Jennifer Garner has signed up to become an “Artist Ambassador” for Save the Children’s U.S. Programs. The organization operates early education, literacy, nutritional and disaster relief programs that give a vital boost to children in struggling families.

Garner, herself a mother of two with husband Ben Affleck, has been visiting families and schools and assisting with early education programs. “Three-year olds don’t even have bootstraps to pull on. Our leaders in Washington and in the states must commit every resource to put all children on an equal path to success,” said Garner, a native of West Virginia and the daughter of a schoolteacher. “Working with Save the Children, I hope to help young mothers give the same educational boost to her son that I try to give my own toddler and newborn.”

To find out more info on how you can help Save the Children, hit their official site here.

Photo: Save the Children Artist Ambassador Jennifer Garner with Glenda and daughter Marissa, 17 months old, who participated in a book exchange program in Orange Cove, CA. Credit: Cameron Schiller

Here in New York the Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Center is a pretty big tradition and we’re excited to hear that this year they’re decking the halls with a charity initiative that’s sure to inspire goodwill in everyone!

Stars like Fergie ,Jennifer Garner, Ellen DeGeneres, Kristin Chenoweth, Forest and Keisha Whitaker and more have designed Swarovski stars for Rockefeller Center that will be auctioned off to benefit Clothes Off Our Back – a non-profit organization that contributes to children’s charities. On top of all of that awesomeness, Swarovski is donating $250,000 from the sales of its Annual Edition holiday ornament to the charity.

“I’m happy being a part of this Swarovski program as celebrities and designers come together offering their talents to benefit the lives of children in positive ways,” said Fergie. “Swarovski’s partnership with Clothes Off Our Back brings cheer to children across the globe.”

The famous stars will be auctioned from now until December 10th, so make sure you stop by ClothesOffOurBack.org and bid, bid, bid! Happy Holidays!

The Little Stamp Company

Spice Girl Mel C is inviting you to adopt. Along with fellow celebs Kim Wilde and comedian Timmy Mallet, Mel is promoting the Adopt a Word campaign, an initiative of I Can. I Can supports speech skills for children with special needs, and by making a donation to adopt a word for a year, you can help a youngster learn to communicate.

Freaky-beautiful (anybody who can make human meat pies, kill Sirius Black, and still seduce King Arthur is entitled to that description!) Helena Bonham Carter is the new patron of Action Duchenne, a UK muscular dystrophy charity. She says, “As a patron of Action Duchenne, I would like to urge as many people as possible to find out about the work of the charity and the devastating effects of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Treatments and a cure seem tantalisingly close but they will not appear without further support and funding. Please join Action Duchenne in helping to make muscle wasting history.”

There are blankets — and then there are the incredible organic “blanquettes” from Yumi and Laurie that are perfect for wrapping yourself up in on a cold winter’s evening in front of a roaring fire and tray of fine cheeses and wine. Of course, I’m being dramatic — these would also make a fine substitute for a robe — but if you’re seriously considering the cheese idea, I’d recommend Brie.

For today’s giveaway, we have two blanquettes from Yumi and Laurie — as enjoyed by celebrities like Jennifer Garner, Hilary Duff, Eric Dane, Sarah Michelle Gellar, David Boreanaz and Shannon Elizabeth. Each one (which look like an oversized plush turkish towel) is made from the highest quality 100% certified organic cotton and bamboo fibers available — a 50/50 mix.

My wife and I have one of these and all summer it’s traveled from our bedroom to the porch swing to the back deck. With winter approaching, I imagine it will lay most of the time on the couch. Truly, it’s a wonderful accessory for any regularly chilly person to have on hand around the house.

Want to win one? Simply leave a comment below telling us how you plan on staying warm this winter — and how a blanquette from Yumi and Laurie might help with that. Two comments will be chosen at random to win. Complete rules and giveaway details for this contest are available here. Good luck!

Monday night, 24’s Mary Lynn Rajskub and Bones’ Tamara Taylor opted for rides to Fox Television Network’s ECO-Casino Bash in the BMW Hydrogen 7. As we’ve covered in the past, the H7 is probably the most popular hydrogen vehicle to grace the red carpet at various movie/television events.

Beyond just taking one for a ride, some celebrties — such as Edward Norton, Will Ferrell, Jay Leno, and Jennifer Garner — are actually using the BMW H7 for their daily errands. It’s all part of a test-drive experience by the company to evaluate the tech and get it ready to primetime you-and-me commericial sale.

Oh yea — and when I mean “you and me”, I mean “when you and me have won the lottery”. Affordable commercial hydrogen vehicles are still several years away.

More info on the H7 available at the official site.

We’ve seen her many times at the Farmer’s Market — but this is the first time we’ve spotted Jennifer Garner in a BMW Hydrogen 7.

Quite possibly the most visible next-gen car that celebrities have been adopting, the BMW Hydrogen 7 is part of a test run that serves to evaluate the technology through a limited-lease program. Mostly, BMW has been handing over the keys to people that can also shine the spotlight — folks like Will Ferrell, Cameron Diaz, Jason Bateman, Edward Norton, and others. Here’s what comedian and car enthusiast Jay Leno said of the vehicle in his review,

“It makes plenty of power for its size; the only thing that has limited it is the choice of fuel. This is a flex-fuel vehicle. It runs on either hydrogen or petrol. If you run out of hydrogen you press a button and it goes to petrol. I’ve been running it on hydrogen just to see what it’s like. It stores the hydrogen at -253C. It’s kept extremely cold so that it becomes a liquid. The trick of course is keeping it cold. I’m told that the tanks are so well insulated that if you poured a cup of hot coffee into them in July, come November it would still be too hot to drink.”

via MyRide

It does this through supporting organizations that help underprivileged and at-risk women and children, like Baby Buggy, Quilts for Kids, and a Homeless Prenatal Program. They also offer some eco-friendly choices, like low-VOC paint. Now that’s putting dollars to good use.

via the Marin Independent Journal

Those without access to Discovery Channel’s Planet Green network may still get the chance to view Ludacris and Tommy Lee’s Battleground Earth. Starting August 7th, TLC will air encore episodes of the new series every Thursday. Now if we could just get Discovery to air some of these online, we’d be really happy. [Read more...]

Baby tip: Super soft soybean fibers are the latest craze among green moms. Known as the “vegetable cashmere,” soy is a renewable resource that also supports the cradle-to-cradle method. Celeb mamas Halle Berry, Gwyneth Paltrow and Jennifer Garner are all soy awesome for choosing this new green baby wardrobe staple. To nab some soy ropa for your fledgling environmentalist, check out Babysoy. [Read more...]

Finally, reps for Cheeta the Chimp are going bananas after their beloved star of 12 Tarzan films was passed over for a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame — in favor of one for Absolut Vodka! Apparently the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce denied Cheeta his star a few weeks ago, but bestowed it on the alcohol company instead due to a sizeable donation. Classy, right? [Read more...]

[Thanks to contributions from Lori and Sara!]

I know it looks like America’s sweetheart, Jennifer Garner, is tipping a cold brewski just outside the grocery store, but you can relax in knowing it’s a Virgil’s All Natural Root Beer.  It must have been a hot day.  More note-worthy, Jennifer has chosen reusable grocery bags, and look at the white one with her daughter Violet’s name embroidered on it.  What a cool way to get your kids involved in a green lifestyle.

via: justjared.com

Currently being enjoyed by such stars as Jennifer Garner, Hilary Duff, Eric Dane, Sarah Michelle Gellar, David Boreanaz and Shannon Elizabeth, the blanQuettes are oversized blankets (6’6” x 4’9”) with a Turkish towel feel all wrapped up in a blend of organic cotton and bamboo. 

There’s a wide range of styles and designs to choose from to suit your tastes. Have a look at their website to learn more.

Isn’t it great how green is now viewed as luxurious — as well as earth-friendly?