Green Daily

This was a pretty exciting week for me. I got a "personalized" email from Alpha Green Al Gore, asking me to support Repower America's efforts to convince Congress to pass aggressive climate legislation. I think he's the greatest! (And I hope/believe he's secretly doing something to get Laura Ling and Euna Lee released from that North Korean labor camp.)

You may remember Al's awesome speech to the Daughters of the American Revolution, when he challenged America to get 100% of our power from clean energy sources within 10 years. Repower America is the organization that grew in response to that challenge, with over 2 million members across the country.

The video above is the latest ad from Repower America, and it's just plain-talking awesomeness. The totally crusty, hardworking, traditional-seeming gentleman who stars in it hits all of the high points -- like how we're "held hostage by foreign oil" and "borrowing money to buy oil from dictators who don't like us" and "burning it in ways that kill God's green earth" -- using language that makes these ideas accessible and palatable to non-bleeding heart liberals. You know, like the majority of the country.

(Photo by Getty Images)

On Monday Josh's Eco Beat included an item about Andy Dick dressed as a maniacal Ronald McDonald on behalf of our dramatic friends at PETA.

It reminded me that it's been a while I checked in with those masters of PR and media manipulation. So clicked on over to the PETA homepage and found, to my surprise and delight, that it's been a whole year since Leona Lewis and Anthony Keidis were selected as the Sexiest Vegetarians alive.

That's right, there's a new pair of Sexiest Vegetarians According to PETA! The big winner for the ladies is Kellie Pickler ("Pick Pickler!" -- I guess the fake boobs didn't disqualify her) of American Idol and country music fame. Representing Dude Vegetarians is Hayden Panettierre's ex-boyfriend, and Heroes co-star, Milo Ventimiglia.

(Photo by Getty Images)

Designer Stella McCartney might not have been in attendance, but she was there in spirit as Hollywood's environmentally elite showed up at her L.A. boutique for a screening of the eco-documentary "Home." Stars like Cameron Diaz, Emily Deschanel, Anjelica Huston, Rosanna Arquette, Liv Tyler and Rosario Dawson all showed up for the premiere, and were full of praise for the designer as well as tips for eco-friendly living.

According to WWD, Diaz said, "I love that she walks the line. She shows you can have high fashion without having to compromise your ethics," while Arquette added, "She's a great lady, and comes from a great family."

Treehugger had more scoop on the celebs who strutted the red green carpet. Deschanel, who is a vegan, used the event as an opportunity to speak out about global warming, saying, "Reusing is as important as recycling. Don't forget to bring your own bag when shopping. Keep one in the car. Buy natural products. I'm picking up an amazing belt of Stella's that I bought. It's non-leather. The tanning process is terrible for the environment. There are so many things to do."

(Photo by Richard Termine)

As Josh mentioned earlier this week, First Lady Michelle Obama has finally made the big time: she did a PSA for Sesame Street! She and Elmo star in the spot, which promotes the benefits of a healthy diet and exercise.

We know that Michelle is big into gardening, which helps you get both, so in her honor here are some tips for starting your own garden in your backyard.

Step One -- Pick Your Spot
Plants needs sun, space, water and dirt. You'll also want a spot that is safe from rabbits, deer, and light-fingered neighbors who crave fresh strawberries or zucchini.

Step Two -- Make a Plan
The experts at BackyardGardener are very clear about this: for a successful garden you need to figure out what you're going to do before you do it, and then you need to stick to your plan. This includes drawing a scale plan of your garden, deciding what you want to grow, and planning for different growing season so that your garden yields as many carrots, tomatoes and beans as possible.

Step Three -- Figure Out Your Soil
Knowing your soil will tell you which plants will do best in your garden, and what fertilizers you need to balance out any acidity or alkalinity, or to compensate for a lack of nutrients. There are ways to test at home, or you can send a sample to a lab and have it done for you.

Step Four -- Get Some Tools
I have to admit, this is my favorite part -- shopping! Your individual needs will depend on your preferences -- do you care if your shoes get muddy, or do you want gardening clogs? Is it more fun to get on your hands and knees and dig, or is it better to have a long pole between you and any odd mushrooms?

Whatever your preferences, some of the basics you'll want to pick up at Target or order from Gardeners.com include:

• sun hat
• gloves
• trowel or rake
• bucket
• watering can
• one of those cool kneeling things
• shovel
• bucket

Step Five - Pick Quality Seeds (Or Just Buy Some Plants)
If your seeds are duds, no amount of water, fertilizer or prayers to the Gods of Green Things will makes your garden grow. Purchase seeds from somewhere well-known to you, like your local organic co-op, or go to a big store like Home Depot where the high volume of shoppers means the inventory is probably fresh. There are also many well-known online seed sellers, like Burpee. Just remember, this is no time to pick up a deal at a garage sale down the street!

If the seeds thing is stressful, skip this step and buy seedlings, which are plants that have been started for you.

Step Six - Water and Weed
A lot of gardening is about hanging around, making sure everything is neat and orderly (weeding) and getting enough water. Some folks consider this to be the best part: A reason to spend time outdoors, getting a little (but not too much, that's why you bought a hat) sun and fresh air.

Step Seven -- Harvest and Share!
If you've done everything right, after a reasonable period time your plants should bear fruit -- or vegetables or flowers, depending on what you planted! Imagine your pride when you sit down to a big meal and savor food you grew yourself. And it's always a treat to visit a gardener and leave with a big bag full of produce, so enjoy the chance to be generous, even to those light-fingered neighbors. They'll probably appreciate it the most!

Of course there's a bit more to it than what I've outlined here, but remember that gardening is a fun, easy and rewarding way to spend time with your family, or as a time out from the hustle of everyday life. Check out some of these helpful online resources for more information:

• BackyardGardener
• How to Grow A Garden
• The Helpful Gardner
• Weekend Gardener
• How To Grow a Vegetable Garden by Cynthia Rice
• How to Grow a Low-Maintenance Garden by C. Colston Burrell

Photo caption: First Lady Michelle Obama visited Sesame Street, Tuesday, May 5th, to tape a Public Service Announcement with Elmo as part of Sesame Workshop's Healthy Habits For Life initiative. Mrs. Obama and her pal Elmo talked about eating right, exercising regularly and being a healthy and positive role model for children. (c) 2009 Sesame Workshop. All Rights Reserved.

(Photo by Getty Images)

President Theodore Roosevelt was colorful. Historian, cowboy, war hero, hunter, one of the dudes on Mount Rushmore -- he sounds more like a cartoon character than a real person. In a way this is fitting, because when it comes to his contributions to the conservation movement, he was a superhero!

It's taken a while for this legacy to emerge. As an outdoorsman and businessman, T.R. (he hated being called Teddy) believed in using land wisely rather than keeping it pristine and untouched by human hands. But he did think about legacies, and the next generation, and how decisions he made would play out in the future.

There is a great article about T.R. in this month's Vanity Fair, which is actually an excerpt from a new book about him, The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America, by Douglas Brinkley.

The story includes some great anecdotes about T.R. One of the most interesting was the trip T.R. took early in his presidency, in April, 1903, with conservationists John Burroughs and John Muir. They toured the West including Yellowstone, Yosemite, the Grand Canyon. Sleeping under the stars, personally experiencing the wonders of these landmarks, and exchanging views with these great naturalists inspired T.R. to use his office to help preserve the wilderness of our country.

T.R. saved those spots, and so many more. He set aside more land for national parks and nature preserves than all of his predecessors combined:

• 150 National Forests - 42 million acres!
• 51 Federal Bird Reservations -including Pelican Island and Key West, Floria, East Timbalier Island, Louisiana, and Salt River in Arizona
• 4 National Game Preserves - including Wichita Forest, Oklahoma, and Fire Island, Alaska
• 5 National Parks - including Crater Lake, Oregon and Mesa Verde in Colorado
• 18 National Monuments - starting with Devil's Tower, Wyoming, Muir Woods, California, and Mount Olympus, Washington
• 24 Reclaimation Projects
• several conservation conferences

T.R. also created the National Bird Preserve, which became the Wildlife Refuge system, co-founded the American Bison Society, and established the United States Forest Service. He also benefited from the Antiquities Act, which gave the President the power to create national monuments without going through Congress. The original idea was to use it to preserve prehistoric sites in the Southwest, but T.R. used it to preserve areas of geologic interest and value, too.

Today the struggle to preserve our green spaces continues, both in the U.S. and around the world. We're lucky be able to build on the solid foundation created by Theodore Roosevelt, one of our Original Conservationists.

It's a tough time to be a turtle. Their oceanic habitats are getting more acidic, their numbers are dwindling, and there are so many of those plastic bags -- the ones that look just like delicious jellyfish, but seriously screw up turtle innards -- floating around.

Lucky for the turtles, they have an advocate and ambassador: Mr. Leatherback, a.k.a. "The James Bond of the animal kingdom."

Mr. Leatherback is a character who travels around the world -- he's been to 43 countries so far -- helping to raise awareness for his gentle and critically-endangered brethren.

In addition to his in-person educational appearances, Mr. Leatherback is big on the internet. He has a brand new website, plus he's on twitter, Facebook, MySpace, and YouTube! Definitely check out the photo gallery -- it's pretty funny to see a giant turtle in front of the Coliseum and Great Pyramids!

Also, as you can see in the video, he's quite an accomplished dancer. Especially for an oversized reptile.

He and Olympic swimmer Rowdy Gaines are sharing announcing duties for the Great Turtle Race, which starts today in Nova Scotia.

The race follows 11 turtles on their annual migration from the cold waters of Canada to the Caribbean and South America. You can visit the Conservation International site to meet the racers, who all have names and distinct personalities. Mr. Leatherback, along with cool race sponsors like R.E.M. and Pearl Jam, hope the race will spread the word about the plight of the turtles, but in a fun, non-doom and gloom way.

With friends like Mr. Leatherback looking out for them, I'm feeling a little more optimistic for the turtles!

It's so easy to love Cloris Leachman. This woman has range! She won an Oscar for best supporting actress in The Last Picture Show, was on the Mary Tyler Moore show for five years, appeared on the Muppet Show, displayed pure genius in three Mel Brooks films, and let's not forget her star turn on Dancing With the Stars!

Where does Phyllis get the energy to leap from project to project? Partly from her vegetarian diet, which she believes in so much that she stripped down and appeared in cabbage leaves in the latest PETA Lettuce Ladies "Go Vegetarian" ad.

Don't freak, she's wearing the "formal version" of the Lettuce Lady uniform, which in this case involves a purple and green ballgown. It's actually pretty, and far more age-appropriate than the usual sporty cabbage bra and panties.

Neil Young loves the automobile with a passion, it's the giant oil conglomerates and carbon emissions that he's not too crazy about. In support of his upcoming car-themed concept album Fork in the Road -- which has basically pre-panned by critics based on a sample track and the theme -- Neil Young has filmed a low-tech music video in what is undoubtedly the most high-tech '59 Lincoln Continental the world has ever seen: Lincvolt.

A year ago, I reported that Elizabeth Hurley had decided to trade in her Hollywood lifestyle for a more laid back, Green Acres type of existence. Well, it appears that life on Hurley's farm is about to start paying off. She's now working with organic foodie Prince Charles to sell her 400 acre farm's organic meats and grains under his sustainable foods label Duchy Originals.

Things have been sort of quiet on the "Leonardo DiCaprio save the Earth" front lately, so it's good to hear that he won the Kids' Choice Green Award.

Surprisingly, this is the first time Nickelodeon has given out an environmentally-related award, which DiCaprio received from his old buddy and fellow eco-celebrity Cameron Diaz.

It's good to see the media outlets that target kids continue to get more engaged in the "green movement". After all, it's the kids that are going to have to deal with this mess in a hundred years, not us.

Also, as we saw with the Obama campaign, when you get the kids involved and motivated, participation from everyone increases. DiCarprio made a direct plea to the young audience, encouraging them to do their part to solve global warming.

So you hear that you younguns out there? Listen to Uncle Leo - It's up to you!

Donny and Marie are turning off the lights in Vegas!

We've been talking about it for ages, and at last, the day has arrived: Earth Hour!

Around the world, cities and major landmarks are turning off the power for one hour tonight, 8:30 pm, local time.

We've told you about the celebrities (why, Hello there Ed Norton!) who are involved, we warned you about the dangers of candles, even shared a parody concept (no, Josh wasn't serious about Energy Wasting Day, he's either very brave or very foolish to taunt our passionate, occasionally humor-challenged, green readers in this way).

You've been informed, now the rest is up to you. Gather the kids and loved ones, make a fire, or sit on your deck and watch the stars with your feet up.

And remember, even using battery power on your laptop is totally cheating. Shut down!

There are only four days left to prepare for one of the most well-lit, smoggiest, most anticipated days of the year: Energy Wasting Day. After reports that last year's EWD might have been a factor in making a sizable dent in the icecaps, polar bear habitat, and snow pack, Dan Power is once again calling on your to make a difference this April 1st.

If you haven't already made plans for how to maximize your energy consumption/greenhouse gas emissions here are a couple of ideas:

• Burn those leftover candles from Earth Hour inside your freezer with the door open.
• Drive a Hummer to the local supermarket and buy up all of the reusable shopping bags, then use them to construct a sail to maximize wind drag.
• Run your A/C and heater at the same time and have them duke it out to keep you home at a comfortable 75°F

Use your imagination ... the possibilities are endless.

[via Treehugger]

According to Zoe Griffen (who is according to her, the "youngest, hottest, comlumist out there"),Harry Potter star Emma Watson has been asked to be an ambassador to Greenpeace. The call came after the environmental group read an interview in which Watson said, "I cannot not be green." and "It's something I feel strongly about," in France's Crash magazine.

Also in the article Watson discusses how she drives an electric vehicle, has done coursework related to global climate change and recycles.

I can't find anyone other than Zoe to back this claim. But if Watson were to jump on the Greenpeace train she would be in good celebrity company including Eddie Izzard, Annie Lennox, skating pro Bob Burnquist and Darryl Hannah.

In the middle of all of the attention and pressure Canada is getting for their senseless and violent seal hunt, the big surprise conservation victory comes from Russia! Last week Russia announced a complete ban on hunting seals under the age of one.

Animal rights organizations have been lobbying for this for years. Even Vladmir Putin, a man with rather well known hunting and fishing proclivities -- shirtless no less! -- said that hunting harp seals was a "bloody industry" and should have been shut down a long time ago.

Oh, Canada. You're losing the good guy reputation race to Putin? It's seriously 20 minutes past Figure It Out O'clock.

You're good at lots of other stuff, like maple syrup, being polite to old ladies and hockey. You even speak French! It might sound crazy, but you need to follow Putin's example, and stop killing baby seals!

I have two small children and because of this, I am familiar with Disney's animated show, Handy Manny (as well as the rest of the Playhouse Disney lineup). Manny Garcia (a.k.a. Handy Manny) is voiced by Wilmer Valderrama from That 70's Show. Unlike "Fez", Manny does not sit around getting stoned all of the time but rather applies his skills to tackling items around town that need fixing. Lately Manny has been sharing how much he is "living la vida verde" and his new DVD, Manny's Green Team.

This new Disney video features our favorite handyman and his team of talking tools learning about conservation. During the show they save some baby turtles, utilize solar power and repair a cooling system. In addition to the stories, there is a printable checklist for you to help your family go green as well as the "Livin' La Vida Verde" recycling game.

So if you are looking for a gift for your favorite preschooler or have a penchant for kid's shows, Manny's Green Team hits the shelves on March 31st.