Alicia Silverstone and EMA’s Debbie Levin will be the keynote speakers at the invitation-only private launch of Green Lounge, an eco-luxury experience, on November 15th, at Loews Hotel in Santa Monica. Empowerment coach Jason Nelson will also be speaking and the event will be hosted by FOX 11’s Christine Devine and Planet Green’s Darren Moore.

Green Lounge founder and host of Celebrity Soul Nicole Sherwin says, “My vision and the goal of Green Lounge is to create a platform for the thought leaders of the world in the areas of environmentalism, wellness and philanthropy to share ideas and create proactive change in an eco-luxury setting.”

Green Lounge promises to be a luxury social and business-networking platform for celebrities, CEOs and others from the worlds of entertainment, environmentalism, philanthropy and wellness to create broader awareness, network and generate new ideas and contacts in an eco-conscious setting.  There will also be Green Suites for the charities highlighted by the speakers.

This is the first of several scheduled Green Lounge events in the US and abroad.

On November 3, mayors, movie stars and mover and shakers in the California green community gathered for the launch of the “California Green Community Challenge”, the Environmental Media Association’s collaboration with Southern California Edison, Green Seal and the Institute for Local Government.

The state wide challenge is bringing together 10 California towns and their local governments to compete for Green Seal recognition as a “California Green Community” by 2012. The objective is to ignite a nationwide initiative to preserve our natural environment by awarding participating towns with silver, gold or platinum seals.

The press conference was held on the Sony Pictures back lot, one of the greenest studios in LA, highlighting the central role that Hollywood and the EMA will play in sponsoring this initiative.

EMA Board Members Amy Smart, Frances Fisher and Daryl Hannah were there to introduce several of the participating mayors and speak on their involvement with EMA and this initiative. All three seemed very enthusiastic and I will report that there were a few whoops and cheers from the duo of Frances and Daryl in the row behind me when they were particularly inspired. It’s great to hear people so excited for a municipal eco-challenge and their commitment to an initiative like this is proof that they are pretty true believers since this was less red carpet and more civic duty.

Amy Smart told Ecorazzi that she hopes this challenge will inspire other mayors across the country to go green. She also divulged that she’s been reading The Omnivore’s Dilemma as well as The Kind Diet right now. I’m not sure what recipes ‘Razzi readers are loving right now but Amy’s partial to Alicia’s mom’s granola and the squash and aduki beans.

Daryl Hannah had her veggie hat on, cracking a joke about a partially visible billboard for “Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs” that framed only the word “MEATBALLS” above the podium. “You can’t see it,” she said, “but behind that other building it says VEGGIE!” If only, Daryl…

Daryl Hannah presenting beneath a Meatball banner

The stars came out in costume this weekend for the 16th annual Children Affected by Aids Foundation’s Dream Halloween event. The goal of the night, which also includes fundraising, is to create an experience that exemplifies what every child would dream of when celebrating Halloween. Celebs in attendance included Jamie Lee Curtis as a flower child (who also arrived in her hydrogen-powered Honda Clarity), Daryl Hannah as a cat, Hilary Shephard as Dorothy, and Noah Cyrus and Emily Grace Reaves as, well, I’m not sure. Vampire goth chicks? Check out pics below for more shots from the evening!

Presenters for the evening included Harrison Ford, Calista Flockhart, Kathryn Morris, Ginnifer Goodwin, Olivia Wilde, Alanis Morrisette, Ed Begley Jr., Blythe Danner, Amy Smart, Simon Baker, Dana Delaney, Emily Vancamp as well as Dianna Agron and Kevin McHale from ‘Glee’. Razzi heroes Louie and Vicki Psihoyos also made it back from the controversial screening of their film The Cove in Japan for the event.

Amy Smart and Simon Baker presenting.

It was a pretty lavish shindig with vendors and screens lining New York Street on the Paramount Studios backlot. Tables were lit with faux votive candles, no paper plates in sight as well as eco-luxury gifts and a variety of gourmet and organic foods available all across the outdoor event.

Toyota and Lexus hosted the eco-luxury lounges.

The very excellent Melinda McGraw, from Mad Men and Hank, was on hand and we chatted a bit about how much there is to learn from pioneers like Ed Begley Jr. as well as what she’s been noticing changing on sets in the last ten years. McGraw pointed out that while many scripts are emailed these days it’s still hard to conserve paper with so many changing scripts drafts. Her pet peeve on set? The air conditioning on sound stages. “It does not need to be that cold,” she said. She also noted that she was decked out in all vintage for the evening.

I also caught up with the very talented actress and EMA board member Frances Fisher to talk about on-set habits. She said that because of the largess and temporary nature of film sets it’s hard to know what the better options are for something like craft services flatware. “What’s the impact of disposable plates versus the water used in washing all of these dishes?” It feels like there’s still a lot of assessment to be done on set.

Bill Nye The Science Guy and Ed Begley Jr. both agree that getting out of our cars is the single biggest thing that we can do to help the environment. Nye, back at the EMAs after a few years away, also said that he rides his bike everywhere much to the amusement of his friends. He also has a powerful solar set up at his house which allows him to sell electricity back into the grid.

Derreck and Beverly Joubert, National Geographic’s current Explorers in Residence (definitley in the running for ‘best job ever’) also launched the Big Cat Initiative last night which aims to protect the world’s big cats, starting on their home continent, Africa, but also spanning the world, bringing together governments and NGOs to save these rapidly vanishing creatures.

Along with honorees Branson and Mraz, winners for the evening included Better Off Ted, Brothers & Sisters, The Cove, Food Inc., Disneynature EARTH, The Lazy Environmentalist and Biz Kid$.

Highlights of the evening included a sneak peek at the upcoming 2012, Alanis working her way through Jason Mraz’s extensive list of eco-accomplishments and Cedric the Entertainer’s attempt to get the crowd to relax. I can also say that I hope that Blythe Danner and Sir Richard’s broken limbs heal quickly. What troopers!

Check out this exclusive clip of Jason Mraz performing “I’m Yours”.

Are you a passionate green blogger looking for tips to expand your readership — or someone that might be interested in getting involved? Rachel Sarnoff, the driving force behind the stylish EcoStiletto.com, has organized a Green Blogger Convention to take place in Los Angeles on November 6th from 9am-12pm. More than an opportunity to network, there will also be some wonderful green products to sample — from sustainable beauty treatments from Steam Salon to mini-makeovers from Terra Firma Cosmetics.

This big highlight will be a panel from 10am-11:30 discussing “the past, present and future of green blogging”. Speakers include Kim Barnouin, (co-author of New York Times Bestseller Skinny Bitch and founder of HealthyBitchDaily.com), Starre Vartan, (environmental journalist, editor and publisher of Eco-Chick.com), Jen Boulden, (co-founder of IdealBite.com), Jane Buckingham (trend forecaster and president of Trendera.com), “Green LA Girl” Siel Ju, Lauren Selman, founder & producer of Reel Green Media & “Sustainable Sirens”, and Rachel Lincoln Sarnoff, founder & editor of EcoStiletto.com.

After the panel, a “Vegan Fashion Show” featuring sustainable designs from ecoSkin, Doie, Deborah Lindquist, Stewart + Brown and Wasteland.

Want to attend? Hit up the registration site here before space runs out!

Actress Persia White and Dr. Neal Barnard are pictured here celebrating at PCRM’s “Art of Compassion” pre-gala bash.  Other famous faces in attendance included Kathy Freston, Emily Deschanel, Rory Freedman, Jennifer Coolidge, Marilu Henner and many more. The Art of Compassion gala will mark PCRM’s 25th anniversary and will take place on April 10th in California. Wanna know more? Visit PCRM.org/Gala2010 to get your tickets!

Honorees at this year’s event include Jason Mraz and Sir Richard Branson.

Among the feature films nominated are Earth and The Day the Earth Stood Still. Ecorazzi favorite The Cove is up in the Documentary category along with Food, Inc., No Impact Man and Fuel.

In the TV category, spots went to Grey’s Anatomy for drama, alongside House as well as Brothers and Sisters. Other nominations include The Simpsons in the Comedy category and The Lazy Environmentalist is up for Reality Program.

EMA’s president, Debbie Levin, has said the annual event seeks to honor film and television’s positive role in promoting environmental awareness and sustainable lifestyles.

Photo of Julia Louis Dreyfus at last year’s event: PR Photos

When I heard about the Vanity Fair/Planet Green/Lauren Bush (with her business partner, Ellen Gustafson)/ Kenneth Cole – FEED Heal+h backpack “Send Poverty Packing” event, my first thought was, this must be a very important charity if so many people have come together to support one cause. And I was right!.

In an exclusive EcoDivas interview, fashion model and designer Lauren Bush graciously informed me that she’d made a trip to some of the Sub-Saharan African villages and she wanted to find a way to deliver medical supplies, vaccines and birth control to the villages. She then explained that for each FEED Heal+h backpack purchased at Kenneth Cole, a second bag would be donated and delivered to one of the villages filled with all the medical supplies. All this was made possible in conjunction with the Millennium Project, an organization that provides solutions to improve lives and lift people out of poverty. The amazing thing about this bag is that it’s made from eco-friendly recycled plastic-based nylon, which is durable, waterproof and reusable.

Having been to Zambia myself, I realize the necessity of paying attention to my own actions and how they alter the environment on the other side of the globe. So the epiphany I had again last night was: What I do here in Los Angeles actually affects the health and lives of people in Africa.

Not only does my choice to purchase a sustainable bag help humanitarian efforts, but because the FEED Heal+h backpack is made from eco-materials that will last for a long time, I can also do a small part to help lower, or at least sustain, the temperature in Africa. Sickness, drought, the inability to grow crops and global warming all go hand in hand.

It was also wonderful to see so many young Hollywood stars and starlets really analyzing environmental issues and connecting the fun sides of making a difference. I had the opportunity to talk about eco-divalicious environmental issues and tips with the lovely Lauren Storm, the animated Vanessa Lengies and the sassy Alex Krosney. Not to mention, it was great to run into Alexa Vega who I hadn’t seen in 4-5 years. I must add it was nice to see her all grown up, environmentally conscious and with her natural blonde hair vs. the constantly dyed-darker-hair she had to maintain throughout the ‘Spy Kids’ series. Let’s not forget the fabulous EcoDiva herself, Rachelle Carson-Begley, who was there with her daughter, Hayden, and husband, Ed Begley.

Other celebs at the event: Ali Larter, Erin Cummings, Reid Scott, Aly Michalka, Krysten Ritter, Erin Cummings, Ethan Erickson, Brandon Barash, Ryan Kwanten, Madeline Zima, Rhada Mitchell, Enzinga Blane, Paul Haggis and Lauren Conrad.

Photos © Mark Savage

The first Blue Planet Film Fest will be held from Sept. 4-7 in Santa Monica, CA. The films slated will deal with environmental and animal welfare themes.

The event is attempting to use as many green practices as possible. They are partnering with green ticketing service, InTicketing, to create non-tree tickets, and InTicketing has agreed to plant a tree for every ticket sold. One dollar of each ticket sold will be donated to the cause that particular movie is promoting.

According to Variety, executive director Mira Tweti, said their “goal is to revolutionize the film festival dynamic and have the audience participate to effect change with their dollars and actions.”

Each day during the fest will be themed, with Friday as Animal Day, Saturday as Water Day, Sunday as Land Day and Monday as Future Day.

Starting small but this looks like it could be an interesting event that could grow in the next few years. If you’re in LA and on the Westside, check out the schedule.

All Sustainable L.A. events are free to the public and the day will include a variety of speakers and demonstrations ranging from ‘recycled’ fashion to farmer’s market cooking, self-sufficiency to ecotourism.

Starting at 10am on August 20th the green day is part of the festival week which has a really interesting schedule slated including a rare documentary of the Jackson 5 performing in Senegal, a classic Paul Newman double bill and several indie world premieres.

I wish I was already back in LA so I could check out this festival for myself. It’s always interesting to me to see how producers and planners make green choices for their events.