The National Enquirer (indeed!) has quoted a “a source” as saying Richie “fussed over every imaginable detail, right down to the type of cotton in the sheets and the linens to the type of paint used on the walls. She scoured stores and researched on the Internet for weeks to find wood products that are made from reclaimed sustainable wood from the Brazilian rain forest.”

Considering how fussy parents can be this is a great thing to be fussy about. I’m looking forwarding to checking out what other green steps they’ll take and what else they’ll get up to once they’ve got two babies on board!

Photo: PR Photos

Some green Hollywood celebrities are jumping on board a new campaign from the Environmental Media Association to help introduce organic gardening in LA schools. According to the EMA, the organization and Yes To Inc. will directly support a number of school gardens through funding and celebrity mentoring from members of EMA’s Young Hollywood Board.

“I grew up with community gardens in my neighborhood, so I know how important they can be for kids. I am very excited to be supporting the Environmental Media Association’s new project to support organic gardens in LA schools,” EMA Board Member Rosario Dawson told Access Hollywood.

The actress will be joined by Amy Smart, Nicole Richie, Maroon 5, Lance Bass, Matthew Rhys, Olivia Wilde and Maria Menounos. “Organic gardens are so important, especially in urban areas where many students would otherwise never see any greenery,” Bass, 30, told PEOPLE. “I hope that the Environmental Media Association’s support will help them to grow and flourish in Los Angeles.”

School have been on the receiving end of a number of green projects this year — including Global Green’s “Green Schools Initiative“. Great to see young people getting involved in organic projects like this one.

Ben Affleck isn’t the only celebrity fighting for the Congolese people.

Nicole Richie has just released a new video also urging people to support ending genocide, rape, and violence in the Congo. The actress begins her appeal saying, “I’m going to tell you a story about a place where grandmothers and babies are raped on a daily basis…and the reason they are being raped is directly related to the purchases of our cell phones, our laptops, and of our ipods.”

Richie then goes on to introduce Kimberly Pinkson from the Ecomom Alliance and John Pendergast from the EnoughProject.org. Both organizations are partnering to help drive suppor to end these atrocities. Richie writes on her website,

Please, I urge you to take the time to watch the film “The Greatest Silence”  (for info and purchase go to http://thegreatestsilence.org). The crisis in the Congo is fueled by conflict minerals, but I’ve included several steps below that we believe will also help to bring this vicious cycle to an end.  By using our power as consumers and activists, we ALL can make an impact!

You can take a look at Nicole’s video below:

The ceremony highlights the City of Beverly Hills’ “Light the Night” annual holiday event where the UNICEF Snowflake and the 20 Baccarat chandeliers that grace Rodeo Drive are illuminated to kick off the holiday season.

Carl Stern, President and Chief Executive Officer of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, said: “We are honored to have Joel and Nicole participate in the Beverly Hills lighting ceremony. With their tremendous commitment to UNICEF’s child survival mission, Joel and Nicole are the perfect people for UNICEF to share this meaningful tradition with.”

The evening consists of family activities, performances by Kreesha Turner and The 88 and a fireworks display atop the Beverly Wilshire — a Four Seasons Hotel — which is home to the west coast UNICEF Snowflake.

Festivities begin at 3:00pm with the official lighting at 6:00pm and all are welcome!. To find out more, visit UNICEF’s website!

Photo credit: PR Photo

Last night, celebs rolled up in hybrid cars and wore eco-friendly fashion down the red carpet at the 18th annual Environmental Media Awards. Some of the stars seen at the Ebell Theatre included Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Rosario Dawson, Nicole Richie, Joel Madden, Lance Bass, Maria Bello, Amy Smart and Wilmer Valderrama.

Actress Amy Smart, who was dressed in a lovely eco-friendly black gown, says she’s been inspired to go green in her own life. “Once we all realized that there’s been so much destruction and pollution — especially once Al Gore came out with An Inconvenient Truth, and then realizing that the last 8 years, the Bush administration hasn’t done anything about it — it’s now become everyone’s responsibility. I don’t care how much money you make, I don’t care where you live — it’s really easy to be green. You can find products at grocery stores everywhere, now.”

Julia Louis-Dreyfus talked about her hybrid car, the solar panels she has installed in her home and her happiness over the outcome of the election. “I think we all know now that the environmental movement is here to stay. And that global warming is real. And I’m so thrilled that we have president elect Barack Obama who does believe that global warming is a true issue,” she said.

It’s awesome how so many celebrities are realizing how much power they have to inspire people to do the right thing. As former N-Syncer Lance Bass told USA Today, they feel like they have a responsibility to take action because the world is watching.

Indeed, we are watching – and proud to see how much good is being done!

Photo credit: Jessica Jacobs

I want to share something with all of you that I’m REALLY not proud of. Last month, my T-Mobile bill reported that I had used 1877 text messages of my unlimited monthly text message plan. The month before: 1538. Before that: 1603. This means, because admitting you have a problem is the first step, that I average roughly 62.5 text messages a day! What I’m trying to say here is: I TEXT A LOT! Luckily for Nicole Richie and Joel Madden, so does just about everyone else.

The Richie Madden Children’s Foundation has just launched a new text messaging campaign to help build a playground for Beyond Shelter – a non-profit organization that provides permanent housing and support services for homeless families with children.

According to their website: “We’re pleased to announce the launch of TEXT CHILD to 90999, a new campaign to raise funds to help kids through a new kind of fundraising – with a simple text message. Each text message donates $5, billed to your phone bill. This is the first time that a text campaign has been done by mass media like this, so we’re excited to see how much we can raise!”

So hop on that phone and help build these kids a playground! Simply text the word “CHILD” to 90999…or if you’re me, text the word “CHILD” 1877 times!

via: looktothestars.org

“We take for granted the basic necessities. For some families, it’s a serious struggle,” Richie tells People. “This is one way to ease the financial burden, and help new babies have a good start in life. We are only working with companies and products that Joel and I would use. We’re checking every product out for safety, and all products are BPA-free.”

Here’s how it will work: Families will sign up through local social service agencies. A list of baby products they need, such as cribs, strollers or blankets, will be posted on the Web site. Donors can view the wish-lists and choose what to contribute (much like a wedding or baby gift registry.)

The registry will initially only be availble in Los Angeles — but Nicole has expressed interest in making it a national service as well. The hope is that most of the products features will be the same ones her and Joel use with their 7-month-old daughter, Harlow.

Interested in potentially being a sponsor of the new registry? Find out more over on the official foundation website.

Today, we have similar news from, once more, the National Inquirer. Apparently, new mom Nicole Richie is so paranoid about germs that she washes everything twice to protect six -month old Harlow.

A source said: “Nicole double washes her daughter Harlow’s clothes and double sanitises her bottles, baby spoons – anything Harlow eats out of. “Even the cleaning supplies in the house have to be organic and non-toxic.” Fiance Joel Madden is reportedly concerned Nicole has become obsessed with keeping their home spotlessly clean.

Thoughts? Can you relate or is this taking things a little too far? If she must sanitize, at least she’s going about it using organic, non-toxic products. But is all of this too much of a good thing?

via china daily

via JustJared

Not On Our Watch, a charity co-founded by George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, and Jerry Weintraub recently donated $500,000 to the United Nations World Food Program. The cash will be earmarked for the U.N.’s food aid agency to prevent hunger in the troubled Darfur region of Sudan. Said Clooney is a statement, “Without immediate additional funding, humanitarian aid in the region will be crippled”. [visit: Not On Our Watch]

Patrick Dempsey wasn’t the only famous celeb opening a new medial center this week. Down in Australia, Jackie Chan opened a science education center at an Australian cancer research clinic; dedicated in the actor’s name. Chan’s father, Charlie, lived in Aussie for more than 40 years. Organizers did not reveal how much Jackie donated to the new center, but did indicate that the sum was “substantial”. [via StarPulse]