions of all conference attendees, the friends they invite and so on…To encourage greater participation Evolution Sage has generously agreed to match 50% of all SXSW attendees’ carbon reductions with the purchase of carbon offsets.
What Inspired The Carbon Tree?
MMS: It was inspired by our personal experience at Live Earth where we saw this mobilization in masses and we wondered what happened after? We wanted to empower fans of these events to mobilize in a very long term community engagement. We wanted to create a tangible tool that could tap into communities horizontally like Facebook and to make it simple and easy to promote sustainability. The Carbon Tree is really a system that makes it as flexible as possible for a new consumer to promote sustainability, to create a viral green effect, and build awareness. (NOTE: Check out the Facebook Application here)
How did you get involved with Jose Gonzalez and what will MMS be doing?
MMS: We have partnered with Reverb and are working with Jose Gonzalez on his spring tour to help mobilize his tour efforts and fans to fight global warming together. The Carbon Tree tool will track your environmental impact, allowing you to see the effects of strategies as simple as changing a light bulb. It will further allow you to visualize your ability to mobilize your community by tracking the impact of those you invite to be part of your tree.
To continue reading the interview, click more below!
March 6th 2008
The hills are alive with the sound of The Hills? Or is it the sound of Laguna Beach? Well, however you take your reality-TV, its favorite daughter, Kristin Cavallari, hosted a luncheon yesterday in Beverly Hills to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
The OC queen wore Bebe. That was the theme of the afternoon-a fashion show debuting their new line for Spring/Summer. I don’t go to Beverly Hills often, but when I do, I can’t shake the little voice that sings in my ear: “one of these things is not like the others, one of these things just doesn’t belong…”
So what was this ecorazzer going to pick up on her radar in a sea of fur, diamonds and leather? Well, certainly not the aerosol can of hairspray and bottle of water in my swag bag. But I digress.
Kristin made the rounds on the red carpet, talking about her involvement in Make A Wish, and how since leaving Laguna she’s found herself becoming more and more involved in charitable organizations and events. As compelling as a reality star can be, I somehow found myself more interested in talking to Melora Hardin (Jan, from The Office.) While the topic of the lunch was Make A Wish, Melora and I had a chance to talk about some of the ways that the busy actress is able to bring a little eco-savvy into her life.
“I’m never buying target clothes for my kids again,” she told me, then raving about a pair of vegan shoes a designer gave her a while back. In the past few years, she’s gotten a Pruis, began recycling, installed Aqua 2000 (a home water purification system that prevents her family from buying bottles) and brings cloth tote bags to the supermarket.
Coincidentally enough, at the last event I covered for ecorazzi, I had a conversation with another Office star, Mindy Kaling, about how she was going green. And just recently, it was announced that another star of the show, Rashida Jones, is releasing a line of green clothing called Laloo. Is it is something in the (un-bottled) water?
But back to the matter at hand: Beverly Hills. The luncheon raised enough money to grant a young woman with sickle cell anemia the chance to live her dream of being a gospel singer.
That known, I could feel a bit less guilty about the leather-seated Porsche parked in front of me.
March 3rd 2008
(In our best television voice) “Last week, on Ecorazzi…”
The Academy Awards were all the talk, with Jon Stewart and Sharon Stone’s rat paw capturing our attention.
The cabin from Atonement is potentially getting evicted by Mother Nature.
Natalie Portman created her new shoe line because she “had no choice”. Bonus reveal: All profits are going to the Nature Conservancy.
George Clooney is worried his Darfur efforts just aren’t helping.
Prince Charles just said no to duck liver.
Parrish dished for our first restaurant review; the wonderfully green Blossom Cafe in NYC.
We came up with five alternative uses for Michael Jackson’s soon-to-be-sold Neverland Ranch.
Edward Norton picked up a hydrogen car and Emeril Lagasse got his own green cooking show.
PETA has hilarious plans for the Hollywood sign.
March 1st 2008
Ecorazzi reporter Margaret Teich recently caught up with Missy Higgins for an exclusive interview.
1. So, you are a rocker. What instrument did you start with and how old were you when you started jamming?
I started playing piano when I was six. My parents put me into lessons and my Dad used to sit with me for half an hour every night and make me practice. I guess that’s why at the age of 14 I decided that piano wasn’t for me and electric guitar was! I was listening to bands like Nirvana and Hole at the time and I think all I wanted to do was be an angsty teenager and use my distortion pedal. Then a couple of years late I stumbled across a piano in a room somewhere and started improvising, playing my own music. That’s when I realized that playing piano didn’t have to be a chore, it could be whatever I wanted it to be and I’ve been playing it ever since.
2. We in the US have a penchant for Aussies and their laid back, cool kids vibe. What do you think is the sweetest thing about Australia?
I think the sweetest thing about Australia is the pace that everybody travels at. More so when you get out of the cities but even our cities, compared to somewhere like New York, are incredibly laid back! I really notice it when I go home after being in America for a while; you can’t help but feel like Australia is this little country town on the edge of a big crazy world. Bless it.
3. I like to drink organic beer. What is your favorite eco-tip or activity?
I have a little, but very sturdy water bottle that I take everywhere so I never have to use plastic water bottles. Most places have drinking fountains or access to water that you can fill it up at. I also take my own body wash and shampoo whenever I travel so as not to have to use all those tiny little containers they have in hotel rooms.
4. I’m 24, close to your age. Do you think our generation is greener than other generations? Why?
I think our generation is more willing to change their ways than a lot of the older generation, even if it means living a little less comfortably. We’re still blessed with impressionable and open minds. Regardless of whether it is naive or not, we still have the hope and eagerness that youth allows us. And I think a lot of us feel it’s our responsibility to be pro-active about climate-change, as it is our immediate future that’s in jeopardy.
5. You were on Jimmy Kimmel’s show last week. Do you have any odd pre-performance rituals or superstitions?
Not really! Although if I’m nervous which I most likely will be, I do like to get a bit of alone time. Just a few minutes before the performance in a quiet room beforehand is enough to calm my jitters.
5. Where is the coolest green place you have stopped so far on a tour?
The Mountain View Montessori school in Reno. They had solar panels on the roof, a wind turbine that had just been installed, compost bins outside of every classroom, a veggie and herb garden and two very happy goats! It was really inspiring to see such a wonderfully practical and Green educational system in such a happy and colorful environment.
To see more, check out Missy Higgins’ video mini-series Missy Takes the Wheel.
The Nature Conservancy. Protecting nature, preserving life. The leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. Celebrity fans include Tom Hanks and photographer Annie Leibovitz. More cool charities.
Parrish started out as an actor in New York City, and now spends his time writing blogs, taking photographs and sauntering around the Big Apple in search of delicious vegan nosh. Meet the entire Ecorazzi Team.
