Lily Cole is showing that wearing sneakers can not only be stylish but good for the environment, too. The English model has partnered with the French eco brand Veja to release a new line of sneakers made with fair trade work and without destroying the rainforest.

The sneakers come in three different styles, feature Amazon inspired designs, and are made with wild Amazon rubber. The Brazilian rainforest is the only place on the planet where rubber trees grow in the wild. Their sap is known as “liquid latex” and can be extracted by tapping the tree instead of cutting them down.

“The survival of the rainforest depends on managing its resources,” explained Cole of her shoe line, which uses that tapped sap to make its soles. “With all eyes of Brazil this summer, my collection not only taps into the SS14 flat shoe trend, but also shows how wild Amazonian rubber can be used to make desirable products for people’s everyday lives.”

The tree tappers are paid fairly so it is in their interest to keep the trees standing. This is part of the Sky Rainforest Rescue, a partnership with WWF, to protect one billion trees in Brazil. Cole is an ambassador for Sky and visited the Amazon rainforest in 2012.

“During my trip to the Amazon, I saw firsthand the crucial part that Sky Rainforest Rescue plays in creating demand for wild Amazonian rubber for companies like Veja, and making the rainforest worth more standing,” she said.

The limited edition sneakers will be sold online and at English retailers Selfridges, in London and Manchester, and Topshop, on Oxford Street. Prices range between £55 and £65 and £10 of every pair sold will be donated to the Amazon tappers, equipping them with six more taps and allowing them to keep those trees standing. – Natalia Galbetti

This article originally appears on Ecorazzi

Ecorazzi covers news and gossip on celebrities and notables in support of the environment and humanitarian causes. You can follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

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Shailene Woodley is making her own cosmetics line but you can’t buy it in any store — and that’s the whole point.

Woodley, who stars in the much anticipated movie “The Fault in Our Stars” this summer, opened up to InStyle about how her love of nature made her change her entire lifestyle, including her beauty routine.

The revelation came after spending some time in Hawaii where she saw a beautiful leaf one day.

“I thought about how the same leaf would be so different in just a few months—just like life, it’s so fleeting and constantly changing,” said the actress. “It woke me up. The abundance of nature was one I had never been exposed to. It was literally paradise.”

And to keep that paradise alive she changed her habits. The actress goes on hikes to source herbs and spring water, thrift shops and makes her cosmetics from scratch.

“Beets are my go-to for lip color,” explained Woodley who roasts one for 30 to 50 minutes at 350 degrees, lets it cool and rubs it on her lips. “I eat them after!”

For eyeshadow she uses Spirulina from Longevity Warehouse, which when wet, doubles as eyeliner. She keeps her hair smooth and hydrated by lathering coconut or olive oil for a few minutes in her hair before bedtime and her deodorant is made with baking soda, coconut oil, arrowroot powder, and a few drops of essential oil blends, her favorites being “lavender, sage, pepper, tea tree, and bergamot.”

But the benefits aren’t just for mother nature. Woodley swears by her all natural lifestyle and said it has worked better than anything else she’s used.

“To remove face makeup and cleanse skin, I use sea buckthorn oil from Living Libations, morning and night. I swear by their product—it completely changed my skin. Before, I had combo skin, and now it’s smooth and not too oily or dry.” – Natalia Galbetti

This post originally appeared on Ecorazzi

Ecorazzi covers news and gossip on celebrities and notables in support of the environment and humanitarian causes. You can follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

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British rocker and outspoken animal activist Morrissey criticized Canadian Fisheries Minister Gail Shea for not calling a halt to the Canadian seal hunt.

In a post titled “This Sorrowful Canada,” which he published on the fan site True-To-You, Morrissey condemned the practice of the seal hunt, and was very critical of Shea for failing to put a stop to the nation’s annual seal slaughter.

“The annual East Coast seal hunt/kill started Monday – against a strong wave of trade and court challenges. Europe continues its ban on seal products,” wrote Morrissey. “The seal hunt in Canada is struggling to make a start this year due to almost no markets, and China especially is refusing to sell Canadian seal meat. Thank you, China!”

The singer said that “Gail Shea, the federal Fisheries Minister for Canada, says that baby seals are ‘killed humanely’, and explains how the baby seals are shot by high-powered rifles.” Morrissey questions whether the fisheries minister would still think that being shot is ‘humane’ if someone fired a rifle at her. “Is this a death that Gail Shea would wish for herself? Would it make her happy to be shot by a high-powered rifle?”

“If she considers such butchery to be so ‘humane’, why doesn’t she place herself amongst the tens of thousands of grey-coated harp seals that will be slaughtered within the next few weeks? She could then test the humane aspect of having her head blown off for herself. Only then could she be thought to speak with any authority on the subject,” he protests.

Although Morrissey opposes the seal hunt, and thinks that the Canadian government has absolutely no respect or compassion for animals, he does like most of the people that live in the country and does not consider them all bad. He does, however, think that Canada is giving itself a very bad image by continuing the hunt, and that people are not forming a strong enough opposition against the yearly slaughter of seals.

“Canada is a beautiful country, and the people of Canada are good people. But good people are often ineffectual. Internationally, Canada’s sorry image is due entirely to its seal slaughter – which is greedy and barbaric, and it is dismaying to witness such ignorance in 2014,” he wrote.

In 2006, Morrissey wrote another post on the same site explaining that he refused to tour and perform in Canada in protest of  the barbaric slaughter of over 325,000 baby seals. He also criticized Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s reasoning that the slaughter is necessary because it provides jobs for local communities. “Construction of German gas chambers also provided work for someone — this is not a moral or sound reason for allowing suffering,” wrote Morrisey. Canada “placed itself alongside China as the cruelest and most self-serving nation,” he added.

“Sound reason tells us that only those of the thinnest intellect wear animal fur, and because the Canadian government are concerned with animals only economically, killing baby seals with lightning brutality is now Canada’s primary global image. Until this annual massacre is abolished, Canada itself is regrettably fashionably dead,” Morrissey concluded in his recent post. – Joan Reddy

This post originally appeared on Ecorazzi

Ecorazzi covers news and gossip on celebrities and notables in support of the environment and humanitarian causes. You can follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

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After a multimillion-euro (dollar) makeover, the Zoological Park of Paris, also known as the  Zoo de Vincennes, is re-opening its gates to the public. The park aims to be a twenty-first century zoo, whose priorities are animal well-being and conservation. Visitors will be able to observe animals in environments designed to be as close to their natural habitat as possible.

The Zoological Park first opened its gates in 1934, with concrete landscaping, and traditional cages to house the animals. The zoo temporarily closed in 2008, because its crumbling displays that had not been renovated since the parks premiere opening had become a safety hazard. The zoo said that after a makeover at the cost of 170 million euros ($234 million), it will be able to house the animals in conditions that are as natural and stress-free as possible.

Instead of re-building the park in its original form, the zoo decided to take a modern approach by preserving the animals’ habitat, while at the same time giving a unique visitor experience. Zoo Director Sophie Ferreira Le Morvan, said that “Now visitors are being invited to the land of animals to immerse themselves in their natural environment. So the whole work was to rebuild, to recreate the natural environment of the animals.”

The displays consist of winding pathways, lush vegetation, and rock barriers, rather than cages, to separate the wildlife from its viewers. The cathedral-like greenhouse as long as a football field is filled with tropical birds, such as grey-winged trumpeters, and West Indian manatee.

“We’ve invented a new zoo, whose concept is different from 20th century ones, where animals were exhibited like in some amusement park,” said Thomas Grenon, head of the National Museum of Natural History, which manages the Zoological Park. “This is a 21st-century zoo, which will show biodiversity and talk about it, and where the animals will live together as they do in their natural environment.”

The zoo is also aiming to create a more natural series of “biozones,” with replica habitats for tropics, forests and grasslands in South America, Africa and Europe where the animals will be housed. Instead of by type, the animals have been grouped by five regions of origin —  Madagascar, Patagonia, Guyana, Europe and Sahel-Sudan, the largest single area in the zoo and home to African savannah roamers. Rolling terrain and artificial rocks point to the effort to re-create the natural ecosystems, as best possible. Giraffes and ostriches co-habit one display area, zebras and rhinos another. A male lion, somewhat understandably, has his own pen until three lionesses arrive. “It’s like a journey around the planet,” said Le Morvan.

Geographer Jean Estebanez, a specialist in “humanimal” relationships, said that “the zoo reflects a push towards animals to be seen not as a resource but as fellow species. The tendency in modern zoos is not to show animals hauled out of a different environment but to place us in the different environment itself.”

The zoo’s curators have also taken animal welfare into account in their selection of species. Due to space constraints, there are no longer any elephants, or bears featured at the zoo. The modern outlook takes the animals needs into consideration, therefore, including such range-loving animals in the confines of a city zoo would be deemed as cruelty.

The zoo has some one hundred and eighty species — including seventy-four birds and forty-two mammal species — totaling over one thousand animals – aside from the insects. The zoo said that it will also carry out scientific research to help protect threatened and endangered species. “We hope that visiting this zoo can raise awareness of the protection of nature,” says Eric Joly, director of the zoo’s botanical gardens told Le Figaro.

Although, the Zoological Park of Paris re-created the park to ‘appear’ like the animals’ natural landscape (and it certainly sounds like a step up from most zoos), the fact is the animals are still living in a human-made environment, and therefore, they are not ‘free’ to live their lives as nature intended. Animal advocacy groups are already not buying into to the zoo’s new approach, and their reasons to hold animals in captivity. “Pretending that zoos have a direct role in the preservation of nature is a sham,” said Jean-Claude Nouëts, president of advocacy group La Fondation Droit Animal, Ethique et Sciences. – Joan Reddy

This post originally appeared on Ecorazzi

Ecorazzi covers news and gossip on celebrities and notables in support of the environment and humanitarian causes. You can follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

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As it turns out, Paul McCartney learned that even being a Beatle doesn’t necessarily mean your fame can help end suffering.

It was only two years ago when Paul McCartney made headlines for taking initiative to defend an animal rights case which seemed to have a happy ending.

When former Beatles member, Sir Paul McCartney, went to India in 2012 he encountered Sunder; a 14-year old performance elephant. Sunder showed definite signs of abuse including physical ailments such as, facial injuries of the ear and eyes, and scars covering it’s massive body. In addition to lacerations, this helpless being was shackled up at a shed at the Jyotiba Temple and had limited movement.

Driven by his passion for animal rights, McCartney wrote a letter to the Indian Forest Minister urging him to free the animal.

This lead to viral online petitioning for Sunder’s freedom, which encouraged a supposed release of the elephant from shed to wildlife refuge.

However, in a recent investigation by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), it was learned that Sunder was not only kept in chains once more, but was confined to a smaller shack where the elephant was unable to lie down. In a video taken by members of PETA, Sunder was being beaten by handlers and looked ill.

I urge all those reading to contact the Indian Ministry of Environment and Forests and speak on behalf of Sunder. His contact info is below:

Kumar Sanjeev, Indian Ministry of Environment and Forests, at psmos-mef@nc.in

This article originally appears on Ecorazzi

Ecorazzi covers news and gossip on celebrities and notables in support of the environment and humanitarian causes. You can follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

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Just when you thought fur coats were finally going out of fashion forever…

All it took was a brief coin toss on screen to undo years of animal rights organizations’ work to educate people about the fur industry.

According to The Detroit News, fur coat stores are booming with customers who want a replica of former New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath’s fur coat worn at Superbowl XLVIII.

“It has driven people to our showroom,” said Clay Campbell, who owns Wolverine Furs in Detroit and also reported a 20 percent increase in traffic to his website. “(Customers) are taking the time to find out more about what they saw on the screen, so it has been a positive for us.”

Other stores in the area have also reported a similar increase in sales and customer visits since the Seahawks and Broncos game aired on February 2nd nationwide despite backlash from activists as soon as Namath’s $3,000 coyote and white fox-trimmed coat appeared on screen.

“No matter what he spent on that eyesore, the animals who were trapped, bludgeoned, electrocuted, or skinned alive for their fur paid a lot more — the ultimate price, in fact — and viewers across the country agree that it was too high a price, as demonstrated by the outpouring of anti-fur messages that hit Twitter the second that Namath’s coat hit the screen,” said PETA, one of the most recognized anti-fur and animal rights groups in the world in a statement.

Actor and activist Ian Somerhalder responded to Namath’s wardrobe by tweeting his followers a link to remind people that due to its cruelty, furs are being dropped from stores’ inventory. QVC and Land’s End are some of the major retailers who have stopped selling any items with fur in them after watching PETA’s video on how the fur industry operates. Hopefully more people in the Detroit will take the time to watch it too. – Natalia Galbetti

This article appears courtesy of Ecorazzi

Ecorazzi covers news and gossip on celebrities and notables in support of the environment and humanitarian causes. You can follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

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Are you a vegan? Vegetarian? What about Paleo? Find out where your diet measures up in the US News rankings.

In what’s a first for the publication, US News has designated a brand-new category for ranking plant-based diets – naming 10 that can help you shed pounds, feel great, and get healthy.

Naturally, plant-based isn’t 100% free of animal products – but it’s a great way to ease into a healthier lifestyle, break old eating habits, and just learn more about the food we feed ourselves everyday.

While you can jump over and read the full list here, those of the vegan world will be disappointed to see it ranked #7. From the article:

“The experts were lukewarm on veganism, despite giving it fairly high marks as a diabetes or heart disease diet. It’s more restrictive than other plant-based options, offers no built-in social support, and may skimp on important nutrients.”

The lack of built-in social support is an interesting critique – as there’s certainly a healthy social scene online built around veganism (the subreddit r/vegan comes to mind) – but yes, no Jenny Craig or Weight Watchers system. (Although I did stumble upon this vegan weight watchers blog for those interested…)

Caldwell Esselstyn’s Engine 2 Diet also scored poorly, though ahead of veganism at #6. From the site:

“Experts sent the Engine 2 Diet toward the bottom of the plant-based list. “The diet is too extreme,” one expert warned. “It’s difficult to maintain for any length of time.” Experts also questioned the plan’s elimination of vegetable oils, and said more research is necessary to determine whether that’s a beneficial move.”

Overall, the diet that scored the worst out of the myriad available is the Paleo.

“Experts took issue with the diet on every measure. Regardless of the goal—weight loss, heart health, or finding a diet that’s easy to follow—most experts concluded that it would be better for dieters to look elsewhere. “A true Paleo diet might be a great option: very lean, pure meats, lots of wild plants,” said one expert—quickly adding, however, that duplicating such a regimen in modern times would be difficult.”

What do you think of US News’ rankings? – Michael Destries

This article appears courtesy of Ecorazzi

Ecorazzi covers news and gossip on celebrities and notables in support of the environment and humanitarian causes. You can follow us on Twitterand Facebook.

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When Smith first tuned in to the film, he wrote, ”Finally watching @BlackFishMovie. Holy. S**t. This is depressing. I’m never going to a zoo or aquarium again.”

The film clearly stuck with the director, who took to the Twittersphere again the next day, writing:

“15 hrs since watching @BlackFishMovie and the mother orca screaming for her child still haunts me. Please, @SeaWorld: time to #EmptyTheTanks.”

The Blackfish Effect plows on! – Amanda Just

This article appears courtesy of Ecorazzi

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If you haven’t thought about global warming lately, James Cameron would like to shed some new light on the subject, along with a slew of his most famous friends.

Cameron’s newest project, “Years of Living Dangerously,” is an eight-part documentary [release date some time in 2014] that shows the human impact on global warming. ”Everybody thinks that this is about melting glaciers and polar bears,” says Cameron in the trailer. “I think it’s a big mistake. This is 100-percent a people story.”

Along on Cameron’s journey are a plethora of familiar faces, including Harrison Ford, America Ferrera, Jessica Alba, Matt Damon, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. All those actors are sure to grab viewers’ attention, and hopefully open a whole lot of eyes at the same time. Check out the trailer. – Amanda Just

This article originally appeared on Ecorazzi

Ecorazzi covers news and gossip on celebrities and notables in support of the environment and humanitarian causes. You can follow us on Twitterand Facebook.

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Michelle Pfeiffer revealed to the UK’s Telegraph that when she first came to Hollywood at age 20, she became involved in a cult who called themselves “breatharians”.

The now 55-year-old actress explained that when she first met the couple who introduced her to the lifestyle, she thought they were simply personal trainers.

“They were very controlling,” said Pfeiffer, and the relationship quickly soured.

“I wasn’t living with them but I was there a lot and they were always telling me I needed to come more. I had to pay for all the time I was there, so it was very financially draining.”

The breatharian philosophy held that food was unnecessary and that people should rely solely on air and sunlight for their nutrients.

Pfeiffer was finally able to break away from the cult when she began dating her first husband, Peter Horton, who was about to begin filming a movie about cults.

After helping Horton with his research, she said “it just clicked.” That was when Pfeiffer realized the group she followed was a cult and immediately began to get out.

Glad to see the “Fabulous Baker Boys” star is eating a healthy vegan diet these days, which she credits for her ageless beauty. – Lindsay Little

This post originally appears on Ecorazzi

Ecorazzi covers news and gossip on celebrities and notables in support of the environment and humanitarian causes. You can follow us on Twitterand Facebook.

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