LOVE ANGELES PROJECT®

DiCaprio Brought Solar Power To ‘Inception’ Set

 Source: Ecorazzi - Back in May, we caught wind that Warner Bros was starting to use solar-powered generators to add a bit more green to film sets like Inception and other projects. Not surprisingly, is who pushed for that to happen.

“A lot of this movie (‘Inception’) was made with solar power,” Leonardo DiCaprio said in an interview with the Philippine Daily Inquirer. “It’s the first movie I got to do with solar power. I had a conversation about it with Alan Horn, who’s the head of Warner Bros. The generators that we had on the set were all powered by solar energy. It’s going to be a big conversion to do stuff like that every day, not just in making movies but everything in the world.”

Those generators Horn eventually settled on are made by Pure Power Distribution. As I mentioned in my previous post, such a rig not only tracks the position of the sun for optimal efficiency, but also outputs 600 Amps/72,000 watts of “pure sine wave power with no noise, and no emissions”. That’s enough to keep about a ton of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere each day – along with the other 40 carcinogens found in diesel exhaust.

“We do a lot of things in the world that are wasteful,” Leo added. “We keep talking about this all the time. Hopefully, fingers crossed, with these small steps, we’ll make that transition on a much larger scale in the future.”

KFC Officially The Worst Company Ever

 Source: Ecorazzi.com - The colonel and his minions at KFC have been on our list for years, thanks to their terrible mistreatment of animals, but this, THIS, just might seal the deal for first place in the “Worst Company Ever” awards!

News recently broke that a large percentage of the fast food giant’s famous red-and-white tubs are sourced from trees in the environmentally sacred Green Swamp in southeastern North Carolina.

According to the The Nature Conservancy, the Green Swamp “is the center of an incredibly rich assembly of plant life. Featuring a complex of longleaf pine savannas and limesink ponds bound together by thousands of acres of pocosin (a type of evergreen shrub bog), the area is home to more than 400 vascular plant species and provides habitat for animals such as red-cockaded woodpecker and black bear.”

Because this must, must, must be stopped, the Dogwood Alliance has launched “Kentucky Fried Forest”– a campaign to educate the public about KFC’s blatant disregard for this pristine habitat. In response, the company, of course, is off spewing PR mumbo-jumbo.

“KFC is as committed to the environment as we are to our food and to our customers,” says KFC spokesman Rick Maynard in an email to Wallet Pop journalist Jim Motavalli. “We are proud of the steps we have taken so far to reduce our environmental footprint and are committed as a brand to do even more in the in future. It’s an ongoing journey and we are keeping our customers informed along the way.”

Really? I mean are you really proud, Rick? Cause I bet that when you leave work for the day and think, really think, about what KFC is doing, you aren’t proud; there’s no way you could be.

To learn more about how you can do your part to stop this pure, unleaded ridiculousness, visit KentuckyFriedForests.com.

Sperm Whales Fight Global Warming

Source: Ecorazzi - Commercial whaling is at the forefront of our thoughts due to the possible reversal of the moratorium on whale hunting at the International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting this month. Looking past the inhumane slaughter of innocent animals, another ding against industrial whaling has been revealed thanks to a study published in the British biological science journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the study led by Australian biologists shows that Southern Ocean sperm whales are a key component in the fight against global warming. While it was previously believed that whales contributed to climate change due to the carbon dioxide which is released when they exhale, new data shows a bigger picture, one that includes the feces of the giant marine mammals.

Through fecal fertilization—which can be simply explained as whales pooping, the waste contains iron, the iron is used by marine plants near the ocean’s surface, and thanks to photosynthesis those plants absorb CO2 from the atmosphere—the Southern Ocean sperm whales are, in a roundabout way, removing an estimated 400,000 metric tons of CO2 each year.

If we look at the numbers, the whales in the southern waters are said to release 200,000 metric tons of CO2 through respiration while their fecal fertilization removes 400,000 metric tons of CO2, leaving us with the overall elimination of 200,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions. That 200,000 metric tons is equivalent to 41,841 passenger cars, according to the EPA.

An important note included in the study points out that prior to industrial whaling, those numbers could be multiplied by 10.

The report reminds us that, when left alone, everything on this planet works in an incredible synchronized system. When humans get involved—say through the mass slaughter of whales—things go awry and the system is thrown out of balance. One has to wonder where we would be with our climate change worries if we left the whales alone in the first place.

The fate of all whales will be determined through votes next week at the IWC’s annual meeting in Agadir, Morocco.

Stop Whale Killing

Dear friends, The international vote that could legalize commercial whale hunting is just weeks away. Let's run an ad campaign that governments won't miss, telling them the world won't accept a legal whale killing industry. In two weeks, the International Whaling Commission will hold its final vote on a proposal to legalize commercial whale hunting for the first time in a generation.

The outcome rests on whose voices are heard most clearly in the final hours: the pro-whaling lobby -- or the world's people?

We've signed the petitions -- now it's time to mount a massive final push to make our voices heard, and protect the whales. Avaaz has scoped out a giant billboard outside of Morocco's Agadir airport, a front-page advertisement in the newspapers given to attendees, street posters to line the walkways, and hand-bills to pass to delegates. From the moment they step off the plane in Agadir until they cast their deciding votes, delegates will be constantly reminded that the world won't accept legal whale slaughter.

Click here to see the impossible-to-ignore billboard, and donate to fuel this campaign... even $5 or $10 or euros makes a difference.

Thanks to the outcry of 650,000 Avaaz members, along with partners everywhere, many governments have pledged to oppose the proposal. Each time the Avaaz whale petition added 100,000 signatures, it was sent again to the IWC and key governments -- and some, like New Zealand, thanked all of us who had signed on.

But pressure from the other side has been relentless -- and now other governments, especially in Europe and Latin America, may abstain... or even support the proposal. The vote could go either way.

Citizen pressure is our best hope. After all, it was an explosive worldwide social movement in the 1980s that led to the commercial whaling ban we're now trying to protect. When the International Whaling Commission meets in Morocco this June 22, let's make sure the world's voices are there to greet them.

After the global ban was first implemented on commercial whaling, the number of whales killed each year plummeted from 38,000 per year to just a couple of thousand. It's a testament to the power of humanity to move forward. As we move to confront the other crises of the modern age, let's cherish this legacy of progress -- by joining together now to protect our majestic and intelligent neighbors on this fragile planet.

With hope,

Ben, Ben M, Maria Paz, Benjamin, David, Graziela, Iain, Luis, Ricken, and the whole Avaaz team

P.S.: Despite the ban, Japan, Norway, and Iceland have continued whaling -- and are now pushing to make the IWC proposal as lenient as possible. Expecting permission to catch more whales than ever, Japan is reportedly planning to buy its largest whaling ship yet. Click here to fund an advertising blitz and campaign at the IWC meeting to oppose commercial whaling.

New Jackson Family Performing Arts Complex

Source: ecorazzi - With the one year anniversary of Michael Jackson’s untimely death right around the corner, whether you were a fan or not, it’s still hard to believe that his candle has truly burned out.

On June 25th, fans will be able to access the Forest Lawn Memorial Park’s cemetery grounds where the King of Pop was laid to rest along with other fellow entertainment icons like Nat King Cole, John Ritter, Sammy Davis Jr., David Carradine, Humphrey Bogart, Bette Davis, George Burns, Ed McMahon, Walt Disney, and Jean Harlow – the only hitch is that they won’t be allowed anywhere near his actual mausoleum.

In the meantime, the music legend’s father, Joe Jackson, revealed that a $300 million Gary, Indiana-based Jackson Family Performing Arts Center and Museum is in phase one of construction and following its estimated 3-5 year completion, additional global satellites will be built.

Sited on 300 acres of land, the arts center will document the rags-to-riches story of the Jackson family and feature every conceivable entertainment facility including on-site transportation, accommodations, housing, a conference center, television studio, concert hall, movie theater, nightclub, retail shops/restaurants and even an eco-friendly golf course.

If you consider all of the water and chemicals typically used to keep turf alive and kicking, the seemingly innocuous pastime of putting a few balls ends up being an eco no-no.

Hopefully, the Jackson family will emulate what Justin Timberlake did with his Audubon-certified Mirimichi course by sticking with native grasses, using organic fertilizers and rallying around the good old fashioned yet effective practice of tackling weeds with a little elbow grease!

Kevin Costner May Have the Solution

Actor Kevin Costner has appeared before a Congressional committee, who are investigating the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Costner and his brother, who is a scientist, have been developing a machine that they claim can separate oil from water. Isolating the oil before it hits land is the cheaper way to clean up a spill, according to Costner.

Robert Redford Says Oil Spill Should ‘Wake Us Up’

Source: ecorazzi.com -  Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) has released a video featuring actor, director, and environmentalist Robert Redford about the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster called “The Fix.”

Redford, an NRDC trustee for more than thirty years, encourages Americans to move toward clean energy. He says, “The economic consequences are going to spread over the whole country but maybe we need it to be that bad to wake us up and put pressure on these companies and the government.”

During the five minute video, Redford reflects on his time as a youth when he worked in the oil fields and he reveals his frustration when energy companies claim to be conversationalists. The actor also talks about the devastation that occurred from past oil spills including the Exxon Valdez disaster.

The 73 year old says that despite the disaster we will continue hearing that offshore drilling is necessary—bringing energy and creating jobs—“but it’s not the truth.”

“I think the oil spill is going to at least help us get to the truth and then what? I think it’s time for American people to take charge of their own livelihood and say let’s stop this, let’s move to a clean energy policy which is available to us.”

Individuals are encouraged to tell their senators to pass energy legislation that will prevent future oil spills by sending a letter from the NRDC website.

“If there’s a lesson in all of this, it’s that we have to get off of our dependence on oil,” says Redford.

Jean-Michel Cousteau: Use of Oil Dispersants in Gulf 'A Mistake' (video)

Sting And Trudie Styler Talk Rainforest And Eco-Living

Source: ecorazzi - 21 years ago, how many people were actually aware of what was and continues to go down in the Brazilian rainforest? Exactly!  Most of us had no clue about the sheer destruction caused by deforestation because it wasn’t occurring in our backyard and the media rarely educated us.

In 1989, Sting and his wife Trudie Styler first learned about this important issue and decided to take action. The couple was so moved by the plight of indigenous tribes that they established the Rainforest Foundation in an effort to raise funds to enable indigenous Kayapo Indian tribes to map and protect their territories and obtain basic human rights and legal protection from big industry.

One of the main ways that Trudie and Sting continue to achieve the financing goals for their foundation is by holding a yearly Rainforest Benefit Concert at New York City’s Carnegie Hall, which this time around featured musical performances from Lady Gaga, Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, Mary J. Blige, Debbie Harry, Nile Rogers, Shirley Bassey…and naturally, the former Police front man himself.

Ms. Styler recently sat down with Katie Couric and said that although they’ve managed to raise close to $30 million to date, sadly it isn’t enough to protect tribes from the destruction triggered when huge corporations like Chevron stake their claim.  Still, Trudie feels proud that she and her husband are making a concerted and consistent effort to make a tangible difference, not only by running their charity, but by taking other steps to offset their acknowledged “massive carbon footprints.”

2010 Cannes Film Festival Going Green Thanks to Nature

Source: Ecorazzi - Back then, the screenwriter’s strike ended up turning the usually star-studded event into nothing more than a role-call list of winners for a 30-minute NBC special. This year’s Cannes Film Festival is facing an even more formidable party-crasher: Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull volcano.

According to reports, the volcano is working on producing a new round of plane-grounding ash that’s already forced France’s Nice airport to cancel some flights. From the LA Times, Canceled flights could mean that participants in the world’s largest film festival would arrive days late, or scrap their plans altogether, leading to a potential dearth of media and stars in a festival typically littered with them.

In other words, this year’s Cannes Film Festival just might have a lower environmental footprint than usual — which, as we’ve covered before, has often been a tough thing for organizers to pull off.

‘CRUDE’ Director Told To Cough Up Footage

Source: Ecorazzi - Just in case you’re not already familiar with award winning documentarian Joe Berlinger’s much buzzed about film CRUDE, it explores what to date has been the absolute largest landmark eco-lawsuit in Ecuador’s Amazon jungle at $27 billion between 30,000 native rainforest inhabitants and America’s oil conglomerate Chevron (which at the time of filming was known as Texaco).

Acquiring video footage that detailed both sides of the case throughout a three year period, Berlinger was able to highlight what happens when the never ending quest for oil blinds corporations (and oftentimes even renders them apathetic) to the human and environmental casualties left in their wake.

The Ecuadorian plaintiffs accused Chevron of destroying their stomping grounds by systematically polluting and contaminating multiple ecosystems for 30 years during their exploration of Lago Agrio oil field  (and even dumping billions of gallons of oil-polluted water back into the rainforest), triggering a comprehensive array of health ailments among the rainforest’s residents including birth defects, assorted cancers and leukemia.

Chevron had an entirely different perspective, insisting that they were not responsible for the contamination and claiming that a bribery scheme was being engaged to take advantage of their financial position.

Even though the documentary had its day in the theatres back in 2009, the dust hasn’t settled because Berlinger has now been ordered by a federal judge to furnish Chevron with 600+ hours of raw video footage that the oil giant intends to use in the hope of “pursuing an international treaty arbitration related to the lawsuit” and to potentially get the litigation dismissed.

Whaledreamers (Video)

Leilani Munter Helps Clean Up Gulf Coast Oil Spill

Source: Ecorazzi - Earlier this month, Ecorazzi told you that eco race car driver Leilani Munter offered some sustainable eating advice as part of the Athletes Go Green campaign - an initiative to unite players, fans and teams in an effort to paint the sports world green in the days leading up to Earth Day.

Keeping up with her environmental advocacy, the sports star recently announced that she is heading to New Orleans to help clean up the massive oil spill that has devastated the Golf Coast.

“I am headed to New Orleans in the morning to volunteer to help clean up the oil spill,” said Munter on her website. “Likely I will end up working with the wildlife since I have a background in wildlife rescue from college.”

Leilani continues, “This spill is on track to become the largest man made environmental disaster in history. The oil is gushing out at 200,000 gallons per day, nearly 10 times what they had originally estimated and it’s seems to be increasing in flow. It is a mile below the surface and they don’t know how to stop it, it could be leaking for months.”

Iron Man Loves Mercedes' New Hybrid

Source: Ecorazzi - Well, that’s the impression were getting anyways from a new PR release focusing on the brand’s acceptance by Hollywood celebrities.

And why not?

With the Toyota Prius getting bad press recently - and more luxury car makers finally offering green models — the stage is wide open to capture a spot in some actor or actresses 8-car garage. Mercedes counts Sarah Jessica Parker, Liv Tyler, Rosario Dawson, Christina Applegate, Molly Sims, Giles Marini, Felicity Huffman, Gerard Butler and Robert Downey Jr. as fans of their 2010 S400 hybrid luxury sedan. And yes, it’s safe to assume these celebs were given early access to the cars — much like Toyota did back in the day with the Prius.

In Robert Downey Jr’s case, the automaker provided him (pictured above) with a hybrid sedan when off-camera while shooting his upcoming film Due Date.

Check out the full release after the fold.

DiCaprio, Norton Visit Galapagos For Mission Blue Voyage

Source: Ecorazzi - In 2009, oceanographer Sylvia Earle won the TED Prize — earning her the chance to have one wish realized that could help change the world. She chose to focus, naturally, on the oceans; urging for the creation and management of essential marine protected areas. She coined them “Hope Spots” and, through education and support, hoped to see a global network of such areas created.

TED took the first step to realizing Earle’s wish this week with “The Mission Blue Voyage” to the Galapagos Islands. In partnership with National Geographic, the trip featured over 100 esteemed guests and twenty-five inspiring speakers. It also had quite the gathering of eco-conscious celebrities. Leonardo DiCaprio, Edward Norton, Glenn Close, Damien Rice, Daryl Hannah and Chevy Chase to name a few. According to updates on Twitter and Facebook, the 6-day event achieved its mission of inspiring collaboration and getting powerful people behind new conservation initiatives.

One such example came from the Vice President of Ecuador, Lenin Moreno, who met privately with celebs like Norton and DiCaprio and received backing for a conservation plan to protect the Ecuadorian Amazon from oil extraction. According to AFP, the “Yasuni-ITT initiative” would prevent more than 850 million barrels of oil from being extracted from the Amazon Yasuni park — and conceivably create a viable carbon trading industry in the process. It’s estimated that not drilling would save 410 million metric tons of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere.

If oil extraction was allowed, a spill would be devastating. One hectare of land in Yasuni has the highest estimated diversity per unit area in the world for any plant or animal group.

According to Vice-President Moreno, Leonardo DiCaprio is willing to personally visit Yasuni and get involved in the campaign. “All who were present yesterday, besides supporting Galapagos want to be part of Yasuni,” said another official.

For more on the Mission Blue project, check out the official site here.