ecorazzi.com :: the latest in green gossip

August 27th 2008

London May Install Trash Bins Featuring Celebrity Voices

Oh, the possibilities...

Filed under: events: uk, green and famous — michael @ 2:59 pm

The next time you go to throw something out in London, don’t be surprised to hear Paris Hilton exclaim, “That’s hot.” The city is considering experimenting with trash bins featuring celebrity voices as a way to get more people to properly dispose of their garbage. Currently, Finland is utilizing the tech for their own public bins. According to one source, a detector in the bin will activate a loudspeaker every time rubbish is deposited and the celebrity voice recording will say: “It’s great that you care about the city. Cool isn’t it?”

Um, yea. And creepy too.

A spokeswoman for the Mayor of London said that he is very interested in innovative schemes “that will encourage Londoners to recycle their rubbish.” The bins in Helsinki are just another example that they think might work really well in the capital.

Right — now the only question is: Who do you think should be featured as one of the voices of trash? Better yet, let’s have a vote!

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July 17th 2008

Celebrity Chef Aldo Zilli: Why Can’t He Move to the US?

Filed under: events: uk, food & drink, healthy living — morgin @ 12:13 pm

Celebrity chef, Aldo Zilli, just helped reopened up a new eco-Louth food store, along with local school children. He has appeared in shows like Celebrity Fit Club and The X Factor and owns a few restaurants around London which specializes in Italian food. The store is called “The Co-Operative” which has many new features, including:

* A Fair Trade Coffee Bar.

* Low Flow Toilets.

* Eco-refrigeration.

* New Organic Foods.

* Four self scanning tills.

The young students from Kidgate Primary, St Michael’s School and Lacey Gardens helped celebrate the ribbon cutting ceremony and accepted donations of £200 (almost $400) for each school’s funds from store manager Kevin Ferguson to mark the occasion.

“We were thrilled that Aldo was able to take part in our store relaunch celebrations along with our local school children. Our store has been completely transformed and we have had a great response from shoppers so far, who are impressed with our smart new look and wider range,” Kevin says.

Why can’t they have more of these in the US? Come here, Aldo!

You can check out the store’s website: Here.

via: louthleader.co.uk

Morgin is a new writer for ecorazzi and has her own blog: morginfelicia.blogspot.com

July 10th 2008

Winehouse And Kate Moss To Attend Opening Of Eco Dance Club?

Filed under: events: uk, music — michael @ 4:43 pm

Back in march, it was rumored that troubled singer Amy Winehouse was banking $700,000 to sing at the grand opening of a new eco-nightclub in Rotterdam, Netherlands. That, just like everything else tied to the singer’s name, apparently fell through. Now, however, the Wino is being tied to the opening of yet another eco-nightclub — this time in London. We don’t expect her to sing — who does these days? But she will be sharing company with Supermodel Kate Moss, Conservative Party leader David Cameron, and London Mayor Boris Johnson at what’s expected to be a star-studded grand opening.

Just like the club in the Netherlands, this one (called Surya - Sanskrit for Sun God) features a dancefloor that uses the concept of piezoelectricity to generate power. Basically, the more dancers feel the beat and shift their weight, the more electricity is created. Organizers estimate that a good crowd out there breaking it down to something like “Baby Got Back” will generate almost 60% of the club’s energy needs. Coldplay will not be allowed.

The bathrooms have air flush, waterless urinals and low flush toilets and the club will recycle glass, metal, plastic and paper products used in its bar. The site also has its own wind turbine and solar energy system — something that will provide the energy needs of 14 to 20 local residents, as well as the business. “We are the first free energy-donating business in the world,” said owner Andrew Charalambous.

You can check out the rest of the green details here.

June 23rd 2008

Gwyneth Paltrow Raises $90,000 Singing Karaoke

Filed under: donations, events, events: uk — parrish @ 1:03 pm

I’m a solid 7 on the fun scale, and I believe it’s my pretty strict no karaoke rule that keep me from achieving that 8 or 9 status. However, if $90,000 was on the line you better believe I’d grab that mic and sing my little vegan face off! Well apparently Gwyneth Paltrow and I have something in common.

Last week Paltrow participated in a Karaoke With The Stars event in London to help raise money for Palestinian refugee children. Paltrow got on the stage and belted Roberta Flack’s Killing Me Softly after a $90,000 bid was offered — the highest single bid of the evening.

Also in attendance were stars like Lily Cole, Lou Reed, Bruce Forsyth and Stella McCartney. The evening was a hit and raised over $440,000 for the Hoping Foundation. To see more pictures from the evening, visit uk.popsugar.com. 

March 11th 2008

Stars Gather For Big Fat Organic Feast Of Albion

Filed under: events: uk, food & drink — michael @ 9:31 am

This coming Thursday in London, a massive organic dinner party called The Feast of Albion will provide a five-course gourmet experience to the 400 guests paying over $2K for the evening. The get-together is the result of a partnership between award-winning sustainable and ethical chefs Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Mark Hix. Everything served will be local, seasonal, and deliciously organic. Nothing beyond a 50 mile radius of London will be included in the ingredients. From Smartplanet,

“It’s been reported that the five-course Feast of Albion menu will include venison from Windsor Great Park, mutton from Prince Charles’ Highgrove, herrings from Thames Bay, beetroots from Romney Marsh and nettles (for a soup) picked in London by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall himself. We’ve heard vegetables will come from the extremely low-carbon Tolhurst Organic Produce, which have been transported to London by fit cyclists.”

Celebrities partaking in the fun of the evening include Jemima Khan, Sophie Dahl, Tom Parker Bowles, Richard E. Grant and many others. The headlining entertainment for the evening will be none other than Annie Lennox. All profits earned for the evening will go to the Soil Association’s Farm School Project, which aims to connect kids with organic farming and the countryside. Curious as to what the full menu for the evening looks like? Have a taste after the jump below.

Read the rest of this entry »

February 14th 2008

The Vegan Environmental Awards Spark Controversy

Filed under: animals, events, events: uk, green and famous, honors, thegreenpicture — parrish @ 3:21 pm

OH MY GOD!!! HOW DID I NOT KNOW ABOUT THESE AWARDS UNTIL 10 MINUTES AGO?

Apparently, each year in the magical land of Bristol, England there’s an event called the Vegan Environmental Awards, which highlights all the great VEG stuff from the past year.

The latest drama surrounding the event is that Sir. Paul McCartney narrowly missed a nomination for the 2008 ethical Oscar while his estranged wife, Heather Mills McCartney, made it through.

The list of 64 other nominations includes groups like: Whole Foods, vegan campaigners such as Ingrid Newark from PETA, and the directors of Vegfam. Also, there’s a category for the best vegan shows like: Animal Aid’s Christmas Without Cruelty and The London Vegan Festival.

So head over to the Vegan Enviromental Awards website and vote on your favorite vegan products for a chance to win some cool prizes. Dear England, I’m super jealous that you’re more Veg-Friendly than we are.  Love, Parrish.

January 29th 2008

Prince Charles And Camilla Enjoy An Afternoon Of Environmental Theatre

Filed under: events, events: uk, green and famous, theater — parrish @ 11:55 am

I believe it was Billy Shakes who once said, “To be or not to be sustainable, that is the question.”

Prince Charles and wife Camilla, the Duchess Of Cornwall (you gotta love a good Duchess), spent yesterday afternoon enjoying some downtime at the theater…the children’s theater.  The royal duo visited the Unicorn Theatre (not to be confused with the Fairy Theatre, the Gargoyle Theatre or the Keebler Elf Theatre) and watched a production of A Singer from the Desert Came-a story set in the future when Earth has been destroyed by mankind’s way of life (so it’s a comedy?). The play was performed by TheatreQuest, a troupe funded by Charles’ organization, The Prince’s Foundation for Children.  In its lifetime, TheatreQuest has introduced the arts to over 1,300 children by getting them involved with local theatres.

No report on whether Charles and company were good audience members (I hear Camilla has a nasty hard candy wrapper habit). However, after the show, Charles addressed the children and said, “You can see I do have my uses, to allow you to get away from your lessons! But hopefully this little play will remind us of the importance of not making a complete mess of our planet.”  

Wait a tick! The leaders of Britain actually SUPPORT the arts? Now that IS foreign. Sure, maybe Charles is kinda funny looking and a little scandalous, but his support for the environment and the theatre deserve a good old fashion standing O! So on the count of three, let’s all sing it together: Charles in charge of our days and our nights. Charles in charge of our wrongs and our rights. And I sing, I want, I want, Charles in charge of me!

story via: femalefirst.co.uk

July 1st 2007

Concert for Diana hosted by Prince William and Prince Harry

Filed under: donations, events: uk — paige @ 11:27 pm

Over 70,000 fans joined princes William and Harry at London’s Wembley Stadium in celebration of what would have been Princess Diana’s 46th birthday. The concert embraced an eclectic mix of rock, pop, hip hob and classical ballet.  Among the 24 performances were songs by Rod Stewart, Kanye West, Joss Stone, Lily Allen and Sean “Diddy” Combs, who performed an emotive rendition of “Missing You” by The Police. Even a few of Diana’s favorite musicians rocked the stage including Duran Duran and Tom Jones.  The event of course was not without its classic moments of grace and sentiment including Elton John’s “Candle in the Wind” and in honor of her love of dance and theater, there was a performance of an extract from “Swan Lake” by the English National Ballet and songs by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Diana’s brother Charles said: “She would have loved to have been there and would have been so proud of her boys for doing this. This is very much her sort of event.”Princess Diana’s legacy of bringing awareness to the hardship of people living with HIV and AIDS is one that both Prince William and Prince Harry are fulfilling in their own right. Both are actively involved in supporting work with the young and underprivileged in the UK and abroad.   Proceeds from the event will go to a variety of charities  including: The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund, Prince William’s Centrepoint which is the UK’s leading youth homeless charity, and Prince Harry’s Sentebale that helps vulnerable children and young people in Lesotho, particularly those orphaned as a result of AIDS. It was an event to celebrate Diana’s amazing legacy and truly help others.

Check out the full list of charities.

June 27th 2007

Amidst The Green, Fashion’s Big Names Still Promote Exotic Animal Skins

Filed under: events: uk, not green — michael @ 1:06 pm

While we continue to report on the all the great strides being made in the fashion world with regards to sustainability and eco and animal-friendly designs; industry fashion shows are still a sad reminder that we’ve got a long way to go. According to the fashion site, Style Guru, the 2007 Paris Fashion Show featured skins and furs from several big names — and they were all huge hits. From the site,

“For instance, at the Paris Fashion Week, 2007, Christian Dior let models walk in a striking collection that was made up of python and ostrich skin. The collection also featured dresses with fox sleeves. Calvin Klein’s collection featured jackets that had alligator’s skins and Celine walked the ramp in a white python skirt. Jimmy Choo’s snakeskin sandals and Ferragamo’s alligator footwear were also showcased and sadly, all of these have been a huge hit. Big names like Nike and legendary designers like Roberto Cavalli also seem not to be bothered about the disgracing trend.”

Designer Roberto Cavalli further confirmed the trendiness with this blasé comment,

“Exotic skins are hot right now, there’s a real buzz. I love to use reptile skins because it excites me to take a material that is seen as ‘wild’ and mix it with a look that shouts glamour and sophistication. Exotic skin - alligator, crocodile and snake - also gives the impression of being superluxurious and expensive, a look women are into at the moment. For men it’s cars. For women it’s bags, shoes and belts now. A rich woman wants her bag to do the talking. It’s the most sophisticated way to say you have money. Exotic skin is the ultimate. Everyone knows it is expensive.”

Oh, we’ve such a long road to walk….

June 17th 2007

A Party With A Conscience: Keira Knightley, Sienna Miller Groove

Filed under: events: uk, festivals — michael @ 11:30 am

This update on the O2 Wireless Festival comes to us from our newest contributor, BlueFin.

Though it’s been raining on and off, stars continue to gather to watch bands performing in Hyde Park, London at the O2 Wireless Festival. Rumor has it that Sienna Miller bumped into her famous ex while watching the White Stripes open the music festival. Judging from the picture she didn’t seem too bothered seeing Jude. Perhaps she’s learned a thing or two watching Hollywood’s A-Listers, Diaz and Justin handle their post break up friendship around the globe. Like everyone else, Sienna paid 20 pence extra for beer at the bars around the festival to encourage people to hold onto their cups for recycling. Festival goers are also being persuaded to recycle their waste in different recycling bins available and jump on public transport to reduce the festival’s carbon footprint. Glad to hear someone in PR is thinking about global warming. I’d be glad to pay 20 pence extra. Wouldn’t you?