ecorazzi.com :: the latest in green gossip

January 26th 2008

Tom Hanks Auctions Off Solar-Powered Radios For Rural Africa

Filed under: campaigns — michael @ 5:46 pm

Tom Hanks is one of the few activist/actors that has personally taken advantage of the YouTube phenomenon to promote campaigns he’s passionate about. And it’s his style that I really enjoy — down to earth, easy to follow, a bit comedic. It’s not that he’s at some studio — he’s doing these informative videos from his home, his car — however he can get the message across. Good stuff.

His latest campaign is a charity auction for the Freeplay Foundation benefiting rural poor areas of Africa. Hanks has personally autographed the wind-up and solar-powered radios, and is auctioning them up on eBay. The winning bidders will also receive a personal letter and signed picture from the actor. All of the auction proceeds will go towards Freeplay’s work in Africa. Here’s a bit about the radio:

The Lifeline is a self-powered radio designed specifically for children living on their own, distance education or other humanitarian projects. Robustly constructed to operate in the harshest of conditions and climates, the Lifeline radio is rugged, colourful, easy to use and carry, receives excellent AM/FM/SW and plays for many hours non-stop on wind-up energy or solar power. It is available to aid and donor agencies for bona fide humanitarian initiatives.

Click here to visit the auction and get your bid in! Lowest bid looks to be about $600 at the moment. The fun will end February 1st. Check out Tom’s video below:

January 25th 2008

Sprig Enjoys Some Celebrity Eco-Mania At Sundance!

Filed under: festivals, film-tv — michael @ 9:26 am

Our stylish friends over at Sprig have just released a video of their good times at Sundance. Sprig stalkerazzis (though we’re naming them honorary ecorazzis) Brit Liggett and Jennifer Prediger hit the streets and spoke with Tom Hanks, Colin First, Emily Blunt, and a bunch of other celebs about their eco-friendly habits and naughty sins. For instance, Tom Hanks has solar panels above his office, drives two electric vehicles — but feels horrible about reading the morning paper. Yea, we think he’s an a#$hole too. C’mon Tom, pick up your game!

Check out the rockin’ video below from Sprig.com!

December 10th 2007

Obama and Oprah: Oprahpalooza 2007 Kicks Off

Filed under: politics — paige @ 9:49 am

As Oprahpalooza kicked off in Iowa, South Carolina and New Hampshire over the weekend, it is clear that when it comes to celebrity endorsements, Obama is the man. A flood of support continues to pour in from a range of celebrities including George Clooney, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Stephen Colbert, Rev. Jesse Jackson, and oh, Dreamworks (because that is what you get with the three most powerful men in Hollywood - Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen).

Other candidates have their ringers as well. Senator Hillary Clinton has recent endorsements and support from Barbara Streisand, Donald Trump, Martha Stewart and Tom Hanks. And of course, her husband former President Clinton. I mean who doesn’t want to see Bill back in the White House, especially with all of his recent socially global and climate driven initiatives. Regardless, the campaign is truly heating up and while at the end of the day it is about electing a leader based on the issues and leadership capabilities, there is no denying the magic of the “O” factor and Obama earns big strategic points on that one!

Check out the latest celebrity endorsements on The Huffington Post Fundrace 2008.

November 30th 2007

Jay Leno Takes You On A Tour Of The BMW Hydrogen7

Filed under: transport — michael @ 12:19 pm

A while back, we had Tom Hanks promoting the benefits of his electric Scion while driving it and now comedian Jay Leno has followed suit with a in-depth look at his BMW Hydrogen7. Leno received the car (along with a host of other high-profile individuals, like Will Ferrell) as part of a test program with BMW to try out the new technology.

As you’ll see below, Jay is pretty jazzed about the vehicle’s ability to switch between hydrogen and standard petrol on the fly. He gushes about never having to worry about looking for a hydrogen re-filling station in an emergency since gasoline is still an option. He’s also pretty bold in predicting that a hydrogen infrastructure should come pretty quickly; something I personally believe will take a lot longer with prices for both the car, hydrogen, and technology in general still beyond the rest of us.

It’s a great look, however, at something available right now — and flex-fuel friendly. I do think Leno went a bit far at the end by stereotyping the green movement saying, “We’re going to go get a tofu salad, save some animals, and put on our earth shoes.” Great. Nothing like turning people off to green ideas by wrapping them up in sentences like that.