Natalie Portman

Top 10 Eco Celebrities

Marcus — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0500

With the green movement taking this culture of ours by storm, it’s hardly a surprise that celebrities are eager to jump on the eco-friendly bandwagon. Whether they’re promoting their charity of choice, modeling sustainable digs at a Sundance after party, or utilizing a composting toilet, celebrities have burst onto the green scene in a big way. The following list, in no particular order, acknowledges those famous folks who have gone the extra mile in eco-conscious living -- beyond the PR and pats on the back for their selfless efforts, the following ten celebs seem to be truly set on making a difference:

1. Al Gore

What needs to be said, really? Al Gore’s been at the forefront of environmental celebrity since An Inconvenient Truth came out in 2005. Now, an Emmy, an Oscar, and a Nobel Prize later, Big Al continues to dazzle us with his unwavering commitment to the fight against climate change.

2. Leonardo DiCaprio

In addition to the eco-friendly, composting toilet he recently had installed in his home, Leo’s also collaborating with the Four Seasons to build a state-of-the art green hotel on an island he owns off the coast of Belize. Further, DiCaprio has produced and narrated a film called The 11th Hour about the increasing urgency of dealing with global warming.

3. Natalie Portman

Natalie Portman has long been an outspoken advocate for environmental preservation, and the past year has been no exception. On the heels of her documentary with Jack Hanna about preserving the habitat of African mountain gorillas, Portman has also released her own line of vegan footwear for Spring 2008.

4. Brad Pitt

Not only has Brad Pitt adopted enough kids from around the world to make his family look like a blossoming mini-United Nations, he’s also become a driving force in the New Orleans post-Katrina green building movement,even donating five million of his own dollars to help fund the project.

5. Ed Begley, Jr.

Here’s a guy who was green before green was even remotely cool which, retroactively, proves just how intrinsically cool Ed Begley, Jr.is. A man who boldly marches to the beat of a different drum, Begley can be seen on his fun, informative HGTV series, or you can check out his new book, Living Like Ed.

6. Hayden Panettiere

This Heroes actress, though only 18, is already making quite a green splash. She’s been an active spokesperson against dolphin hunting, and even recently put herself in the line of fire in Japan when she and a group of surfers attempted to save local dolphins from being killed by fisherman.

7. Scarlett Johansson

Scarlett has long been an advocate for a number of ethical causes, most notably women’s rights and health issues in developing countries. She has been vocal in her criticism of celebrities who jump on philanthropic trends, stating that “women and children in Africa need help and that has nothing to do with my career.” Nice.

8. Chris Martin

The brooding, sensitive Coldplay frontman isn’t just one ofthe World’s Sexiest Vegetarians, he’s also the leading celebrity advocate of Fair Trade, both writing “Make Trade Fair" on the side of his piano during live performances, and drawing a green equal sign on the back of his left hand to remind himself to talk about the trade issue on a daily basis.

9. Heather Mills

Mills has long been regarded as an activist for vegetarianism and animal rights. She’s one of PETA’s leading celebrity spokespeople, having campaigned against the dog fur trade. She’s also recently spoken out against the use of landmines.

10. Tobey Maguire

A vegetarian for a full fourteen (!) years now, Tobey Maguire is now mostly vegan as well (he uses dairy and eggs when gaining weight for a role). Recently, Maguire completely banned all leather from his home, insisting that guests remove leather articles before coming inside. The smell of leather, apparently, makes Spiderman sick.

Natalie Portman’s Eco-Friendly Footwear

RiverWired.com — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0500

It’s Good: Natalie Portman has teamed up with a host of designers from footwear label Té Casan to create a complete, Spring 2008 line of sexy, stylish shoes that reflect the actress’ personal style and sophistication.

It’s Green: The Té Casan line is completely vegan, and contains zero animal byproducts. Instead, Té Casan’s designers utilize alternative materials, like luxurious Italian and Spanish faux leathers, that look exquisite, but harm no animals in their construction.

It’s Here: TeCasan.com

It’s: Styles range from $160- $450

Save the 800-Pound Gorilla in the Room

Julia — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 10:01:20 -0500

Now I know everyone has different opinions about the new trend of stars taking up and becoming spokespeople for their one progressive cause, but I was channel surfing last night and came across Natalie Portman’s gorilla documentary, “Saving a Species: Gorillas on the Brink,” and, I must say, I really enjoyed it. She, along with her mother and animal expert Jack Hanna, traveled to Congo’s Virunga National Park to learn about the plight of the gravely endangered Mountain Gorilla.

Celebrity influence is probably a big part of the reason why trends show that environmental awareness is now, well, trendy. I saw a recent article about the obsession with Whole Food’s newly released reusable bags. The day they came out, in the uppity town of Montclair, New Jersey, there was a line about 60 people long. When the reporter asked a woman why she was there, she responded, “It’s about status.” There you have it, folks.

I digress. Needless to say, there are only 700 Mountain Gorillas left in the entire world, all settled right around the borders of Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. During the film, Jack Hanna mentioned that the gorilla effort was one of the biggest conservation efforts in the world right now.

The primary threat to these gorillas is forest clearance and degradation. Other causes, however, are human induced, due to poaching and the ongoing war in The Congo. Rebel presence is growing heavy, and it has been really difficult to monitor the gorillas. There are now ‘no-go zones’ where park rangers are not even allowed to enter. They hope that a cease fire will enter soon, so that they can venture further into the forest to see if there is more serious damage.

Essentially, gorillas get confused and trapped in the crossfire. Oftentimes, they are not the primary targets, but they are subject to the conflict around them. There have, however, been documented cases of gorillas killed, execution style.

In the documentary, Natalie attends a gorilla naming ceremony held in Rwanda in July. She named her gorilla Ahazaza, which means “Future” in the native Rwandan language.

In the meantime, visitors pay up to $500 to gain access to the Virunga National Park, and the nation earned $36 million from tourism in 2006. The Government aims to raise $100 million per year from gorilla tourism by 2010. This money could aid in the protection and care of the gorillas that come into harm, but charities that work together to fund round-the-clock patrols by park rangers desperately need more funding to carry on.

This is where YOU come in! If you want to show your support to Gorilla conservation efforts or see these amazing animals in their natural habitat yourself, then make a donation here: donations, adopt a gorilla here: adopt a gorilla, or go on your very own gorilla watching safari, like Natalie herself: GorillaSafari.