Cylon alert! Ok, that was a cheesy way to start this piece — but we don’t mind it at all when the beautiful Tricia Helfer, from Battlestar Galactica, shows up on our radar. The 34-year-old actress was previously seen on the ‘razz promoting the humane treatment of animals for PETA — much like her co-star, Jamie Bamber, did last last month. Now, Treehugger has the scoop on new plans from Helfer to build a new off-the-grid green home in her native Alberta, Canada. From the article,

The design concept for the property, located on a beautiful, secluded prairie landscape, is a work-in-progress following a steep learning curve. She’s considering a straw bale structure, since her father can grow the straw on his nearby farmland. Admitting to not being a green expert, Helfer says:

“I feel it’s time to start doing my part to make sure that my impact on the environment is minimized and if in my pursuits I can inspire others to do their part – then that will be very rewarding…My goal is to build a house that respects the land in its entirety.”

The actress and her husband, entertainment lawyer Jonathan Marshall, are sharing a chronicle of the green building process, with resources and a comprehensive guide that explains different sustainable home ideas. Methods they intend to incorporate into the construction include passive and active solar energy, capturing and recycling rainwater, and efficient masonry heating.

The modest home will be just under 4,500 sf and be situated for passive-solar gain. Tricia has also posted plans of the home on her website for anyone else looking to take a closer look. Needless to say, the location and home look gorgeous. We can’t wait for the tour!

For more, jump here.

The Office’s Jenna Fischer played host Sunday evening for the first annual “Fur Ball” in Los Angeles. The event was held to celebrate 10 years for the non-profit Kitten Rescue and the more than 9,000 lives they’ve helped save. Celebrity guests included Emily Deschanel (Bones), Wendi McLendon-Covey (Reno 911), Daniela Sea (The L Word) and Kent King (General Hospital). One of my new favorite television actresses, Tricia Helfer (Burn Notice), received the Kitten Rescue Advocacy Award.

Fischer said that her love for cats is very similar to that of a character from The Office. “In the show, Angela has all these elaborate procedures for her cat. I’ve done all that – the eye drops and ear swabs. I’ve checked their poop and massaged their tummy.” said Fischer, who has fostered 9 cats.

All of the money raised from the Fur Ball will go directly to Kitten Rescue — whose larger goal is to help the city of Los Angeles become a no-kill city. For more information, please visit their official site here. Check out the gallery below for additional snaps.

If you haven’t been tuning into the SciFi Channel’s series Battlestar Galactica, don’t worry — you’re probably not alone. My wife and I only recently started watching out of curiosity surrounding the buzz over this space-based series and its dramatic twist and turns. In a nutshell, there are robots living amidst humans that look, feel, and act like humans. The only problem is, they’re also trying to kill us. Oh yea, and you might be one without even knowing it — which pretty much explains my 9th grade science teacher. 

Anyways, playing one of those beautiful robots is the (hopefully) all-too-human Tricia Helfer. She’s hooking up with PETA in a shockingly non-nude way to promote humane treatment of animals. In the ad above, she’s posing with her cat Mr. Nix — who sadly, is also probably a killer robot. Just like Dick Cheney. Or Elizabeth Taylor. 

You can check out an interview with Helfer for the campaign here. More over at the P to the A.