Leonardo DiCaprio

Leonardo DiCaprio Buys Eco Friendly Condo in Manhattan

deborah — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 01:00:00 -0400

It's no secret Leonardo DiCaprio cares about the environment, so it should be no surprise he bought a green condo in Manhattan's "Riverhouse", an environmentally friendly condo community overlooking the Hudson River.

Features in Leonardo's new digs include:

Low emissions paints
24 hour fresh filtered air system
Rotating solar panels
Water treatment facility
River views
24 hour fitness center
Dog spa
Landscaped terrace

The building won't just be home to condos, however. A branch of the New York Public Library and a bakery will also call Riverhouse home. Though Leonardo's publicist hasn't yet confirmed the purchase, the condo's developer says it's true. The condo should be ready to call home some time this summer.

Image:PR Photos

The Fingerlakes Environmental Film Festival (FLEFF)

akronheim — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 01:00:00 -0400

From Monday, March 31, through Sunday, April 6, the 11th annual edition of FLEFF will be offering open forums, music, films and multimedia events in order to get the Ithaca, NY community and beyond to think about our relationship to sustainability. Organizing this year's FLEFF are Ithaca College professors Patricia Zimmerman, in the cinema, photography and media arts department, and Thomas Shevory, chair of the politics department.

Even though one of the main focuses of sustainability is in the environmental sector, FLEFF examines sustainability from all realms of thinking and issues. The festival this year will focus on four content streams: Camouflage, Counterpoint, Games and Gastronomica. In these categories there are 150 presentations which could include films, essays, digital art, minicourses, silent films with live music, art exhibits, and community discussions.

Most of the events are on Ithaca College's campus and will be free and open to the public. But there will also be 25 feature-length film screenings at the independent movie houses downtown, Cinemapolis and Fall Creek, that are not free. You can get a discount for six passes at the Ithaca College bookstore and the theaters themselves. (The two theaters are merging into one soon, so if you haven't been, it's the perfect time to still catch them!) Many of the downtown films will feature visiting filmmakers and guests.

And if you're still in Ithaca around April 22 (Earth Day!) make sure you come to Leondardo DiCaprio's Documentary, The 11th Hour screening in the Park Auditorium at Ithaca College starting at 7:30pm...shameless plug for my event I know.

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.

Celebrity Dirt

Fri, 18 Jan 2008 09:34:30 -0500

Morgan Freeman sounds off! Kim Cattrall picks up! Leonardo DiCaprio gets cheeky! Welcome to Green Stars on RiverWired.com where we're dishing the dirt on the clean, green stars.

Last week, I told you about Jack Nicholson's push for solar energy. Now his Bucket List costar Morgan Freeman is talking green. Morgan told Hollywood Interview that whenever anyone mentions alternative forms of energy to government officials, all the politicos want to do is talk about how much it will cost. Calling that practice "stupid," the Oscar winner said that of course it's going to cost more to establish it than it's going to run it. Excellent point. Though in another interview -- this one in Britain's Independent – the actor talked about how "exhilarating" it is to fly by himself – in his twin engine, seven seater aircraft -- from his Mississippi home 1,800 miles to Los Angeles whenever he has to work. Here's hoping that he flies with lots of stowaways (like 100)… and an alternative fuel is found before he lands his next movie and has to go up, up and away.

Kim Cattrall of Sex and the City fame caught some flack around the holidays when Cindy Adams reported that Kim's decorator outfitted her home with green holiday decorations and she hated them and made the decorator replaced them with energy-sucking ones. But that was so 2007. This week, she was seen on a private beach in Santa Monica, where she's been filming Sex and the City: The Movie, and she was combing the beach – in a winter coat, boots and a bikini – picking up trash in a very large Bed, Bath and Beyond bag. Three cheers to her -- you don't see that very often in Hollywood.

Lastly, you may have heard that Leonardo DiCaprio has reunited with his gorgeous girlfriend, model Bar Refaeli, but did you know he got a new toilet? I only know because it's a green toilet -- the Toto Neorest 500. Environmentalists love the $3200 commode because it doesn't waste water; users love it because it has a seat warmer, automatic flusher and remote control. Why you need a remote control for a toilet is beyond me -- maybe so he can warm up the seat prior to resting his famous cheeks on it? -- but hey, who cares, it's green!

Be sure to catch this video version of Celebrity Dirt—where RiverWired dishes about the clean, green stars.

Adrian Grenier: His Green Eyes Are Just The Beginning

Matt — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Behind Adrian Grenier’s beguiling gaze lies the resolve of a consummate idealist. He genuinely wants to save the world, and he doesn’t even need to put on purple tights as Aquaman, the superhero role his Entourage alter-ego Vincent Chase plays in the movies, to get the job done. Dude is all over the place, straight healing. His famously green/recycled/energy efficient Brooklyn brownstone was our first clue that it wasn’t just his eyes that were green. Watch him modestly chat about his digs at a screening of Leonardo DiCaprio’s eco film, 11th Hour:

Last month he hosted the star-studded holiday charity ball for Charity: Water, a foundation dedicated to providing safe drinking water people in need all over the world. Word on the street is that his public speaking chops are nonpareil. Good thing it was a charity for water, since some of the ladies at the event needed something to cool off once our boy showed up looking like this:

Lest you think he only has time for fancy philanthropy parties, here he is getting down and dirty at a Brooklyn soup kitchen:

When Paris Hilton was in need of some advice on how to make her life more eco friendly, it was our knight in shining armor who took the damsel in distress under his wing and showed her how to go green. An environmentalist and a gentleman. Convincing Paris to turn her hummer into a hybrid probably took some (ahem) charming.

Now we hear that Grenier is set to host a 13-episode home makeover show on Discovery’s new Planet Green network. It sounds like the gist is that regular people invite AG to their homes, and he guides them through the green remodeling process. Honestly, this might be just enough to pull me away from Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and Ty, with all of his crying and substance abuse problems. Such is the allure of Grenier’s munificence.

If you look closely enough at Grenier’s past, you’ll realize that his altruism should not come as a surprise. His parents met in a commune. Born in New Mexico and raised in Brooklyn, he has long sported a Manu Chao-type global hippie sensibility. He was on a surfing beach in Mexico when he landed his star role in Entourage. Need more? “I was in Williamsburg before Williamsburg was Williamsburg,” he once notably declared, proof that he has always led a cutting edge boho lifestyle.

Oh, Adrian. Your dreaminess makes a greener future for our planet more than just a dream. You go, boy.