Morgan Freeman and Glenn Close were honored this weekend at the SeaChange Summer Party hosted by Oceana, the largest international organization focused 100% on ocean conservation. Oceana’s various boards include actors Pierce Brosnan, Kelsey Grammer, Sam Waterston as well as co-founder Ted Danson.

Danson co-hosted the event which was held at the Villa di Sogni, a private residence in Laguna Beach.

Before the event, Valarie Whiting, Oceana Board Member and SeaChange Co-Chair, said, “We are thrilled that Ms. Close and Mr. Freeman will be this year’s honorees. We’re confident that the involvement of Ms. Close and Mr. Freeman will guarantee a second major SeaChange success, generating significant funding enabling Oceana to continue its crucial work toward restoring and protecting the world’s oceans.”

CTN News was there to cover the event. Above photo by CTN.

Early reports indicate that The Cove dolphin-documentary enjoyed a strong opening with its limited New York and Los Angeles release last weekend. Now, we’re starting to hear from celebrities that have witnessed the heart-wrenching film and are encouraging others to take advantage of the expanded nationwide showings this coming weekend.

Pierce Brosnan and wife Keely have written a short blog post over on Take Part sharing their love of the film — and how important it is for people to view it.

“We have long been passionate about marine mammal protection,” the pair writes. “After watching The Cove, we were astonished to discover that more than than 20,000 dolphins and porpoises are slaughtered in Taiji each year, and that their meat — which contains toxic levels of mercury — is sold to consumers and in grocery stores across Japan. Without this kind of investigative journalism, the plight of dolphins and the safety of some of Japan’s seafood may not have been adequately reported. This powerful and moving film is an urgent cry for help — and now that the public finally knows the truth, we must demand change.”

To find out where The Cove might be showing near you this weekend, jump here.

As he’s done many times before in support of marine initiatives, Pierce Brosnan is lending his star power to help pass legislation that would promote international conservation efforts and reduce commercial whaling.

The actor and his wife, Keely, descended upon the new Capitol Visitor Center this week to stump for the International Fund for Animal Welfare. The pair cohosted a cocktail event promoting the marine conservation bill sponsored by Rep. Bill Delahunt (D-Mass.) and Del. Eni Faleomavaega (D-American Samoa). Other celebrities in attendance included Chris Matthews (Hardball) and Goran Visnjic (ER).

Brosnan is hoping that his appeal to help save the whales falls on some sympathetic ears in the new administration. Earlier on Tuesday, Brosnan and the organization met with White House and State Department reps — and mentioned that they’ll be meeting with Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and other legislators later this week to boost the bill. The former 007 has tirelessly worked with organizations like Sea Shepherd, NRDC, and the Whaleman Foundation over the years to help protect and expand marine sanctuaries. Let’s hope these efforts in DC pay off once more.

via Politico

Image credit: US News

The source did not disclose if the home would be eco-friendly — but we have a pretty good hunch it may be tricked out in that area as well. The UK Guardian seems to think so too with this bit: “The house should also be green – Brosnan will use eco-friendly building products and install solar panels to provide electricity.” Obviously, they’re only guessing — but we like those additions for a start. Might we also recommend:

Pervious Concrete for easy drainage, a green roof, Maglev vertical-axis turbine, native plants and permaculture lanscaping, low-flow, dual-flush toilets, LED lighting, occupancy sensors that reduce lighting and heat when people leave a room, and a passive solar design.

Since Pierce is one of our more “green” celebrities, we hope he invests just as much in making his home eco-friendly as he does in trying to impress Q. What would you recommend?

Pierce Brosnan is joined by Wilmer Valderrama, Tamara Feldman, Edward Olmos, Missy Higgins, Jillian Michaels, and others who show their appreciation. It’s also an opportunity to remind the incoming President of some goals the Sierra Club would love to see him accomplish. Check it out below:

Having successfully help stop a liquefied natural gas terminal from being constructed

The $700-million dollar project would see the construction of the country’s first liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal on a 257 acre site located on the Shannon Estuary. Those in opposition contend that there’s been little review of the environmental or safety impact of such a project. “The most serious environmental concern is that up to 100 million gallons of chlorinated seawater will be pumped into the estuary daily, causing serious environmental damage to this SAC area,” the Safety Before LNG website says. “The withdrawal and discharge of huge volumes of seawater would affect marine life by killing ichthyoplankton and other micro-organisms forming the base of the marine food chain unable to escape from the intake area.”

In a letter to the Kerry County Council, Brosnan and his wife Keeley express their reservations over the “fast-tracked and piecemealed” proposal. They also bring up their findings with their fight against BHP Billiton in Malibu saying, “What we found was a massive, industrial facility that would have polluted our community in violation of existing air-quality laws and that posed serious long-term risks to public safety and security. We strongly support Safety Before LNG’s request that the planning department find that this project and its associated pipeline must be thoroughly reviewed for the serious cumulative risks it poses for the local population and the environment.”

Hmmm…should be interesting to see if opponents to the installation can gain enough voices to have a serious impact on this project going forward. Malibu was fortunate to have so many celebrities that could drive media attention to the issue. Will Brosnan’s voice be enough to rally support?

Pierce Brosnan

To end 2008, the actor talks about his upcoming movie projects — as well as the charity he’s getting behind for the holiday season. He writes,

“The following organizations were on our holiday gift giving list:

- The Jane Goodall Institute
- Roots and Shoots
- American Red Cross
- Kauai Humane Society

These funds will be used to sponsor environmental education and youth based humanitarian programs, provide clean, safe drinking water to a developing nation by distributing thousands of portable water purifiers, offer relief services for the victims of the Southern California Wildfires, and care for numerous stray animals while also supporting the spay and neuter shelter program on the island of Kauai.”

Great to see Brosnan spreading the word on some charities we haven’t heard of before. He’s also got a link to Captain Paul Watson’s (of Sea Sherpherd) news updates from the S.S. Steve Irwin. For more, check out Pierce’s official site here.

Organizers for the Jane Goodall Institue Awards ceremony last week probably should have paid closer attention to the type of vehicle actor Pierce Brosnan arrived in. After all, the former James Bond was being honored that night for his commitment to environmental education — so why have him arrive in a Lincoln Town Car Limo? For his part, Brosnan says he drives a hydrogen-powered BMW H7 at home — but couldn’t anyone have borrowed a Prius or something for the event? [Read more...]

In a recent interview, Ellen Degeneres what her favorite part of Las Vegas is. Her response? “Well, the buffet…I’m vegan so I’ll just have salad,” she joked. “But still, it’s still a bargain.” [Read more...]

The new green-themed Bond flick, Quantum of Solace raked in an impressive $27 million on its opening day on Friday. For comparison, 2006’s Casino Royale only managed $14 million. Eco-villains are truly in vogue. [Read more...]

On Friday, Pierce and Keely were given the Responsible Activism in Media and Entertainment award at the second annual Jane Goodall Institute Global Leadership Awards Celebration in Washington, D.C., for their long-time involvement with the institutes Roots & Shoots global environmental youth program.

Brosnan told the fundraiser’s audience, “Keely and I are honored to be in Washington, D.C., at such an exciting time in this nation’s history and to accept this award from our dear friend Dr. Jane Goodall.”

He added, “I have a wonderful wife in Keely, who is very versed in the world of green. This is a partnership now of 16 years and she has educated me on the environment and how to bring up children, whether it’s the food they eat or the food that we grow at home in Hawaii – clean water, good vegetables, recycling.”

Clean water? Veggies? Recycling? Oh Pierce, you know how to make our green-loving hearts flutter! What do you think about Pierce’s involvement? Are you more keen to support a celeb when they’re more involved with their community? Chime in and share your thoughts!