Celebrating Earth Day: Celebrities, Authors & Supporters
It seems celebrities support everything nowadays, from classy New York restaurant openings to their hometown baseball teams. But perhaps the most significant celebrity-approved concept is the green movement. After all, the staggering facts regarding global warming are terrifyingly true. It’s evident that something needs to be done. Moreover, from frivolous to first-class, anything supported by a famous or interesting person is likely to be followed by fans - including the green movement. And while environmental awareness is highlighted quite frequently on its own, it’s discussed even more when recognized people show their approval. For example, an event raising money for the rainforest would be well attended if a powerful leader or well-known star was in attendance. That’s why it’s so important that famous authors, actresses, athletes, musicians and leaders in the workforce support charitable causes, especially green ones. Luckily, the A-List is recognizing this phenomenon. In honor of Earth Day’s 40th anniversary, a myriad of well-known personalities are garnering support for different environmental causes. Cate, the actress from The Aviator and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and one of Time’s Top 100 Influential People in the World, invests in Sungevity, a solar energy company. Sungevity installs solar energy panels in homes, allowing customers to either lease the system or buy it. Transition to solar energy is important in combating global warming because it lessens one’s dependency on electricity, making for a smaller carbon footprint. Sungevity is planning to launch a campaign asking Obama to put solar panels on the White House. The Oregon-based mortician, better known as “The Green Reaper,” is distinguished for her green burial ceremonies for the deceased. She recently launched a line of paper mache urns made with dryer lint for the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. In 2010, Elizabeth aims to continue to create awareness for green burials, which can be very affordable and are much better for the environment than traditional burials. She donates the recycled urns to families in need, saying, “I love their faces when they know that their loved ones can be placed in a lovely sustainable piece of art for free. Life is a continuum, indeed.” After working as a recording engineer for several top musicians, including Carly Simon, Bell Biv DeVoe and LL Cool J, Barbera made a drastic career change. Pioneering the eco-friendly toy industry, she launched ImagiPLAY Natural Toys, a line of playthings designed to inspire imagination and creativity. Known as the “grandmother of green” in the industry, she designs toys made out of wood connecting children to the world with images of plants and animals. The world-famous model hit the small screen in February, starring in an animated series called Gisele and the Green Team. The series aims to empower young girls to protect and preserve the environment and is put out by A2 Entertainment, an entertainment firm that works with celebrities to create educational, animated web series for children. In the show, Gisele is the leader of a group of four normal teenagers who turn into environmental superheroes at night. Britta Gross As the Director of Global Energy Systems and Infrastructure Commercialization at General Motors, Britta encourages the development of hydrogen and electrical infrastructures throughout the country to support electric vehicles - namely GM’s Chevy Volt, an electric vehicle powered by a battery for up to 40 miles until a gasoline generator kicks in. Before electric vehicles (EVs) such as the Volt hit the roads, it needs to be insured that these vehicles are supported. After all, if there wasn’t something readily available to charge your EV’s battery, that would be a major bummer. On EVs, Britta says, “Imagine the benefits of getting a majority of Americans entirely off of gasoline for their routine commutes and weekend driving. We’re talking about zero-emission vehicles and oh-so-quiet electric driving. What could be more in keeping with the theme of Earth Day.” The granddaughter of author Ernest Hemingway, Academy Award-nominee, author and founder of Mariel’s Kitchen recently launched Blisscuits, a line of healthy, green cookies. All-natural food is environmentally sustainable because it doesn’t use pesticides or other harmful chemicals. Additionally, preservatives aren’t used. Available in four flavors, Blisscuits are partially organic. Mariel says, “In order to be happy and live a healthy life, it is vital to fuel your body with clean food.” Currently, she is touring with her book Mariel’s Kitchen: Simple Ingredients for a Delicious and Satisfying Life. Natalie, a professional soccer player on the Chicago Red Stars, a team in the Women’s Professional Soccer League, founded Green Laces, an organization that encourages athletes to become conscious of the environment. She rallies athletes to take an eco-promise, vowing to “take shorter showers, unplug electronics when not in use, swear off Styrofoam cups and wear green shoelaces in their sneakers or soccer cleats.” As a professional athlete and environmental volunteer, Natalie is seen as a leader in the community and frequently speaks about the importance of the environment to schools. In 2009, she was picked as Chicago Magazine’s Green Athlete of the Year. Rob Thomas, Melissa Etheridge, Estelle A plethora of celebrities and well-known personalities - including singers Rob Thomas, Melissa Etheridge and Estelle - participated in the Live Earth Run for Water events throughout the world (yes, not the country, but the world!) on April 18. Thousands of 6 kilometer run/walk events took place - the organization chose 6 km as it is the average distance that women and children in undeveloped countries have to walk to retrieve fresh water every day. Live Earth was founded by Emmy-winning producer Kevin Wall and former vice president Al Gore and is supported by numerous celebrities. It is most known for “Live Earth: the Concerts for a Climate in Crisis” where, On 7/7/07, concerts on 7 continents were broadcast in 132 countries to raise awareness about climate change. In March, the band announced that they would be partnering with the Cascade Land Conservancy to mitigate carbon dioxide emissions from their 2009 world tour. They donated $210,000, which will negate about 7,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions and allow for approximately thirty-three acres of forestry to be planted around the Puget Sound. On Pearl Jam’s website, lead singer Stone Gossard said, “We have elected to mitigate our carbon output by tracking and calculating our emissions and contributing money to projects that strategically work to improve the environment.” They view this as a cost of doing business. It is estimated that the band actually emitted about 5,700 metric tons of CO2 on tour. The mastermind and designer of the Kuza strap recently launched an environment variety of the simple solution to one of life’s little problems. Featured in Real Simple magazine, the Kuza Strap is a strap pulled around one’s pants so that they don’t uncomfortably bunch up while tucked into boots. Shien-Ru says, “We came up with the Eco-Fashionista style [a green floral pattern] so we could pay homage to another fashion forward it-girl.” For each Eco-Fashionista strap purchased in month of April, the company will $1.00 to the Plant it 2020 program. Few realize that their pets leave almost the same-sized carbon footprint as they do, despite the fact that it has been said that a pet has more impact on the environment than a SUV. (Think of all the cat litter and plastic dog toys that end up in landfills!) Tracie Hotchner, author and host of NPR’s Gracie-Award winning show Dog Talk and Cat Chat on Sirius Radio, teamed up with PETCO to develop to educate consumers on ten simple ways to reduce their pets’ carbon “pawprint”. One of the New York Post’s 50 Most Influential Women in New York City, Robin Wilson, an eco-friendly home designer, recently completed renovating Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s private residence to make it completely eco-healthy. Her motto, “Eco friendly, from the foundation to the furniture,” accurately describes her outlook on homes. In 2007, she launched the Nest Store for eco-friendly artisans to show and market their work on the Internet, because many artisans don’t have the means to do so themselves. On her website, she says, “It is exciting to review products to determine if they meet our eco-friendly criteria, and then we love to see consumer response.” Eco-friendly furniture and materials are crafted from a number of materials, including bamboo, soy, organic cotton, concrete, wood. Robin’s book about her Kennedy experience, Kennedy Green House: Designing an Eco-Friendly Home from the Foundation to the Furniture, launches this month. Maxine Frendel is a writer from New Jersey who is passionate about the environment and encourages her friends to be environmentally conscious in their own lives. It’s important to protect the earth, because one day, it might not be here. Follow Maxine on Twitter here.
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