Earlier this year, Ecorazzi reported that Leno had started a segment on his show called the Green Car Challenge, where celebrities take turns racing around a homemade track in a specially prepared Ford Focus-based battery car. While racing, the famous contestants face a variety of challenges, including cut-outs of Al Gore and Ed Begley Jr.

About his inspiration to start the challenge, Leno told Starpulse.com:

“Whenever I would drive a green car, like an electric car, when I drove it to the show, the female guests would go, ‘What is that? Does that not use gas?’ And a lot of times, without sounding sexist, the guys are interested in cars, the women could care less. But this is something where the women will go, ‘Hey, how does that work?’ And they’re really interested.”

So how does Sheryl Crow do? You’ll have to watch the video below to find out!

Last night was the EMAs (pronounced “emmas”, in case you didn’t know), the annual awards gala thrown by the Environmental Media Association in celebration and recognition of those working in film and TV production who are supporting and promoting the green cause both behind the scenes and on camera. Sir Richard Branson and Jason Mraz were both honored last night along with 2012 producers Centropolis Entertainment and National Geographic’s Explorers in Residence Derreck and Beverly Joubert.

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”.

We’re not sure what the basis for the ceremony was, but Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger recently honored Ed Begley Jr. for his green living. Commenting from his Twitter account, Schwarzenegger wrote, “Surprised @edbegleyjr w/ a special award – he’s the king of practicing what he preaches about going green.” The Governor then linked to a low-quality video of the ceremony; which feels about right considering the budget crisis the state is currently weathering. Check it out below:

Well, Rush Limbaugh certainly didn’t disappoint.

After a lengthy conversation with Jay Leno on his right-wing viewpoints (which unsurprisingly ended with the government taking away our liberty, rights to happiness, blah, blah), the radio host jumped into a Ford all-electric Focus and took to the racetrack.

Unlike Barrymore, who stuck her foot to the pedal immediately, Rush seems a little unsure of the car’s responsiveness — but quickly improved. At least, that is, until he got to the cardboard cutouts of Al Gore and Ed Begley Jr. As expected, Rush hit each one, stopped, and backed up to hit them again. At one point, the vitriol for Gore poured forth when Rush spouted something that sounded like “You sack of shit.” while hitting him.

In the end, Limbaugh actually had some kind words about the Ford Focus EV — so him and Jay were able to be in agreement on at least one topic. His score on the racetrack, however, was awful. Check out the video below:

In what’s definitely the most unlikely contestant so far, The Jay Leno Show has announced that conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh will take part in the Green Car Challenge this Thursday night.

For those just tuning in, the challenge puts celebrities behind the wheel of Ford’s upcoming all-electric Focus and has them race around a custom-built track to beat the times of other celebrities. As Drew Barrymore found out last week, there are surprises on the second lap — mainly some cardboard cutouts of Al Gore and Ed Begley Jr. that jump out in the middle of the track. Accidentally hit them, and you lose points.

Who wants to bet Limbaugh won’t be hitting either one by accident? As Autobloggreen quips, he’ll probably waste even more time backing over them repeatedly.

On a positive note, perhaps a drive in the Focus will convince Limbaugh that green cars really do have a future in America. Last April, the host slammed the industry saying, “Nobody’s buying ‘em. Nobody wants them! The manufacturers are making them in droves to satisfy Obama! Sorry for yelling. Nobody wants them!”

Hey, we were as surprised as anyone to hear Rush promoting the Humane Society of the United States earlier this year — so anything’s possible. Just don’t hold your breath.

It’s been made official: Living With Ed is coming back for a third season.

Planet Green let loose the news last night — announcing 13 original half-hour episodes starting October 21st on the network. “Rachelle and I are elated to be doing 13 new episodes of Living With Ed on Planet Green, because, frankly, we’re sick of seeing the same damn re-runs ourselves,” said Begley. “It’ll be fun, informative, and if enough of you tune in, we can finally afford a couple of good lawyers to end this sham of a marriage. How can you say no to the only Hollywood couple with a pre-nup that involves carbon credits?”

The show, which originally carried two seasons on HGTV, was ported over to Planet Green in 2008 to help round out green content for the fledgling network. “Words can’t adequately describe Ed and Rachelle’s definition of a modern family unit – there’s no better time to bring Planet Green viewers a new season where they can experience the Begley’s off-kilter dynamic for themselves,” said PG Prez Laura Michalchyshyn.

Excited?

Begley is set to attend the closing reception of a photography exhibition entitled Topography, Light and Magic, which runs from June 27th through July 31st. 

What’s so green about art?

Photographer Robert McGinley is helping Mama Earth by donating a portion of the proceeds from his exhibit to Heal The Bay —  a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting California’s Santa Monica Bay by participating in outreach and education programs. 

So make sure you stop by the Blue 7 Gallery on Friday, July 31, from 7pm to 9pm to check out some great art, help a dedicated organization and meet the greenest dude ever!

If watching the show “Living with Ed” or reading the book “Living Like Ed” or browsing the more than 1.3 million results for “Ed Begley Jr. green tips” on Google hasn’t yet answered all your questions about the greenest man in Hollywood — please, read on.

Treehugger and the actor/activist have hooked up and added a new feature to their forums titled “Ed Begley’s Place“. More than likely, Ed is tied up in the basement of Treehugger founder Graham Hill with his eyelids stuck open and a laptop tied to his legs. “Type To Eat” is probably written on the desktop background.

Obviously, the most popular piece of “Ed’s Place” is the Q&A section. So far, we’ve seen some good one’s — like questions on solar panels and saving energy at home — to others like this one: “Do you compost?” I want to reach through the computer and slap this person.

Got a question? Hit up the Treehugger forum and bug Ed with your green question now!

We love Twitter — not just because we get to communicate with people in 140 characters or less (Soon, everyone will speak this way too) but because it also gives us yet another insight into what some of our favorite green celebrities are up to. Of course, as some will point out, knowing exactly when someone is about to order a latte isn’t exactly riveting stuff, but for those that are already enjoying the Twitterverse, let us point you towards these five green celebrities we’re enjoying tweeting with.

1. Jason Mraz | twitter.com/jason_mraz
Our favorite raw foods musician Jason Mraz rocks out Twitter several times a day with everything happening while on tour. Our latest favorite insight? A brief video of the raw foods kitchen serving Mraz and Co. while on the road. Raw Food Chef & Resident “Joyologist” Tricia Huffman directs the creation of this yummy grub. Check it out here.

2. Soleil Moon Frye | twitter.com/moonfrye
The former Punky Brewster (we can’t help but mention it) is one solid green momma — with an eco-friendly baby shop in LA (and online) called The Little Seed. Frye is definitely a Twitter addict and streams out several tidbits a day. Our most recent favorite? “My daughter Poet just told me that she doesn’t like our wall paper paper. She wants us take it down + I’m actually considering it. She’s 3.”

3. Ed Begley Jr. | twitter.com/edbegleyjr
If you’re one of the few people actively stalking Ed Begley Jr, you’ll enjoy his Twitter feed — which pretty much let’s you know what events he’ll be at in the coming days. Sure, it’s pretty stale — but we have high hopes that he’ll soon start chatting about solar ovens, violent encounters with Bill Nye the Science Guy, and/or those semi-funny Dish TV ads I’m always seeing him in.

4. Richard Branson | twitter.com/richardbranson
The 58-year old billionaire is one of our greener capitalists — with several eco-initiatives and projects underway to help fight climate change and push us towards renewable technologies. Our favorite tweet so far? “Arianna Huffington and I chatting on Virgin America’s inaugural flight to OC. Have put my trousers back on.”

5. Moby | twitter.com/thelittleidiot
This groovy jam creator is also a hardcore vegan and animal rights activist. Needless to say, his Twitter snips are funny and bizarre — with everything from where he’s headed for some vegetarian chili to what the Empire State Building looks like covered in clouds. Our most recent favorite: “Last night I went to rev jens book party and saw a woman make paintings with her vagina. Also an all elf go-go dance troupe. I love rev jen.”

Did we miss anyone? (Al Gore doesn’t count.) Let us know below who you enjoy following and we’ll mention them in our second green celebrity twitter round-up! (Oh yea, and don’t forget to follow us!)

[Editor Note: This post was written by Ecorazzi 's new correspondent Jacqui Polk]

For my very first Ecorazzi assignment, I had the chance go to the Green is the Colour event at the Key Club in L.A, featuring Corey Feldman’s band Truth Movement.

Before the performances began we were treated to a short preview of Fuel — an awesome new documentary about America’s addiction to oil. Check out the trailer on their site and learn the top ten things you can do right now to live a more sustainable lifestyle.

Also at the event was Ed Begley Jr., who’s been green since 1970!!!! He stressed to the audience that being green IS cost effective in the long run and we can all do so much if we change just one thing! He then helped lead an auction which featured items like a Fender Guitar signed by Corey Feldman and his entire band! Of course all of the proceeds from the bidding went to Global Green.

Truth Movement finally hit the stage and they pulled out all the stops. Just picture Corey Feldman rockin’ out with a bunch of backup singers, projections on a screen above, a fog machine, and an insanely talented band. So fun!

Its always fantastic to see people coming out to support a greener lifestyle. And this event surely did not disappoint.