There’s biking news coming out of London today — so, let’s roll.

Elle Macpherson is getting behind a new campaign to encourage the British public to get on their bikes and start pedaling. The model is being joined by Olympic champion cyclist Victoria Pendleton and television presenter Gethin Jones in getting the word out. Macpherson, 45, who lives in London’s Notting Hill, said: “There’s going to be this huge community, this surge of people riding their bikes and hopefully rediscovering a very simple pleasure. You don’t have to be an Olympic champion to cycle. Get out there and enjoy the environment and enjoy being with the family.”

Colin Firth’s Eco Store in Cheswick is getting a lot of attention lately because of the nearly $5K bamboo bike they’re selling. The organic, biodegradable bike is considered by many to be the “greenest” thing on two wheels. Of course, it definitely has a round-the-world footprint to offset. From the article,

“The frame of the Calfee, which will set you back at least £3,000, is made from stems hand-picked in the remote mountains of Taiwan’s Yushan national park, home to wildlife such as the Formosan black bear and rock monkey. The bamboo is shipped – not flown – to California, where stems are smoked and heat-treated to prevent splitting, and assembled into a frame, the pieces connected with lugs made of hemp fibre. They are then coated in a satin polyurethane sealant. The finished product is transported to Chiswick, where it is being sold in the Eco Age shop owned by actor Colin Firth, his Italian wife Livia Giuggioli, and her brother Nicola.”

The end result is a bike made from 60% sustainable materials. The people that harvest the bamboo for the frame are also involved in a social project “helping local people who come from disadvantaged backgrounds.” Five of the bikes have been sold in Britain so far. More info on the bike can be found here.

Since opening last year, Colin Firth’s green store, Eco, has graced this site several times. Obviously, it’s a fantastic shop specializing in eco-products — as well as sustainable consulting and green interior design. To be sure, if you’re visiting Chiswick, England, you can’t miss it — it’s one of the only stores with a vertical garden wrapping around its outside!

Anyways, a new ethical fashion brand called “12 Degrees” is getting its start at Eco — with some backing by Colin’s film-producing wife Livia Firth, Lucy Siegle, fashion designer Orsola de Castro, and Jocelyn Whipple. But this is more than just your standard fashion retail — this is an idea that will “morph” into different themes each moth. “We have curated 12 pop-up (temporary) shops featuring the best of the ethical fashion scene, and to highlight a particular ethical fashion theme,” says Lucy Siegle in a new article on the UK Guardian. “These include the best sustainable denim, trans-seasonal pieces designed to last a lifetime (as opposed to wardrobe fodder designed for landfill), real cashmere that reinstates sustainable luxury, party dresses with tiny footprints, culminating – if all goes to plan – with a big sustainable menswear push this time next year.”

So, even though the home base for 12 Degrees will be within Colin Firth’s store, you can expect in the future to find its pop-up shops scattered about. Siegle told Ecorazzi, “Our aspiration is to move this flexible, ethical retail model to many different territories where we can pick up on fantastic indigenous conscious design that is getting overlooked by the behemoth, homogenized fashion industry.”

Visit the official Eco site here.

Most recently Oxfam recruited nineteen actors, musicians and activists – including stars like Scarlettt Johansson, Annie Lennox, Colin Firth and Kristin Davis — to sign a climate change letter written to world leaders who attended the UN climate negotiations in Poland.

“It is desperately unfair that the poor should again feel the brunt, despite being least responsible,” read the letter. “Wealthy nations, who are in their advantaged position because of heavy industrialization, are the most responsible and able to lead the world in tackling climate change. This is why they must show leadership in Poland and provide solutions that have the interests of the world’s poor at their heart.”

With so many people getting involved, it’s hard to believe that only a few years ago the verdict was still out on climate change. Here’s to hoping that 2009 is full of even more delicious environmental progress!

via: looktothestars.org

Photo: Scarlett Johansson attending a photocall for her new film, The Other Boleyn Girl, as part of the 58th annual Berlin International Film Festival. Credit: Dirk Laessige/INFphoto.com

The 48-year-old actor has fallen in love with Molson’s unique range of woven hemp material and plans to sell her first bag in his London store Eco Age. Even better, Firth will autograph a few of the bags at a special upcoming event to be held at the shop. To be sure, Molson is thrilled. “It’s an amazing time for me – having Colin’s shop sell the bag and taking part in this year’s HOST (Huddersfield Open Studio Trail) are both raising my profile very quickly considering I am really just starting out,” she said. “I’ve only been working on my range of materials for around five months so to be noticed so soon is incredible.”

Kate uses only organic and sustainable hemp yarn, which is manufactured locally without the use of toxins. Kudos to Firth for recognizing her product and helping to get it in front of the public.

Anyone out there been to Eco Age yet? Check out their official website here.

Annie Lennox

Here at Ecorazzi we give major props to celebs who work with Oxfam, including famous faces such as Scarlett Johansson, Colin Firth, Kristin Davis, and Bill Nighy.  Earlier in the year we even had the chance to sit down with long-time Oxfam Ambassador, and new mother, Minnie Driver who explained to us just why she loves working with the organization so much.

I did a little research and was overwhelmed by the fact that more than 25 million people have died from AIDS since the disease first emerged in 1981, and 33 million people today are living with HIV. Furthermore, ninety percent of those infected live in poor countries and only three million individuals, or less than a third of those in need, have access to precious antiretroviral drugs.

To find out how you can get involved visit OxfamAmerica.org!

More hydrogen-porn to go along with your morning coffee!

Last night, the premiere of the new musical film Mamma Mia! was held in NYC and hitting the red-carpet with some green wheels were Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan. The former 007, and his wife, Keely Shaye Smith, were the first to pull up to the red carpet in their BMW H7 – the world’s first hydrogen car for everyday use. Following close behind was Streep in her own silver BMW H7.

The film, which also star actor Colin Firth — wait a minute?! — why wasn’t Firth arriving to the scene in an eco-friendly car? Did he walk? Doesn’t he own, I don’t know, A GREEN STORE in London?! Yo, BMW, hook a fella up!

Mamma Mia! opens this weekend…

The 34th G8 Summit, which is taking place until the 9th, is a gathering of Germany, France, Britain, Italy, Japan, the United States, Canada and Russia. In a letter drafted by the Oxfam ambassadors, the group remarked “The Millennium Development Goals that were set out in 2000 were chosen because they were ambitious, but also because they were realistic and achievable. The current delays in meeting these commitments are a disgrace.”

Actor Bill Nighy is truly no stranger to these proceedings — both personally and professionally. His 2005 movie, The Girl in the Cafe, features a love story that revolves around the G8 Summit in Reykjavík, Iceland. He’s currently in attendance at this year’s summit to make sure the letter is delivered.

Unfortunately, there appears to be a typo in the letter we received a link to. One sentence simply ends with “Failure to address these issues risks undermining much of the progress that has been made since Japan’s Presidency of”

Hmmm…obviously, the overall point of the letter is clear, but let’s hope the final version read a bit better.

I’m psyched to finally be seeing some pictures of Colin Firth’s new green store, ECO, that we’ve been hearing about for so many months. Located in Chiswick, England — the business venture is the result of a partnership between the actor, his Italian film-maker wife, Livia, her brother Nicola Giuggioli (an expert in areas of sustainability), and a financier and entrepreneur named Ivo Coulson. 

That’s quite a team of people, but so far I’m really enjoying what they’ve put together. As one might expect, it’s not just the products that are green. Almost everything about the building in Chiswick is also drenched in eco-goodness. For instance — the upper-level is a dream for gardeners, featuring a wraparound vertical garden, solar panels, and water pumps. Inside, the building contains limecrete and recycled wood flooring, recycled furnishings (the counter is made of rubber bicycle tires) and a greywater lavatory.

More information and photos are available on the official site. Who wants to take a trip to Chiswick? 

Don’t get me wrong, I love all the cool, wacky, sustainable ideas coming out of the fashion world. But I’ve yet to get my head around the crazy prices associated with a designer’s name. Take this new environmentally-friendly handbag from designer Giles Miller. It’s made from cardboard sourced from sustainably-harvested forests. It also costs more than $360 US.

Of course, your investment won’t just sog away in the rain — Giles has made sure with a water-resistant spray coating the item. We’re just not so sure how eco-friendly that is — nor whether including a leather strap was a wise idea either. Don’t expect Natalie Portman to be lugging this around.

Regardless, actor Colin Firth has decided to sell the paper bag in his new green shop in West London. We wish him the best, but if these prices are the norm, we expect there’s going to be a bit more browsing than buying going on.

From today until March 12th, you can bid on the opportunity to win a date with Scarlett at the premiere of her latest film, He’s Just Not That Into You. Well, I guess it’s not so much a date as it is a “meet n’ greet” — you get two tickets as Scarlett’s guest and the opportunity to briefly chat with her. We figure, however, that Johansson will probably be quite gracious as she’s a firm supporter of Oxfam and takes the whole charity angle quite seriously.

You’ll also receive chauffeured car service to the premiere (see if you can sneak onto the red carpet!), and hair and makeup styling for one. Check out the video below for more from Scarlett!