ecorazzi.com :: the latest in green gossip

May 8th 2008

Cheadle’s Darfur Now Doc To Benefit Solar Cooker Charity, Get Green Packaging

Filed under: campaigns, film-tv, movies — michael @ 11:49 am

Warner Home Video is continuing their charitable and environmental efforts by releasing Don Cheadle’s Darfur Now documentary with a few beneficial bells and whistles. The film, which follows six individuals who traverse the globe with actor Don Cheadle to build support for the victims of the war (as well as appearances by Hillary Rodham Clinton, George Clooney, and Arnold Schwarzenegger) — will come packaged in a environmentally-friendly manner — most likely similar to how The 11th Hour was released this year. The entire product will also be produced with 100% renewable energies.

Instead of Global Green being supported — as was the case for DiCaprio’s doc — this release will benefit the Solar Cooker Project for the protection and empowerment of women in war-ravaged Sudan. It will also be offered at a steeply reduced price of only $4.99. If you’re interested in picking up a copy, jump here.

via The Hollywood Reporter

April 21st 2008

Tyra Banks To Be Neighbors With DiCaprio?

Filed under: buildings and construction, cars-houses — michael @ 4:46 pm

Looks like Riverhouse is getting its second famous occupant.

Sources are saying that former model-turned TV host Tyra Banks has purchased a bamboo-floored condo in the same building as Leonardo DiCaprio. The 33-year old actor scooped up the luxury pad last month — and ever since the Riverhouse brand has seen its publicity shoot through the roof. We’d have no trouble believing Banks was influenced by all the media hype.

Riverhouse is a gorgeous new apartment building built overlooking the Hudson River. It features sustainable materials, a green roof, solar panels, grey water treatment system, and a bevy of other green elements. For more info, hop here.

April 20th 2008

The Green Picture: Leo & Bar Take A Big Apple Bike Ride

Filed under: green and famous — michael @ 7:09 pm

Leonardo DiCaprio and girlfriend Bar Refaeil grabbed their bikes and took an environmentally-friendly outing through Manhattan yesterday afternoon. DiCaprio, 33, recently purchased a $3-million condo in Riverhouse — a green LEED-certified apartment complex on the Hudson with solar panels, sustainable materials, grey water system, and a whole slew of other eco elements. Leo plans on moving into the new pad in June. You can find out more here.

More photos that aren’t just ass shots available over at JustJared

April 5th 2008

11th Hour DVD Gets Eco Packaging, Benefits Global Green

Filed under: film-tv, movies — michael @ 10:59 am

Continuing his tight relationship with eco-organization Global Green USA, Leonardo DiCaprio is setting aside a portion of the profits from The 11th Hour DVD for the charity. The packaging — as expected — for the DVD will also be completely biodegradable (no wildflower seeds?) and produced with “100% certified renewable resources”. If you want to be even more eco-friendly, the movie will additionally be available via on-demand cable the same day it’s released to stores.

Contrary to what we may have stated in our April Fool’s post on the 11th DVD, there will be no nude scenes featuring Katie Holmes or a cuddly polar bear side plot. Alas.

BUT, there will “more than 60 minutes of extras exploring action plans for rescuing the planet.” So if you felt a bit bummed out by the end of the movie and were looking for even more reasons to hope, this should get you back on the sunny side.

Click here to pre-order for the sweet price of $5. The DVD releases April 8th.

April 5th 2008

DiCaprio Moving To Greener Digs In New York City

Filed under: buildings and construction, cars-houses — michael @ 10:20 am

Attention those lucky enough to be living in Manhattan’s affluent Battery Park City neighborhood! Your newest neighbor just might be Leonardo DiCaprio. The environmentally-conscious actor has just purchased a condo in Riverhouse, a decked-out green building overlooking the Hudson River. “Riverhouse is a prime example of how green technology is both accessible and achievable for new residential developments—it is a groundbreaking building,” he told New York Magazine.

What are the green elements of Leo’s new home? E! Online lays it out:

“Among the features making the tony residence perfect for one of Hollywood’s first hybrid owners: a pholtovoltaic grid atop the building allowing tenants to soak up plenty of solar energy; park-style foliage planted atop 75 percent of all open roof space; 264 units decked out with locally obtained renewable materials and low- or nonpollutant paints, sealants and adhesives; and air and water filters to make sure its well-heeled residents aren’t sucking in anything nasty with their morning breath of fresh air.”

The building was also recently given LEED Gold-Certified status — the second-highest ranking assigned by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, which sets the standards for green building in the U.S.

DiCaprio and the paparazzi are expected to move in sometime this summer.

April 2nd 2008

DiCaprio To Lead The Natural Life In A Brave New World

Filed under: film-tv, green and famous, movies — michael @ 11:50 am

In the future, the world will be a dystopia. Poverty and warfare will have been abolished, and humanity is carefree and technologically advanced. It will also be permanently happy due to government-provided stimulation. Of course, all of this will come at a cost as family, culture, art, literature, science, religion will have been eliminated. At least, that’s how things are envisioned in Aldous Huxley 1932 novel A Brave New World.

Most of us at one time or another have probably read this novel — which recently was cleared of legal restrictions to be made into a major Hollywood movie. Leonardo DiCaprio is set to star, with Sir Ridley Scott directing.

DiCaprio’s character is labeled as a “savage” — someone who lives on a “natural” reservation that’s sort of off-grid and separated from the bizarre cities created by Huxley. He ventures into one — becomes a celebrity because of the way he lives — and then escapes to become a lighthouse keeper. Awesome, right? It reads better than it sounds.

I think this kind of movie gels with what DiCaprio was showing us in The 11th Hour — especially humanity’s continued march away from nature. Expect a few giant warnings on our potential future in this one.

Check out the full synopsis here.

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 24th 2008

DiCaprio Hits Hong Kong To Promote HSBC’s Green Credit Cards

Filed under: campaigns, film-tv, movies — michael @ 8:27 am

In a rare display of corporate promotion, Leonardo DiCaprio paid his first visit to Hong Kong to help launch HSBC’s new line of “green” credit cards. According to the bank release, the green card is made of environmentally friendly materials and uses digital bills to cut down paper consumption. Every transaction will also contribute to a local environmental protection project.

The launch is a joint project between HSBC and The Leonardo DiCaprio foundation. “This pioneering initiative will enable people of Hong Kong to make their own green mark each and every day,” said DiCaprio. Hitting the Asian city also gave Leo the opportunity to be on hand for the premier of his film, The 11th Hour. When asked specifically about the title of the documentary, here’s what he had to say,

“The title is very reflective that we are at the last remaining hour right now. This is the time when we need to implement these changes for the future. I mean, it’s going to be a huge transition towards a sustainable future - we, as these industrial nations can be self-sustainable in terms of producing our own energy and curbing these huge carbon emissions. I wanted to take the role in the film of being a concerned citizen — asking the great minds of the world what they think. The overall scientific community definitely feels that we are in that last remaining hour.”

DiCaprio also commented on Planet Green and his project to rebuild the town of Greensburg — calling it the sustainable city of the future. Check out the full video of Leo’s Hong Kong visit below:

March 14th 2008

The Green Quote: DiCaprio Says George Bush Gets An ‘F’ On Environment

Filed under: green and famous — michael @ 9:50 am

“We need to be the ones to set an example for the rest of the world. We are the leading consumers, the biggest producers of waste around the world and, unless we’re the ones to set an example for less industrialized countries, how is the rest of the world going to follow? If you’d ask any environmentalist about George Bush’s policies on the environment, he gets close to an F. It’s interesting because, all this inevitably boils down to a publicity game for the planet and what’s good for the place we live in.”

–Leonardo DiCaprio in an interview with The Birmingham Post

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.