ecorazzi.com :: the latest in green gossip

May 14th 2008

Lights, Camera, Take Action on Global Warming

Filed under: events: la, politics — michael @ 9:01 am

This past Saturday, Environment California held an event at the home of Paul and Deborah Haggis (80% solar-powered!) to discuss how California can lead the country in addressing global warming and jump-starting a clean energy revolution. Dana Delany, Morgan Fairchild, Peter Horton, Paul Gilmartin, Marshall Herskovitz, Sharon Lawrence, Bobby Moresco, Amy Smart and Alicia Silverstone were among the 100+ in attendance. Event sponsors sponsors and host committee included Jackson Browne, Don Henley, Bonnie Raitt, Robert Redford, Lynda & Stewart Resnick, Betty & Stanley Sheinbaum, Lily Tomlin, Ed Begley Jr., Lawrence Bender, Esai Morales, Kyra Sedgwick & Kevin Bacon, and Jeremy Sisto.

Wendie Malick emcee’d the program, and speakers included U.S. Representative Jerry McNerney (11th District — a former wind-energy executive who defeated Rep. Pombo in 2006), Cal EPA’s Air Resources Board Chair Mary Nichols, Environment America Executive Director Margie Alt and Environment California Legislative Director Dan Jacobson. Environment California is calling on the Schwarzenegger administration to make global warming polluters pay for every ton of pollution and to create a $1-billion-a-year Global Warming Solutions Fund. Environment America, a federation of state environment groups, is working in 25+ states on similar solutions and also urging Congress to push forward on setting science-based global warming pollution standards.

In addition to contributing to the group, attendees noshed on organic brunch by Akasha Richmond of Akasha restaurant, checked out the new all-electric Tesla Roadster, signed postcards by Governor Schwarzenegger, and left with a recycled canvas Ecobag filled with more info on the organization and ways to take action.

Want to find out more and get involved? www.environmentcalifornia.org and www.enviromentamerica.org

Pictured: Kimberly Larson and Wendie Malick. Photo credit: torphoto.com

May 1st 2008

U.N Elects Chinese Actress Zhou Xun As First Green Ambassador

Filed under: green and famous, honors, thegreenpicture — parrish @ 12:21 pm

Last week the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) elected the very first National Goodwill Ambassador to promote environmental responsibility.  Sure they could have picked George Clooney or Ed Begley Jr., but instead they went with the dark horse candidate — Chinese actress Zhou Xun. 

Xun may not be a household name here in the U.S, but her popularity is international and most importantly she’s big in China where green living still has yet to really catch on.  And since we all know that celebrity initiative can save the day, Xun’s example just might help create some real change in her home country.

Zhou says that she hopes to come up with  ”clever ways to communicate with people, and help people to protect the environment in clever ways.” She continues to reveal, “To save water, I personally try not to take baths anymore (only showers). Habits can be very hard to change but I want to let people know that we can all make a difference.” Amen to that sister.

So welcome to the green club Zhou Xun. The Ecorazzi team is excited about keeping our little green eye on all your eco-activities. See you in the funny pages!

gracias: treehugger.com

April 21st 2008

The Green Quote: Begley Is The Green Godfather

Filed under: green and famous — michael @ 11:19 am

“Tom Hanks drives an electric car, my wife says. I helped get him that car.”

– Ed Begley Jr. in a recent interview with the London Free Press

April 19th 2008

NBC Goes Green Part Deux With One Week Of Eco-Programming

The green peacock returns!

Filed under: green and famous — michael @ 9:39 am

I remember speaking with an NBC executive after the network’s first green week back in November of last year, when the topic of Sunday Night Football came up. “Oh that,” he said. “We got absolutely creamed for that.” What he was lamenting was SNF’s decision to dim the studio lights, fire up some candles, and have Bob Costas and Co. sit in the dark talking about energy conservation — all the while advertising monitors and other bright marketing banners continued on. “It wasn’t what we intended — but it came across as greenwashing. It’s something we’ll avoid in the future,” he said.

Well, that future has arrived and NBC is once more planning for a week-long block of green programming. I’m pleasantly surprised that they’re embarking on another round only six months later — and if the above conversation is any indication, we’ll see a stronger effort this time round. But it’s not just the TV shows that will be getting greener — NBC Universal is also installing a solar array at the company’s movie studios in California, as well as eliminating all plastic foam from cafeterias corporate-wide.

What should you expect in terms of programming? CFTK gives us the low-down:

“As part of “Earth Week,” Dateline NBC and the Today show will feature environmental-related stories and features, and Today will air a special live “Earth Week” concert by Alicia Keys on Monday (April 21st). Cable network MSNBC will report on the presidential candidates’positions on environmental issues. Longtime environmental activist Ed Begley Jr. will be a guest on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, while Last Call with Carson Daly will feature guest Darryl Hannah in a segment about organic skateboards and surf companies, midnight gardeners and other ways young people are getting involved in green causes.”

I have no idea if some of your favorite TV Shows will also get the ‘green theme’ this time ’round, but as I’ve said before, it will be even cooler when it isn’t some kind of theme week and you spot something eco-friendly.

Bring on the green peacock — and bravo NBC for taking another stab at this.

via max gladwell

April 17th 2008

Want A Cheap Hybrid Electric Bike? Ed Begley Jr. Will Show You The Savings!

Filed under: green and famous — michael @ 1:35 pm

With Earth Day approaching, Ed Begley Jr. is growing in strength and power. Soon, he will be on every television and in every news publication. From there it’s only a matter of time before he proclaims himself Emperor of Earth and invades Canada. It will happen people. Be ready.

But before then, if you live near Chatsworth, CA — Ed would like to invite you down for a factory outlet sale for all Currie iZip hybrid-electric bikes and scooters — some with discounts as steep as 70% off. Begley will also be on-hand to sign copies of his new book “Living Like Ed” — and answer any questions you might have about the cool, green lifestyle. From the release,

“This event is the kick-off as they open their doors for the first time ever to the public for a weekend long, factory outlet sale on May 2 – 4, 2008, in conjunction with the 14th Annual California “Bike to Work Week” in May. With gas prices at an all time high and ever-growing support for living a clean, green, eco-friendly lifestyle, Currie Technologies is leading the charge in providing alternative, light electric vehicle transportation for all ages and abilities. “Next to walking, cycling has always been my preferred transportation choice” says Begley. “I’ve been involved with electric bikes since their introduction in Europe many years ago. I began working with Currie Technologies and iZip™ because I really think their hybrid technology gets it right.”

Most of the iZip bikes cruise at about 18mph and get a range between 23-30 miles. If you’re in the market for a hybrid bike, this seems to be about the best discount for grabbing one. Check out the website for more information.

March 25th 2008

Razzi Snap: Walt Disney Cartoons Contain Secret Environmental Messages

Filed under: 'toons, buildings and construction, cars-houses, interviews — michael @ 3:34 pm

I don’t know how inconspicuous they were, but according to a new book, Walt Disney cartoons have helped inspire a generation of environmental conservationists through secret themes and plot lines. Titled The Idea of Nature in Disney Animation, the author explores how everything from Tarzan to Bambi “systematically encouraged generations of children to ally themselves with the natural world and protect it.” They also caused me to have a crush on that chick from Aladdin during my early years, whatever that means. [via Times Online]

Maya Karin, a popular Malaysian actress, recently allowed journalists to visit her home and check out all the cool, green improvements she’s making in her life. “What I want to do is prove that we can live the modern life and still care for the environment at the same time,” she said. “My role is to be a communicator and to get the word out about the environmental issues we face.” [read more…]

Ed Begley Jr. gave a young Leonardo DiCaprio his first ride in an electric car back in 1990…

Adam Gardner of the band Guster — and co-founder of green touring organization Reverb — once had a tour bus named “The Earth Eater”. Thankfully, he’s turned that all around and explains his environmental passions and drive to create Reverb in this great interview.

Paris Hilton once again made for a great ambassador of American education while answering questions during a press stop in South Africa. “I LOVE Africa in general, South Africa and West Africa. They are both great countries,” she said. Yes. Yes, they are.

March 19th 2008

Just Add Water Becomes First Film To Receive EMA Green Seal Award

Filed under: film-tv, movies — michael @ 9:32 am

Last night in LA, the premiere of the new film Just Add Water went down at the Directors Guild of America. The flick is the first movie to receive the Environmental Media Association’s “Green Seal” award for “greener practices behind the scenes”. Set construction, energy usage, resource conservation, recycling and more are judged according to EMA guidelines. While details are light on how exactly the crew of Just Add Water went about achieving this certification, the EMA website gives a good idea of what it takes.

In attendance were such stars as Ed Begley Jr., Justin Long, David Duchovny, Farrah Fawcett, Daryl Hannah, Gary Ross, and many others. Here’s a bit about the film itself:

Ray Tuckby (Dylan Walsh) is a gentle soul stuck in a dead end job, trying to make ends meet for his family while living in the cheerless, remote desert town of Trona, California. Married to an agoraphobic wife and father to an awkward teenage son, Eddie (Jonah Hill), life has become an endless routine. Adding to his uneasiness is the local teenage drug kingpin’s control over his son and the community. When unforeseen events result in his family’s dissolution, Ray unexpectedly forms a new friendship with an outsider, Merl Striker (Danny DeVito), and his first love, who encourage Ray to hope for a better life, both for himself and for the forgotten community of Trona.

Photo credit: Krista Kennell

March 13th 2008

Green Celebrities Help Support The Do Not Mail Campaign

Filed under: campaigns, green and famous, thegreenpicture — parrish @ 12:11 pm

If you’re like me, you much prefer email to snail mail. What can I say? Joke-a-days and chain letters are just way more fun (and a lot less harmful to the environment) than the piles of wasted paper that clog my mailbox anxiously awaiting that inevitable toss into the bin!

GreenDaily.com told me that in the U.S. we collectively receive 100 billion pieces of junk mail which requires cutting down 100 million trees and produces global warming emissions equal to those of 3.7 million cars. And out of all that mail, 44 percent gets sent to landfills without even being opened. Want to cut the crap? Well now you can!

Enter Forest Ethics — a conservation group dedicated to winning the war on junk mail with their Do Not Mail campaign. The Do Not Mail campaign is an initiative to convince congress that a national registry should be created giving citizens the right to JUST SAY NO to craptastic mail from those companies we love to hate! Because Forest Ethics knows what’s up, they’ve enlisted the help of some badass green celebrities like Adrian Grenier, Darryl Hannah, Alicia Silverstone, Jackson Browne, Aaron Douglas, Ed Begley, Jr. and Paul Hawken to help support their campaign and make this a national priority.

Adrian Grenier (or as I call him, Adrian GREENier) said, “Junk mail is more than an annoying waste of time, it’s a waste of our environment. Joining ForestEthics’ Do Not Mail campaign is a great, easy way to stop the waste.”

So what hell are you waiting for? Go to the Do Not Mail website right this very second and sign the petition to help rock a mission! Mama Earth is pissed ya’ll and wants this place clean!

[UPDATE] Apparently, Leonardo DiCaprio has just signed on for the campaign as well. Details here.

February 24th 2008

Ed Begley Jr. Uses A Bike To Power Independent Spirit Awards

Filed under: film-tv, movies, television — michael @ 7:29 pm

As we reported earlier, the Independent Spirit Awards were a green affair this year — from biodiesel generators to composting to food sourced within a 150 miles radius of Los Angeles. The list was impressive, but organizers pulled back the curtain last night to reveal an even greater source of energy: Ed Begley Jr. pedaling a stationary bike.

Injecting some humor into an already funny evening hosted by Rainn Wilson (The Office), the producers had some fun by showing Ed pedaling a bike backstage and announcing that he was covering the lights, sound, etc. Those that have watched the show Living With Ed will know that Begley is known to power a toaster with a stationary bike in his kitchen. Very funny.

As the Academy Awards are using wind power for tonight’s festivities, we’ll probably not be treated to a pedaling Lance Armstrong backstage. With Jon Stewart hosting, however, anything could shake down. We’ll keep you posted.

Thanks Linton!

February 22nd 2008

Ed Begley Jr. And Earth Cinema Circle Kick Netflix’s Ass

Filed under: film-tv, green and famous, movies, products, thegreenpicture — parrish @ 11:00 am

If Ecorazzi was a vegan sundae, Ed Begley Jr. would be our candy-coated topping. What can I say? WE LOVE THE GUY!!

Basically, Ed is the greenest celeb ever!!! So it shouldn’t surprise you that he has stepped up to the environmental plate once again to support another green business.  Today I learned on the Green Daily that Ed Begley Jr. will be hosting a collection of films for the very groovy, very eco-conscious film distribution company, Earth Cinema Circle. 

Earth Cinema Circle is a monthly program that delivers green inspired films right to your door. The deal is: you pay $17.95 plus shipping, and a new DVD will arrive in your mailbox each month with four to five eco-friendly titles. The films range from full length features to shorts and cover topics like: eco-travel, fictional green stories and biographies of green pioneers. (Am I the only one wondering if you get green porn? Am I only one wondering if green porn is like trees having sex?)

Never to leave out the important details, Earth Cinema Circle has assured us that the packages are carbon neutral, thanks to the contributions they will make to the Go Zero Fund.

So, go, go, go Ed for lending your fame to help another green business, and thanks to Earth Cinema Circle for being…well so earthy. Now go sign up already!