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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.

March 4th 2008

Caption Contest: Leo And Knut Just Chillin’

Filed under: contests — michael @ 2:54 pm

[UPDATE] Congrats to Summer from BTC Elements on this week’s winning entry! A copy of The Green Book is coming your way. Honorable Mention: Knut — “What’s with you and icebergs?  [suggested by AZ_Sun over on the 11th Hour Action Blog]

Ah, remember the good old days when Knut was only a cuddly little guy and not a giant 245lb bear with movie deals and rumors of Suri Cruise representing his voice? For the 2007 green issue of Vanity Fair magazine, Leonardo DiCaprio and Knut shared the cover while hanging out on some drifting ice. Your mission is to give these guy some conversation material. To see our winning entry from last week’s caption between Al Gore and Richard Branson, click here. The winner gets a copy of The Green Book.

March 3rd 2008

DiCaprio’s Green TV Show Gets A New Name, Early Premiere

Filed under: buildings and construction, cars-houses — michael @ 12:07 pm

Looks like work on Leonardo DiCaprio’s new doc is moving faster than expected with Discovery Channel set to debut the series early. The show is also changing names from Eco Town (which admittedly was lame) to The Greensburg Project. It will span four networks, including the main Discovery channel and sister network TLC, starting a few weeks ahead of Planet Green’s launch in June. Here’s a brief synopsis of the show’s premise:

“The 13-part series, “Eco-Town,” will chronicle the rebuilding of the small town of Greensburg, Kan., which was devastated by a tornado May 4. The town, which has more than 1,500 residents, will be rebuilt as a ’sustainable model of eco-living and one that will save it from future environmental catastrophe.’ The project was brought to Discovery by DiCaprio, a noted environmentalist, and Craig Piligiann of Pilgrim Films & Television. DiCaprio will executive produce through his company, Appian Way, along with Piligian and Discovery Studios.”

For more information, you can check out our previous articles here.

[UPDATE] We spoke with Discovery and the new working title of the show is actually GREENSBURG and not The Greensburg Project. Also, Discovery Channel is only premiering the first hour of the series and is not providing a full series sneak preview. There will be extensions on other Discovery networks, but it’s still in development at this time as to what will air where/when. More updates to come as we get them!

February 6th 2008

Global Green, DiCaprio Pick Up A Vectrix Electric Scooter

Zoom Zoom

Filed under: cars-houses, transport, travel — michael @ 6:06 pm

Back in August of 2006, I took a spin on a prototype Vectrix Electric Scooter. The thing had some serious kick — and if it wasn’t for the $12,000 price tag — I would have signed up on the spot. Vectrix is obviously aiming for the same market as Tesla, so grabbing some star association and turning the heads of those on the A-list with a penchant for motorbikes is not a bad move. Off the top of my head, I would think George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Ewan McGregor, and Tom Cruise would be interested. But Leonardo DiCaprio?

According to sources, both the organization Global Green USA and DiCaprio recently picked up the bike. Here’s the blurb,

The first delivery went to one of Hollywood’s most supported green organizations, Global Green. Global Green, known for such efforts as partnering with Brad Pitt to build green housing in post-Katrina New Orleans, thought the ZEV would be a perfect representation of their cause. The company’s CEO, Matt Peterson said, “The Vectrix is a fun way to travel green”. Perhaps such an endorsement is what convinced one of Hollywood’s biggest green A-listers, Leonardo DiCaprio, to go Vectrix too.

We’ve no doubt this green beauty will be on display outside Global Green’s Pre-Oscar bash. Should they decide to provide eco-friendly transportation like last year for the Academy Awards, we may even see someone like Leo ride one to the red carpet. Great publicity for a tech-heavy green scooter that hopefully will trickle down to more affordable levels.

You can cruise a video of the Vectrix here.

February 5th 2008

5th Annual Global Green Pre-Oscar Bash To Feature Michelle Branch

Filed under: events: la, film-tv, movies — michael @ 11:41 am

It’s that time of year again.

While the warm-up act that generally is considered the Golden Globes never showed, we’re all waiting with sick anticipation for the 2008 Academy Awards. Regardless of how the writers’ strike impacts things, there for sure will be plenty of alternative parties to enjoy. First and foremost on our radar is the 5th Annual Global Green USA Pre-Oscar Party.

As with previous years, the event promotes “smart solutions to global warming”. Proceeds raised go towards Global Green’s climate initiatives and also their current main focus, the green rebuilding of New Orleans. Last year, Maroon 5 was the headlining act. This time ’round, Michelle Branch will be entertaining, as well as some “surprise musical guest” not yet announced.

This party is one of the most star-studded in attendance during Oscar week. Of course, it helps to have some of the top A-listers on your Los Angeles committee. These include Orlando Bloom, Kate Bosworth, Penelope Cruz, Leonardo DiCaprio, David Duchovny, Salma Hayek, Edward Norton, and Charlize Theron.

Tickets are limited, but that doesn’t mean you can’t register now and enjoy the fun. $250 is the starting price for general admission — while $5K will get you “green carpet” access and entrance to the Patron Lounge. Remember, this is all for a great cause.

As always, we’ve no guarantees that any of the above celebrities will be in attendance. If previous years are any indication, however, you can expect to have one hell of a good time.

Click here to view the invitation and purchase tickets.

February 5th 2008

DiCaprio Really Wants A Tesla Electric Roadster

Filed under: cars-houses, transport — michael @ 10:52 am

What can I say? When it rains DiCaprio news, it pours.

Discovered a new blog today by the wife of the Chairman of the Board for Tesla Motors, Elon Musk. Her name is Justine Musk, a published novelist, mother of five sons, and very good writer on her LiveJournal site. Anyways, due to Tesla’s rising star, it appears that Justine has been gaining access to some pretty exclusive circles - such as the set of the Iron Man movie, exclusive clubs, etc. A couple nights ago, she and her husband ran into DiCaprio at Club Villa and chatted with him about the Tesla. Here’s what went down,

I went upstairs and then came back down to find E talking to Leo (Octavius introduced us our last time at Villa) and showing him cell phone photos of the Tesla Roadster, E’s beloved sexy-electric-car company. “You know you want one,” I told Leo. “I do want one,” he said earnestly. “I know you do,” said I, because Leo’s people had talked to the Tesla people way back when about a deal for a car that never materialized (the deal, I mean; the car itself is materializing as we speak). “And you should have one,” I added generously (as if I have anything to do with it). Albeit at the same price as everybody else.

Wonder what happened to DiCaprio’s “deal” and if he’ll reconsider jumping on the short list? We know Tesla would most certainly appreciate the publicity of DiCaprio pulling up to events in the roadster. I mean really — what’s $98,000 to a guy that throws down $3,200 on an eco-friendly toilet?

via Moschus Writes