Edward Norton is really driving support for his marathon run to benefit the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust. The actor is taking on the 26.2 mile challenge to raise awareness and cash for the organization — which promotes sustainable development while protecting the east African grasslands that the Maasai tribe calls home. Using a slick website — and giving people the option to sponsor individual runners on his team, Norton has already raised over $305,000! His many twitter updates (his follower count has rocketed to 100K +) and contest promotions have also brought in the donations.

Yesterday, Norton announced that singer Alanis Morissette was joining the team — which also includes magician David Blaine. “i was and am committed,” she writes on her sponsor page. “for the maasai conservation wilderness trust. for edward. for shauna. for myself. and for the collective idea of tenacity, perseverance and loving/prevailing in the face of fear and pain. yay, can’t wait. jumping in last minute, please contribute whatever you feel called to…super grateful.”

The NYC Marathon kicks off on November 1st. To learn all about the Maasai — or help sponsor a runner — check out the official website here.

I’m a casual dude. In fact, in a perfect world I would wear jeans and a t-shirt everyday for the rest of my life.  Luckily for me Alanis Morissette  and Woody Harrelson are turning my blue jeans into green jeans.

The duo recently launched Reco Jeans — a line made with 50% recycled denim.  The process for making these pants are pretty intricate. Here’s how it works: 

First, they collect piles of excess fabric that would usually get dumped into the landfill. Then they take the fabric to a re-processing mill where it gets separated and broken down to be spun into yarn. Once separated properly, the fibers are ready to be spun into quality yarn and woven into strong fabric sheets. Finally, the dyeing is done with indigo to give the “blue jean” look. 

Each box set includes a pair of eco-friendly recycled denim reco® jeans, reco® iPod case, and certificate of authenticity. Oh yeah, and there are only 300 pairs available!!

So how much are these groovy threads? Well that’s up to you! Until July 18th, the vegan pair are holding a dutch auction that will allow YOU to decide the price.  Visit RecoJeans.com to bid on a pair and learn more about this fancy new product!

Check out the full video below — and is it me, or does Edward Norton appear to be getting younger?

Edward Norton

Truly, this is a huge boost for organizers to have Norton championing their campaign on a major cable news show. He’s a genuine environmental activist — that also happens to be a famous movie star. It should be a good interview — and we look forward to seeing King try to wrap his head around the concept of Earth Hour this coming Saturday. Check it out at 9pm on CNN.

Check out Alanis’ video below. For Garofalo’s, jump here.

I’ve got one hand in my pocket and the other one is holding some tofu!

Alanis Morissette has joined the ranks of compassionate celebrities by making public her commitment to the vegan lifestyle! HELL, YEAH!!

According to OK, Alanis turned to the vegan diet after gaining a few extra pounds and reading Eat to Live which covers the many health benefits of a vegan diet. Oh and after Alanis went vegan, guess what happened? Chick lost 20 pounds and felt better than ever!!

About her new healthy lifestyle, Morissette says, “I’m back to what I was born to be, at my best. … I feel very alive. … I have no more aches and pains, and my allergies are gone, too.”

If you’d like to lighten your footprint on the planet and lead a more compassionate life, join Alanis and make the resolution to go meat-free in 2009. YOU.CAN.DO.IT!!!!

Photo credit: PR Photos

Don’t you just love hemp? For, um, clothes and stuff, I mean. Reese Witherspoon does. She, along with Michelle Williams and Alanis Morissette, is a fan of Heather Heron’s line of organic European hemp bags.

Colts quarterback Peyton Manning raised over $380,000 for at his annual PeyBack Bowl on Monday, with proceeds going to disadvantaged kids through his PeyBack Foundation (nice little word play there). Other celebs who got in on the knocking-of-the-pins included Colts player Reggie Wayne with the highest score, race drivers Scott Dixon and Sam Hornish Jr., and NFL Hall of Famer Gale Sayers.

Is Nelson Mandela more inspiring than Angelina Jolie? Members of Christian Aid think so. When surveyed recently, they found people like Mandela and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to be more inspiring when it comes to changing the world than celebrities like Jolie and Bono. What do you think?

Polish weightlifter Symon Kolecki has shaved his head in solidarity with Tibetan monks. The athlete had his scalp shaved just before he received the Silver Medal in weightlifting.  “This haircut is from this morning. I can’t directly say why I did it. It’s connected with certain things that the Olympic Charter forbids. But I will say that it’s symbolic,” Kolecki said.

Several famous voices are sounding out for a new project simply entitled “Songs for Tibet”.

Moby, John Mayer, Sting, Alanis Morissette, Dave Matthews, and Suzanne Vega all lend their talent to the album which is due for global release on iTunes on August 5. That is a mere three days before the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics.

“This album will focus people’s attention on the importance of Tibet, the gifts of its culture, and the crisis the Tibetan people are facing today,” said one of the album’s organizers and member of The Art of Peace Foundation, Michael Wohl.

Many in Tibet, as well as the Dalai Lama who fled his homeland, say its people have suffered widespread political, cultural and religious repression under the forced Chinese rule since 1951. Protests in Tibet against Chinese rule erupted in March, and China was condemned internationally for its ensuing security crackdown that Tibetan exiles said left more than 200 people dead.

It isn’t only the people that are affected by the current status of Tibet either. According to savetibet.org: “The high plains, forests and mountains of Tibet are home to rare and endangered wildlife such as the snow leopard, blue sheep and Tibetan antelope (chiru). Due to extensive resource extraction, poaching and unsustainable development, these ecosystems and many of their species are now endangered.”

“The forced settlement of nomads is wiping out a unique way of life, increasing poverty and contributing to grassland degradation.”

via AFP

The similarities are remarkable!

Researchers at the New England Historic Genealogical Society have discovered that actor and humanitarian Brad Pitt is actually related to Barack Obama. CREEPY! According to the society, Pitt and Obama are ninth cousins, linked by a man named Edwin Hickman who died in 1769 in Virginia.Then just when it couldn’t get stranger…it did! It was further revealed that Pitt’s long-term partner Angelina Jolie is also ninth cousins to another famous Democratic candidate… Hillary Clinton. What the Mr. and Mrs. Smith is going on? Jolie is connected to Clinton through Jean Cusson, who died in Quebec, Canada, in 1718.

The study also found Obama is related to British World War II Prime Minister Winston Churchill and US Vice President Dick Cheney, while Clinton has links to Madonna, Celine Dion and Alanis Morissette.

Now I don’t know a lot about genetics, but isn’t this strange to anyone else? The only famous person I’m related to is some guy who made the local paper in the 1800’s after getting hit by a train. Maybe that’s why I’M not running for president or saving New Orleans. Oh well.

thanks: femalefirst.co.uk