The Birth of Earth Day

“Green” used to be a word reserved just for Earth Day – but now you hear it every day. Elle Magazine just dedicated their entire May issue to green clothing lines, non-leather shoe lines, and beauty products that help save our depleted environment. Vanity Fair has done all-green issues, too. Let’s face it – what’s the good of dressing chic and looking fabulous if the environment is being wreaked havoc on? Fashion and shopping take on a whole new meaning – as does narcissism – when the air and water and climate are in such global peril. No one can afford not to be green. Strike out this earth day. Paint your toes green, wear recycled clothes, and conjure Al Gore.

And in our celebrity driven culture, it’s reassuring to know that celebs are very increasingly involved and some  - like Leo DiCaprio, George Clooney, Adrian Grenier, and Cameron Diaz – have been supporting green projects for many years. In fact, get ready for many more environmental documentaries along the lines of  “The Eleventh Hour” and “And Inconvenient Truth” – Disney this week created an environmental wing to product only environmental docs.

At the Sundance Film Festival, TheFind and TheFindGreen had a chance to speak with some celebrities about the personal efforts they are making to make the earth a better place:

ADRIAN GRENIER
The “Entourage” star is so passionate about the environment, he recently teamed up with Leo DiCaprio to support ForestEthics, an organization devoted to saying endangered woodlands by curtailing the mailing of junk mail. “Can you imagine how many trees would be saved if there was less junk mail?” he told us at Sundance, where he and his band The Honey Brothers played a set. “And I have this advice for all the fashion people,” he added. “Wearing vintage clothes is inherently green – so keep doing it!” He also attended The Evidence of Evolution Fashion Show at Smashbox in LA in October, to support their recycled fabric line of tops, skirts, pants and jackets, available at Barneys.

MISCHA BARTON
“I did a campaign with Orlando Bloom and Kevin Bacon,” Mischa told us in Sundance, donning a recycled cotton beanie hat by Zola Hats, “for Climatestar.org, which was about the fact that there are six million kids in the U.S. with asthma, which is constantly made worse by global warming. It helps just to use less energy in your house – keep your lights turned off in rooms you aren’t using.”

SARAH JESSICA PARKER
The “Smart People” and “Sex and the City” star confided that she now drives a Toyota Prius.

PARIS HILTON
One way I recycle,” Paris told us at Sundance this year, “is that I give outfits away all the time to fans and friends. If any of my friends writes to me or tells me they liked a certain look, I immediately give it to them or mail it to them. That way, it keeps vintage clothes in circulation.”

And TheFind.com spoke to a number of other stars about their environmental efforts:

KATE HUDSON
“I never though I would lend my name to a fashion or beauty product, even though I’ve been asked several times over the years,” Kate Hudson told us recently. But when she was invited to partner her up with her L.A. based hairstylist, David Babaii (who has been tending to the locks of the stars for years), she finally said yes – because it’s called WILDAID, and ten percent of the haircare product line, which will be distributed this summer for starts, will go to the global wildlife conservation organization Wildaid. They work with governments and communities to try and reverse the wildlife devastation across the planet. Their mission is to end the illegal wildlife trade within our lifetime and strive for a world in which local communities can improve their lives without destroying their environment.  “I would never put my name on something I didn’t use myself,” says Hudson, who will also appear in the ad campaign.. “These products smell amazing and make your hair really healthy and fresh without depleting the environment, without animal testing – and they really are the best things I’ve ever used. Smell my hair! I’ve got our new hairspray on.” Sure enough, it smelled fruity and delicious, and looked pretty great, too.

CHRISTINA RICCI
“I’m using as many green and earth friendly products for beauty purposes and around my house as I can,” the “Speed Racer” actress told us. “And I’ve always loved vintage clothes, which is very convenient!”

NATALIE PORTMAN
The actress recently created a non-leather shoe line because she refuses to wear anything that has come from animals. In conjunction wit Te Casan, a percentage of the line goes to charity.

GWYNETH PALTROW
Not only is she a practicing vegan, Gwyneth is a fan of
the French bath line Patyka,- the organic luxury bath line features face and body skin care as well as perfumes that do not use silicone, petroleum, PEG, parabens, phenoxyethanol or any synthetic matierials that are harmful to your skin or the environment. GP is such an environmental activist is so many ways that she and her mother Blythe Danner were honored by the Environmental Media Association recently – as was Edward Norton.

GREAT EARTH DAY SHOPPING TIPS:

If you feel like shopping this Wednesday, do the earth a BIG favor, and do it on TheFindGreen.com. Even things like nail polish and hair products that are environmentally safe can make a big difference. Here’s some suggestions that can be found on TheFindGreen.com:

TYPE IN “NAIL POLISH” –
And Edible Nature has polishes by Honeybee Gardens for $5.67. Herbaltrader.com features Suncoat Water Based Nail Polish (in Magic Purple) for $7.05. And Greenfeet.com has Corn and Soy based Nail Polish remover for $5.95 – how cool is that? It probably smells a ton better than the usual polish remover.

TYPE IN ‘HAIR PRODUCTS” –
Herbtrader.com sells Jason Natural Cosmetics Hair Styling Products with Aloe Vera for $6.28. The amazing line of Dr. Hauschka hair products is available on the New London pharmacy. Evitaminstore sells Mode de Vie products, Me and Minime has Nature’s Baby Hair Care Products, and Onewithearth.com sells Chemical Free Products for around $35.

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Merle Ginsberg is a bestselling author and internationally-renowned fashion, culture and entertainment journalist, who also contributes to TheClick fashion blog.

Comments

[SuzannSolange]

It warms my heart to see the huge number of new companies that go green every year. Thank you for helping people find "the green things"!

I have a site listing the names of cosmetics companies that don't test on animals - and within that list are also vegan makeup companies. Because the public is getting more and more compassionate, I'm able to add makeup lines to my list almost daily.

Thanks!
Suzann