A-List Celebrities With Green Businesses

by Eliza Morgan

Not all celebrities are about Hollywood glamour, fast cars, and making money only. In fact, some of the most successful celebrities are about quite the opposite: saving the environment. Celebrities who have been in the business for some time are now opting to use their influence to create environmental programs and business solutions. Here is a sampling of some of the world’s most famous people today, working to create a better world for tomorrow through business:

1. Kevin Costner

Kevin Costner was the perfect personal defender in Bodyguard, and now he is defending the planet as well. His environmental protection business Ocean Therapy Solutions has spent over fifteen years designing a new centrifuge that can clean up about 2,000 barrels of oil out of seawater every day. After the BP oil spill, the company used Ocean Therapy Solutions to clean much of the coastal spill.

2. Cameron Diaz

While Cameron may be known for her goofy roles in some of the most beloved modern

comedies, this funny girl sees nothing to joke about when it comes to environmental

preservation. She has recently launched a new show on MTV, Trippin, where she heads around the world to experience first-hand some of the most dire environmental needs.

Cleantech Connect Creates World of Connections

Cleantech Conference & Expo  June 18-21, 2012 - Santa Clara, CA  Click Here for Discount Registration Code

by Paige Donner

As an exhibitor at this year’s TechConnect Summit, Pixelligent Technologies has found that participating in this annual event has its payoffs. Craig Bandes, CEO of Pixelligent and a presenter at TechConnect Ventures for multiple years, says that, “We started looking for conferences that were focusing on nanotechnology about 3 years ago and TechConnect was the largest gathering of potential partners and vendors that we could find in North America.  We have presented in the Innovation Showcase for the past 2 years and will present again this year.  TechConnect has proven to be our most productive conference of the year.”

Cannes Report: Eva Longoria & Denise Rich Hosted Charity Event

EVA LONGORIA & DENISE RICH HOSTED

CANNES CHARITY EVENT SPONSORED BY FREDERIQUE CONSTANT, THE-SPHERE.COM & RAFFLES MEMBERS CLUB

An Elegant & Star-Studded Evening Benefiting the Eva Longoria Foundation & Gabrielle’s Angel Foundation

“Luxury also means having the opportunity to contribute to helping those in need, as has Eva Longoria for many years. We totally share her values and we do everything in our power to support her.” – David Manoukian – Founder of The-Sphere.com.

WHERE:         The Lady Joy – Rich’s personal yacht

 Celebrity attendees included: Eva Longoria, Denise Rich, Diddy, Alec Baldwin, Roberto Cavalli, Michelle Rodriguez, Goga Ashkenazi, Fawaz Gruosi, Cassie, Amaury Nolasco, Tara Reid and many more.

Sustainable Building Apprenticeship Program For Women

10-Week Women’s Earthbag Dome Building Apprenticeship in Canada  Lillooet, British Columbia, July 28-October 6, 2012 Kleiwerks International’s Women of the Americas Sustainability Initiative (WASI) is hosting a 10-week, hands-on natural building apprenticeship that brings together a group of women apprentices with an experienced team of earthbag builders and native St’at’imc community members. Their project is to construct a Healing & Cultural Arts Centre near Lillooet, BC. This training immersion provides participants with the opportunity to learn construction while building a dome from start to finish, develop leadership skills through facilitating local groups, work side-by-side with a community that is creating culturally appropriate local solutions, and document the story to share with wider audiences.   Ideal participants are women who have follow-up projects, intend to share what they learn, want to work in the natural building trades and be part of the growing natural building movement. “This apprenticeship is a unique opportunity for participants to delve into earthbag construction while building the envisioned creative cultural community commons with the people of T’it’qet and Lillooet who are engaged in proactively creating a vibrant future by combining traditional St’at’imc culture and values with refined sustainable and ecological solutions,” says Susannah Tedesco, local Program Coordinator.   Today’s building industry uses half of our planet’s resources, yet healthy, time-tested, affordable and soulful construction alternatives exist. These alternatives are based on reclaiming and refining the use of local and recycled materials. Coupled with indigenous knowledge and Permaculture design systems, natural building plays a profound role in creating a way of life that is good for people and the planet.    Instructors Fox McBride and Chloe Wolsey are teaming up for the first time, combining their extensive and global earthbag dome construction backgrounds. WASI Delegate Christine Jack is a Nlaka’pamux First Nations leader who resides in St’atimc Territory near Lillooet, BC. Guest Instructors, The Mudgirls are a network of natural builders from BC. WASI Coordinator, Susannah Tedesco, is devoted to rural grassroots initiatives that empower communities to create viable local living solutions.    Women of the Americas Sustainability Initiative (WASI) is an alliance of women leaders who construct, educate, organize, and advocate for strong and empowered communities through ecological design-build practices with the aim of creating a socially and ecologically resilient world.   For details or to apply visit: http://www.kleiwerks.org/wasi-canada-earthbagdome-apprenticeship-2012/. There are 12 seats available. The fee is $3,600, including tuition, meals, lodging and field trips. Photos:

Tech Connect World Summit 2012 - Invitation and Discount Code

Receive 10% off when you register using the code 12GBN10

Register HERE http://www.techconnectworld.com

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Premiere of Harmony at Sundance London Inspired by HRH The Prince of Wales

GREAT BEAR RAINFOREST SET TO SHINE IN WORLD PREMIERE OF HARMONY, INSPIRED BY HRH THE PRINCE OF WALES Filmed at King Pacific Lodge, environmental film debuts at inaugural Sundance London Film and Music festival NORTH VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, April 26, 2012 – Inspired by HRH The Prince of Wales (Prince Charles), Harmony, A New Way of Looking at Our World will make its world premiere on April 28th during the inaugural Sundance London Film and Music Festival. Harmony grows out of three decades of work by Prince Charles to find innovative solutions to the global environmental crisis, with the goal of creating a more sustainable, spiritual and harmonious relationship with the planet. The project, which filmed at King Pacific Lodge, a Rosewood Resort, features environmentalists, entrepreneurs, farmers, as well as business and government leaders who are working collectively to restore the balance between man and nature. While at King Pacific Lodge, producers captured spectacular images of the pristine wilderness along British Columbia’s coastline, and learned more about the lodge’s efforts as a leader in modern conservation and sustainable tourism. As a floating luxury wilderness lodge operating in the heart of the Great Bear Rainforest, King Pacific Lodge works hard to seamlessly blend sustainable philosophies and unparalleled luxury travel experiences, believing that fish counts are as important as thread counts. For more than a decade, the lodge has been at the forefront of creating a new model for sustainable tourism, one that embraces a triple bottom-line business philosophy equally concerned for social equity, environmental conservation, and creating both memorable and benevolent travel experiences for guests. King Pacific Lodge has made great strides in demonstrating this commitment; first by being the initial private tourism operator to forge a working partnership in 2001 with the Gitga’at First Nation in Hartley Bay, thereby recognizing their rights and title to their traditional territory, and by being the first resort in North America to offset its own carbon footprint as well as that of its guests. Additionally, Condé Nast Traveler has rated the lodge as the number one resort in Canada for four consecutive years. Harmony is produced and directed by Julie Bergman Sender and Stuart Sender, whose work has received Oscar nominations and a Director’s Guild nomination for best documentary feature. To view the trailer for Harmony, A New Way of Looking at Our World, visit www.TheHarmonyMovie.com.

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Think Like A Man Thinks Green

In time for Earth Day 2012, Sony Pictures RELEASES FIRST-EVER INDUSTRY PRODUCTION USING COMPLETELY ENERGY-EFFICIENT LIGHTING

Culver City, CA (April 19, 2012) - As an industry leader in environmental innovation, Sony Pictures has long experimented with energy-efficient light sources and technologies for use in its productions. But for the Screen Gems feature Think Like a Man, Sony Pictures took its efforts a step further and reached an industry first by using 100 percent energy-efficient (LED) lighting sources on the production.

“Sony Pictures is committed to making great content with a smaller and smaller energy footprint, and Think Like A Man is a great example of Screen Gems’ continuing tradition of actively reducing the impact and waste of a major feature film production,” says Gary Martin, President, Production Administration, Sony Pictures Entertainment.

Conventional lighting for a motion picture requires a significant amount of energy to run and generates a lot of heat on set. This, in turn, must be cooled using air conditioning, requiring additional control equipment. Compared to a conventional incandescent bulb, however, LED lighting can generate over four times the amount of light with the same amount of energy (over four times the lumens per watt), and is also able to maneuver into tighter spaces and be transported more efficiently.

“Lighting is a crucial component in the visual art of filmmaking and brings to life the emotions of a story. LED and other energy-efficient types of lighting, when designed well, can be more efficient, easier to set up, versatile and longer lasting while still providing the visual aesthetic necessary for film production,” says Glenn Gainor, Senior Vice President, Physical Production, Screen Gems.

“Although not perfect, energy-efficient lighting is making great strides. We were excited to incorporate this industry-first in lighting into our production, and look forward to continuing to work with manufacturers to test and improve the technology,” says Mason McConnell, Executive Director of Set Lighting for Sony Pictures.

In addition to many other efforts, Think Like a Man further greened the filming by shooting the entire production in locations near the studio lot, cutting both transportation requirements as well as the need to construct sets. It also used many environmentally-friendly products and processes in the daily administration of the film.

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