As many Ecorazzi readers know, besides animal production being hell for Planet Earth, it’s also not too grand for the animals. That’s why a slew of well-known stars donated their John Hancock to help reduce the cruelty.

Stars like Kim Basinger, Alicia Silverstone, Bill Maher, Bob Barker, Emily Deschanel, Fred Willard, Ginnifer Goodwin, James Cromwell, Kristen Bell, Mariel Hemingway and Valerie Harper all asked Governor Schwarzenegger to sign a bill that would end the cruel practice of amputating dairy cows’ tails.

The letter was written by our friends at Farm Sanctuary and sent to the Governor just two days ago.

Although both chambers of California legislature passed the bill to end tail docking in the dairy industry, it won’t become a law unless the governor sigs it.

Farm Sanctuary’s president and co-founder Gene Baur said: “With last November’s landslide passage of Prop 2, banning the three cruelest farm animal confinement systems in the state, Californians made it clear they will no longer tolerate cruel and unnecessary practices on factory farms. By putting an end to tail docking, Governor Schwarzenegger has the opportunity to continue this wave of compassion and send a humane message to the rest of the country.”

We agree and hope that the Governator makes the right choice!

American Renewable Energy (ARE) Day is an annual event held in Aspen “to promote effective solutions to the urgent challenges of global warming through renewable energy.” This year promises a star-studded dais, if, of course, you consider some of the hardest hitters and biggest names in environmentalism to be “stars”. In my galaxy Amory Lovins, Lester B. Brown, David Orr and Chief Arvol Looking Horse are definitely stars around which to orbit, but this year it looks like author, model, actress, and holistic “lifestyle expert” Mariel Hemingway will be the most recognizable celebrity there. The star of Personal Best, Manhattan and In Her Line of Fire has recently released a healthy cookbook, Mariel’s Kitchen. Unfortunately it’s not vegetarian, but Rachael Ray called it “a farm to table, locally grown guide to good simple eating” which doesn’t sound all bad. (Check out our interview with Hemingway on her new book here.)

Media mogul Ted Turner is listed as a “Super Sustainable Sponsor”, occupying what appears to be the top donor spot, and has been involved with ARE Day for several years, although he’s not listed as a 2009 presenter.

The eco-wonks will descend on Colorado on August 20 to discuss this year’s theme, The Problem IS the Solution: From Wall St. to Green St. – Creating the New Energy Economy. For more information, jump here.

Get ready, all you down south environmentalists! On Friday, June 26 to Sunday, June 28th, the Go Green Expo will be rocking the Cobb Galleria in Atlanta, Georgia.

Slated to attend the event are well-known faces like Mariel Hemingway and fullback for the Atlanta Falcons Ovie Mughelli. About his choice to stand up for the environment, Mughelli said:

“I wanted to focus on an issue that was drastically affecting children but not getting as much support from my industry.”

“Because I love children, I have to be concerned about what I’m leaving for them. They deserve a planet with clean air and soil, one that is a healthy environment to live in and pass on.”

The Go Green Expo is open to the public on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for students and seniors and free for kids under the age of 12. The Expo also offers a complimentary, business to business day on Friday, June 26 from 10 to 5, with free admission to anyone with a company business card.

For a full schedule of events and to purchase tickets, visit Go Green Expo.

Mariel Hemingway and I met just a few weeks back when I hosted a live interview with the star at the Go Green Expo here in NYC. Long story short: we rocked the house something silly!

And so, because we were such a great team at the Expo, I thought, “ Why not give our readers a little bit of the Hemingway/DuDell saucey sauce?”

Mariel’s Kitchen: Simple Ingredients for a Delicious and Satisfying Life is Hemingway’s new book and available for pre-order TODAY! Learn a little bit more about the author in our exclusive interview below and share your thoughts!

Ecorazzi: Most people know Mariel Hemingway as an actress and model. How did you first get interested in green living?

Mariel Hemingway: I grew up in Idaho and nature was always a part of my life. It’s where I felt most comfortable and connected to myself. I’ve always loved the outdoors, so becoming an ecologically conscious person was a natural segue.

E: What would you say is the first step to becoming a more environmentally aware person?

MH: For me, the first step is to take care of your body and focus on what you eat and where your food comes from. It starts with making sacred space on the inside and letting it bleed into your daily existence. Then you can create sacred healthy space on the outside.

E: The answer to so many of the world’s largest problems revolves around this little word called “health.” Define, in the most comprehensive way, what the word “health” means to you.

MH: Health is consciousness. It’s how you show up in the world — how you move, eat, breath and feel about who you are as a human being. It’s more than whether you have a cold or a disease. It’s about an attitude of awareness and how you feel deep inside as a human being.

E: Mariel’s Kitchen is available for pre-order today. What made you decide to publish a cookbook?

MH: “Healthy Living From The Inside Out” was a huge success as a lifetstyle book. It had a comprehensive program that detailed the importance of food, movement, home and silence. People were asking to have more recipes after reading it. And since I’m crazy about real and simple food I thought it would be fun. And IT WAS!

E: What would you say is your favorite recipe in the book?

MH: One of my core recipes is for Blisscuits — which are gluten-free, sugar-free, DELICIOUS, healthy cookies that serve as the base for many other fun, easy snacks and desserts in the book. I’m also marketing them through Target under the brand name “Mariel’s Kitchen.”

E: While your book isn’t vegan, you do advocate plenty of plant-based foods. What are your thoughts on how diet relates to environmentalism?

MH: My belief is that one needs to make better choices for, not only one’s health, but also for the health and well-being of animals. So although I am no longer vegan, I encourage getting a majority of your nutrients from a plant-based diet. I believe we should eat meat, poultry and fish less frequently than we do now and make sure it’s local, wild-caught, organic and free range. I believe in balance and in making conscious, kind and compassionate choices for all beings.

E: In some of your other books you’ve expressed the importance of moderation. Describe how moderation plays a role in a healthy diet.

MH: We live in a society that preaches, “more is better” and praises the idea of over-consumption. Now that we are in a recession it’s time to pull back a little. The key to a more healthy life is finding a place where unhealthy or indulgent foods become the exception, not the rule. It would be great if fruit, veggies and fat were our staples and the indulgent foods were merely guilty pleasures. I think that reducing our consumption is so important on many levels.

E: You and I both have something in common – we’re big supporters of Farm Sanctuary. You recently donated an experience package for the organization to auction off on charitybuzz. How did you choose to get involved with rescue animal work?

MH: Like I mentioned before, how we treat animals is critical to how we show up in the world. To be loving and compassionate to all creatures is the right thing to do. I believe that animals can be raised on small farms for consumption if they are treated well.

I grew up on a farm and the way the chickens, goats and cows were treated made me feel so good about being alive. I had a connection to these critters and we need more of that.

The small local farmer who truly loves his stock and cares for its well-being is a positive shift towards animal compassion. Not to mention the price that eating red meat has on our environment is alone worth stopping the horrible factory farming! As a society I don’t think we can continue treating animals with such cruelty and not pay a HEAVY price for it.

I love Farm Sanctuary because of their passion for making farms a place for loving animals and not just a place to produce food at the cost of our humanity. Again, my cookbook has animal foods, but I recommend that people buy them with an awareness of where they come from and how the animals are treated. It makes you more aware as an eater, a human and a citizen of the world.

A big thanks to Mariel Hemingway for taking time out of her busy schedule to sit down for a chat. Don’t forget, Mariel’s Kitchen is available for pre-order today!

EVERYONE wants to be green these days. Don’t believe me? Well if you’d been at the Go Green Expo you certainty would! 

This past weekend the Go Green Expo hit NYC like an eco hurricane and rocked the city for 3 days straight! 

With over 250 exhibitors, the show was packed with some of the latest and greatest green products on the market. One of my favorite companies from the show was Print Responsibly – a new e-commerce website offering environmentally conscious printing services. The company officially launched on Earth Day and I think you’re gonna love what they do. Go check them out!

On Saturday I had the chance to sit down with green goddess Mariel Hemingway  for an hour-long exclusive interview. Did you know that she’s like the coolest? Then, of course, I stayed to say hello to our friend Nigel Barker and caught another screening of his powerful documentary A Sealed Fate?. In the film Nigel documents his work with the HSUS to help expose the brutal Canadian seal hunt that takes the lives of hundreds of thousands of baby seals each year. You HAVE to check it out!

Then on Sunday I moderated a panel that included Treehugger’s Ken Rother, The Lazy Environmentalist Josh Dorfman, Riverkeeper’s Craig Michaels, Greenopia’s  Gay Browne, Sierra Club’sDan Miner and Green Debot’s Sarah Beatty. These guys are hella smart and proved that being environmentally conscious is the ONLY way to rock it!

So as you can see, the weekend was a success thanks to all the work by Go Green Expo CEO Bradford Rand and his amazing team. Of course we have to thank OrganicWorks for always treating us so darn great! 

To learn more about how you can get involved with future expos, visit GoGreenExpo.com. 

photo credit: MellyRose.com

Tomorrow afternoon I will hosting a live one on one interview with Mariel Hemingway at 12:30 p.m at the Go Green Expo in NYC!

The Go Green Expo is the nation’s premier eco-friendly tradeshow and will feature over 250 booths brought to you by some of the countries greenest companies.

On Sunday I’ll also be moderating an expert panel with green leaders like: Treehugger’s Ken Rother, The Lazy EnvironmentalistJosh Dorfman, Riverkeeper’s Craig Michaels, Greenopia’s Gay Browne, Sierra Club’sDan Miner and Green Debot’s Sarah Beatty.

So what are you waiting for? Get your tickets at GoGreenExpo.com and spend your weekend at the show!

Having McDonald’s and green in the same sentence kind of leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I’ve had a long history of not being a fan, to say the least, of the conglomerate food chain. But apparently the golden arches are going to help the police department in Manila, Philippines to save some energy (and dough) by running their patrol cars on a mixture of diesel and used cooking oil from their kitchens. Think it could take a global effect?

Hollywood producer Jennifer Klein and celebrity hair stylist Tony Chavez are into non-aeresol dry shampoo with recycleable packaging. Klein says, “With my hectic lifestyle, I rely on my Klorane Dry shampoo. I keep one at home, one at the office and love to use it when I’m traveling since it saves me time when I’m on the run. It also comes in quite handy on the movie set.”

While Kermit may have believed it wasn’t easy being green, ELLEgirl magazine doesn’t think so. They recently had two teen interns take the challenge to live the lifestyle in Linda and Tosh Siversten’s Generation Green. The result? So far, it looks like the two girls are on their way toward much greener lifestyles, proof that it can be done by any teen–hence, I think, by anyone, period!