Back in 2006, Leonardo DiCaprio had an idea to take a town somewhere in the U.S. and rebuild it using sustainable designs and green technology. Then came the destructive F5 tornado in May of 2007 that leveled the Kansas town of Greensburg. Suddenly, an opportunity arose to take DiCaprio’s idea and apply it — all the while documenting the process for Discovery Channel’s Planet Green network.

Two years later, all that work is paying off — and the people of Greensburg are suddenly finding themselves with a burgeoning tourist industry. Some of the locals that appeared on the television show even have a fan base. From The Hutchinson News,

The idea started through the nonprofit, said Daniel Wallach, executive director of Greensburg GreenTown. The goal is to provide educational tours of the town’s rebuilding effort — such as new residential, commercial and civic buildings. The group has been giving informal tours since early June and has already given 33 tours for 191 people, he said. He hopes those partaking in a tour will take back some of the ideas to their own communities. “This is a showcase of how to build sustainable and live greener,” he said on a recent trip across town to a few of the tour sites.

So far, the town has received visitors from people as far away as Australia and England. Those interested can take either a one or two hour guided tour at a cost of $5 per person. The town has also printed up some booklets for those that want the self-guided option. For more information, check out the official tour site here.

The Times Online, from the UK, posted a piece about David Michael Bruno’s 100 Things Challenge and talks (somewhat blindly) about the recent push by a few celebrities to declutter and curb their consumerism too.

From the article by John Harlow:

“Some strong-minded personalities have always set their own limits. Leonardo DiCaprio, the actor and environmental campaigner, has become the latest convert to smaller cars and owns a relatively modest home in the Hollywood Hills. He has told friends he may stick at about 150 personal objects, including comic books illustrated by his father.

Other wealthy Hollywood stars, such as Reese Witherspoon and DiCaprio’s friend Tobey Maguire, say that children have complicated their desire to declutter.

The Spider-Man actor “is fighting a battle against the stuff which materialises in the house. He does not want it or need it unless it’s related to basketball”, said a friend last week. “That is like his sweet tooth, and we all have that.”

Could you pare your life down to 100 things, or even 150? Or maybe you already have!

(P.S. The first comment on the article by one ‘Steve Ward;; gets an honorary mention: “100 items? Even my smallest Lego kit has more than this.” Well played, Steve, well played.)

Photo: PR Photos

Leonardo DiCaprio was spotted riding his bike around London this past week, as he took a break from filming his latest movie, Inception.

We recently covered his ride with Tobey Macguire, Lukas Haas and Kevin Dillon in NYC and it’s great to see him keeping it up abroad. As a former dodger of London black cabs myself, I’d like to see him wearing his helmet out there but that’s all I can complain about.  The Brits are fond of saying “on yer bike” when they’re telling someone to get outta town but I’m sure they won’t mind having low-impact Leo around for a bit longer. Check out a full gallery of Leo on two wheels over at Socialite Life.

Photo: DiCaprio biking in New York City earlier this year. Credit: INFPhoto

The two actors have thrown their weight behind a fund that would subsidize 97-year-old Millvina Dean’s nursing home fees. She was only 2 months old when the Titanic sank beneath the waves on the night of April 14, 1912. Her father was one of the ship’s 1,517 casualties. She has been living at a nursing home in the English city of Southampton since she broke her hip about three years ago but has struggled to pay the fees.

“We are honoured to contribute to the Millvina Fund. Our hope is that others will feel inspired by Millvina Dean’s remarkable story of survival and hope she can rest easier in knowing that her future will become more secure through this fund,” DiCaprio and Winslet said in a joint statement. All three donated $10,000 each to the fund.

Want to contribute as well? Payments can be made via the fund website at www.themillvinafund.com or via the British Titanic Society or Belfast Titanic Society at www.belfast-titanic.com.

Last year, George Clooney wrote about the charitable efforts of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. This year, Leonardo DiCaprio hit the keyboard to praise green jobs-pioneer Van Jones as part of Time Magazine’s “Top 100 Influential People” for 2009. His words are below:

“When Van Jones was tapped to serve as special adviser on green jobs at the White House Council on Environmental Quality earlier this year, the appointment was heralded as a significant development for the green movement. And for good reason. A pioneer in fusing economic opportunity and social justice with environmentalism, Jones, 40, represents an important progression in our country’s perception and thus our approach to combating global warming.”

“At the center of Jones’ vision for socially uplifting environmentalism is the creation of “green collar” jobs, a phrase he helped extend beyond advocacy and policy circles into mainstream conversation. Jones insists that these jobs not only contribute directly to preserving and enhancing environmental quality but also provide either family-supporting wages or a career ladder to move low-income workers into higher-skilled occupations.”

“In less than two years, Jones has risen from local grass-roots organizer to shepherd of a national movement to build an inclusive green economy — one that connects the people who most need work to the work that most needs to be done. His organization, Green for All, has helped deliver on the promise and potential of his vision with real jobs for real people, especially those who need new avenues of economic advancement during these challenging times. Steadily — by redefining green — Jones is making sure that our planet and our people will not just survive but also thrive in a clean-energy economy.”

He asked for a straw at the NRDC’s plastic-free event.

Yup.

From the article,

‘I am a big fan of recycling and saving the earth. I always preach to my family about it. I feel I can do something to help the world!,’ said the 34-year-old star at the NRDC’s ‘Save The World’ fundraiser event. The actor famous for his eloquent speeches on environment issues, had to eat his words when he asked a waiter for a plastic straw only to be politely informed that it was a plastic-free event.”

Bastard. ‘Nuff said. He’s ruined.

Celebrities came out in force over the weekend to celebrate the Natural Resources Defence Council’s 20th Anniversary Gala Celebration. The event was hosted by Julia Louis-Dreyfus and took place at the Beverly Wilshire. Hitting the red carpet were Leonardo DiCaprio, Cameron Diaz, Amy Smart, Chelsea Handler, Heather Graham, Jon Hamm, and many more. Check out photos from the carpet below!

Earth Day was a fun time to celebrate green — but for Mark Hemingway over at NPR, it was also the perfect time to grill Discovery’s Planet Green network on their content. Take this gem, “However, even by Planet Green’s already low standards, these shows tend to have the entertainment value of watching soy-based, fume-free, organic-compound paint dry. And I haven’t even mentioned that the channel seems dedicated to airing three hours per day of Emeril Green, the chef’s new cooking show, which despite a few feints at “buying local” is indistinguishable from much of what’s already on the Food Network.” Ouch. [Read more...]

Have you seen Disneynature’s new film EARTH yet in theatres? According to New York Post critic Kyle Smith, the movie “contains the obligatory hints of lefty hysteria”. Um, what? “Included at no extra charge is the mandatory dose of eco-hectoring. Surely “only fragments remain” isn’t the proper way to describe the more than 1 billion acres of forest in North America alone. (Also, isn’t man one of the animals entitled to a habitat? But maybe the deer are working on a documentary gravely warning one another that their species is ravaging the fragile ecosystem of the Hamptons.)” Briliant logic there. Yea, let’s blame the deer. [Read more...]

After 90 bids, the Meet n’ Greet with Leonardo DiCaprio auctioned off by Global Green went for an impressive $11,100.00. The winner got a collection of signed DiCaprio swag, as well a two-nights stay in an eco-hotel and an opportunity to meet the star at the premiere of his new film, Shutter Island. All money raised went towards Global Green’s new “Green Schools” initiative.

This Wednesday, Ed Begley Jr. will be appearing with host Drew Carrey on a green-themed edition of The Price Is Right. The actor/activist will introduce a showcase that includes an electric bike, golf cart and Toyota Prius hybrid car. The program will also feature environmentally friendly products including cell phones made of recycled materials, solar charging equipment and a recycling cabinet. My only hope is that these products turned out to be reasonably priced — otherwise the stigma that going green is too expensive will be reinforced through showcases only a celebrity could afford.

Keanu Reeves won the 2009 Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race in a tricked-out Scion tC — netting $5K to his charity of choice and another $5K from Toyota to “Racing for Kids“. Additionally, a $15,000 donation was made in conjunction with the annual “PEOPLE Pole Award” sponsored by PEOPLE magazine. The winner, Danny Way, selected the Action Sports Environmental Coalition (ASEC) as his charity, to support ASEC’s mission of progressive eco-education and empowering people to adopt a sustainable lifestyle. [Read more]

You know that meet n’ greet with Leonardo DiCaprio Global Green is auctioning off? With only 2 days left, bidding is still at a reasonable-if-you’ve-got-money-to-burn $3,000. The kids’ college education can wait. [Read more]