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August 19th 2008

Lance Armstrong: Champion Cyclist and Water Waster?

Filed under: cars-houses, newspaper, not green — lindsey @ 9:07 am

Apparently winning the Tour de France seven times isn’t quite enough of an accomplishment for some people. It’s been revealed that in July, Lance Armstrong used 330,000 gallons of water at his home in Texas. That, according to The New York Times, is a shocking 38 times the amount a single household consumes during one summer.

Couple that with the dry spell Texas has been experiencing this season, and the amount is more than cringe worthy.

But as with every story, there’s always another side of the tale. Lance has been spending the majority of the summer between Colorado and California, and was reportedly unaware of his water usage. He’s been quoted as saying, “I’m a little shocked … There’s no justification for that much water.” Also adding, “I need to fix this.”

Yes, Lance, you most certainly do. Especially with more information being brought forward showing that since January of 2007, his home has used 158,000 gallons a month on average, having only recently shot up to take him to the head of the pack. But this time, the race he’s winning is for the title of “water-glutton”. Hopefully all this public attention on his high water usage will encourage Lance to cut back, and perhaps he can even inspire other celebs to do the same.

via: Green Daily

July 16th 2008

Beyond Zebra Scores With The ESPY Awards

Filed under: events, events: la, film-tv, honors, sports, television — meghan @ 12:43 pm

ESPN’s annual celebration of the year’s best moments in sports will get a green boost this year.  The network has enlisted the help of Beyond Zebra, Inc., a certified woman-owned ad agency specializing in eco-friendly merchandise and promotional gear, to create an environmental message for the ESPY Awards. BZI has produced 100% EcoSpun (post-consumer recycled soda bottles) lanyards, biodegradable sport bottles, and sustainable bamboo/charcoal apparel for the behind-the-scenes and celebrity crew of the show.  Host Justin Timberlake and presenters Lance Armstrong and David Beckham, along with more of the world’s biggest athletes and celebs, will receive the goodies. BZI even provided bicycle shirts for the ESPY bartenders, whose mixing and blending activities will be powered by bicycle. What message that sends about biking under the influence is unclear, but who wouldn’t want to enjoy a freshly-pedaled margarita?

The ESPY Awards take place tonight and will be televised on ESPN and ESPN HD July 20, 2008, at 9 p.m./ET.

June 17th 2008

Charity Beat: Toby Keith’s Golf Tourney Raises Record Amount

Filed under: campaigns, donations — michael @ 12:13 pm

Country singer Toby Keith’s celebrity golf classic raised a record $709,000 for Ally’s House, a nonprofit organization that helps families dealing with childhood cancer. Since establishing the tournament five years ago, Keith’s event has helped raised more than $2.3 million for charity. [Read more...]

Kate Hudson traveled with rumored boyfriend Lance Armstrong to a charity bike ride event called “Ride With Lance” over the weekend in Waterloo, Ontario. The event, which covered 117 kilometers, raised over $1 million dollars for cancer research. 

Amidst thunderstorms, Paul McCartney performed a charity concert saturday on Kiev’s Independence Square. The outdoor show was billed as the largest concert ever in the former Soviet republic. Through donations (admission was free), over $600,000 and counting has been raised so far for the Ukraine’s National Cancer Institute’s children’s department. [Read more...]

June 4th 2008

Razzi Snap: Angelina Jolie Trying Hard For A Natural Birth

Filed under: cars-houses, film-tv, politics, television, transport — michael @ 3:56 pm

Even though Entertainment Tonight continues to stand by their story of Angelina Jolie’s twins being born, the general consensus is that her and Brad Pitt are still awaiting their arrival. One thing revealed lately is how badly Jolie wants to give birth naturally. “She prepared for a natural child birth for Shiloh and was very disappointed when her doctors told her she would have to undergo a Cesarean section,” a source close to Angelina tells OK!. “She is praying everything will go her way and she will be able to enjoy a natural birth.” [Read more...]

Al Gore called Barack Obama last night to congratulate him on grabbing the Democratic nomination for president — but there was no talk of any cabinet role, something Gore’s spokesperson Kalee Kreider says he’s not interested in pursuing. According to Kreider, the former VP isn’t even sure when he’ll give Obama his endorsement. Yawn. Enough with the games — can we all just please get behind the nominee and move on? [Read more...]

The reality TV series Big Brother is attempting to green for its 2008 run. The sixteen contestants will be required to grow their own vegetables and season their food from the communal garden. There will also be a large recycle bin in the kitchen. However, compared to the green efforts undertaken by this season’s Real World, these changes amount to a drop in the bucket. Try again next year. [Read more...]

Owen Wilson was spied riding around on a bike through New York City’s West Village yesterday. And no, it has absolutely nothing to do with ex-flame Kate Hudson reportedly being romantically linked to Lance Armstrong… [Read more...]

February 19th 2008

Lance Armstrong Encourages Bike Commuting in Austin

Filed under: business, products, shopping — paige @ 4:35 pm

Looks like Lance Armstrong is bringing biking back - and not for the hard core gear heads. In an effort to promote the commuter bike lifestyle in his home town of Austin, Armstrong is unveiling plans for a new concept shop that helps bring a viable transportation solution to the explosive growth that the downtown is experiencing.

Mellow Johnny’s, based on the nickname Armstrong earned while wearing the yellow jersey, will serve as a bike shop, commuting center, training facility and cafe. Showers and a locker room will provide commuters a chance to clean up, store their bikes at the shop, and catch a ride on a pedicab or walk the rest of the way to work.

According to Armstrong and business partner Bart Knaggs,

“This city is exploding downtown. Are all these people in high rises going to drive everywhere? We have to promote (bike) commuting., says Armstrong. “There’s a bigger ambition we’re going to go for here. It’s not like there’s not a good bike shop in town. We want to add something to the community that will catalyze interest around riding bikes, about being bike friendly and folding it into life in Austin,” Knaggs said.

With the support of his home town and the optimism of rookie riders citywide, this could be the catalyst to making Austin, Texas a true bike commuter city.

Via: Grist