Mercy for Animals is on a roll. Within the short three month span of September to November, this LA-based animal rights non-profit will have launched a new book penned by its founder, hosted its extravagant Hidden Heroes annual fundraising gala, and pulled off its second vegan festival and benefit concert, Circle V.

Mercy for Animals is plowing full steam ahead, and thanks to the $1.8 million dollar fundraising success of the Hidden Heroes Gala last month, the organization has the financial support and influencer endorsement to fuel its forward momentum.

On September 30th, an exclusive crowd of plant-based celebrities, influencers, food industry leaders, and activists gathered at the gorgeous Vibiana in downtown Los Angeles for the Hidden Heroes Gala. The goal was to raise funds for the organization’s operations, thank its supporters, and honor the individuals who have made significant contributions to the cause – often at a great sacrifice to themselves.

The evening featured a robust silent auction, an engaging reception,a four course vegan dinner, an entertaining awards presentation, live auction, and finally, a starlit after party, complete with vegan sushi and a silent disco. In short, the night was a true red carpet event – the Academy Awards equivalent of the animal rights non-profit world.

Dozens of vegan leather stilettos and dress shoes graced the event’s red carpet, adorned by some of the most famous plant-based influencers. Celebrities included Evanna Lynch with Elliot Knight, Carrie Ann Inaba, Leona Lewis, Moby, and Diane Warren, among others. Plant-based industry leaders such as Miyoko Schinner, Kat Von D, and Micah Risk also attended. To round out the crowd, activists and social media influencers like Constantin (Vegan Club) and Tim Moore (Vegan Fat Kid) completed the star-studded guest list. All were dressed to impress, decked out in statement making gowns and expertly tailored suits.

Guests mingled and nibbled on plant-based bites prior to entering the grand ballroom of the Vibiana. Standouts include the Treeline cheese plates and delectable hors d’oeuvres provided by Tofurky (we’ll admit to chasing down the server with the puff pastry-wrapped vegan sausage topped with sauerkraut). Attendees also stealthily attempted to outbid each other over the silent auction items, taking breaks to pose for the interactive photo booth. The four-course dinner began with hot rolls served with delightfully rich Miyoko’s vegan butter, in addition to a generous sampling of Miyoko’s vegan cheeses. The meal continued with a compressed watermelon salad, a savory rosemary risotto cake and spicy Italian sausage from Hungry Planet –– run by brother and sister co-owners Jody and Todd Boyman –– and finally, a chocolate olive oil cake.

The gala was both glamorous and inspiring, indulgent yet purposeful. Despite the multiple entertainment aspects, guests did not lose sight of the mission to end factory farming. The dinner and awards program recognized the true “hidden heroes” within Mercy for Animal’s undercover investigation staff. These dedicated individuals put themselves at risk to reveal the atrocities of factory farming. Their work has led to increased awareness and even some changes within the inhumane industry. Various video clips from these investigations were projected throughout the hall, adding a very sobering element to the environment. However, these images also served to remind guests that there is still work to do. The awardees were each given the opportunity to speak, and they all elevated the mood by inciting hope amongst the audience. By practicing and sharing compassion, we can create lasting, positive change. Mercy for Animals Founder, Nathan Runkle, echoed their sentiments by quoting Dr. Martin Luther King, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness. Only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate. Only love can do that.”

The formal program concluded with a rousing call to action in the form of donating dollars. Runkle was joined onstage by Ari Solomon, Vice President of Communications, and the evening’s honorees. Together they energetically asked the audience for their financial support. The pledges began at one hundred thousand dollars, which would fund an entire undercover investigation. Hands were raised, pledge cards distributed, and the room livened up. Runkle slowly made his way down in major increments (50K, 25K, 10K, 5K, 2.5K, 1K, and 500), and each amount was tied to a specific cost. For example, 25K will fund an entire drone investigation, whereas $500 will cover the costs of the masks, boots, and protective clothing needed by the undercover investigators. Encouraged by the cause and Runkle’s dynamic stage presence, guests enthusiastically opened their wallets, raising over one million dollars within twenty minutes. The evening was an astounding success.

Want to experience a Mercy for Animals event for yourself? Those in the Los Angeles area will have the opportunity to support the organization and enjoy a full day of top notch entertainment at the November 18th Circle V festival and concert. This inclusive, far more casual affair, will feature some of the most crave-worthy vegan food in Los Angeles, speaker panels, and musical performances. Purchase your ticket and check out the extensive line up of vendors, speakers, and musicians. Nosh on some delectable vegan food, meet your favorite plant-based influencers, and dance the night away while promoting compassion and an end to factory farming. With Mercy for Animals, its always a win-win.

Find Tanya on Instagram and The Vegan Potluck Podcast. 

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The post Mercy for Animals Finds Perfect Balance Between Entertainment and Activism, Raises 1.8 Million at Annual Gala appeared first on EcoSalon.

Whether you listen in the car, at the gym, while cleaning the house, or at the beach, audiobooks are an awesome way to pass the time.

We would all love to have the time to read every book on our must-read list, but listening to audiobooks is a much more realistic way to enjoy everything from the classics to titles on The New York Times’ Bestseller List for us busy AF folks.

How to Listen to Audiobooks

If you are new to the world of listening to audiobooks there are a variety of ways to enjoy them –from listening on your phone, tablet, computer, and on most devices and speakers using Bluetooth. The least expensive option is borrowing audiobooks from your local library. Most libraries use Overdrive to manage downloading and listening. Of course, you can buy audiobooks from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or Apple Books. My favorite way to listen is via Audible. Audible offers monthly plans that fit your listening profile and there’s an app for it as well. Need a place to get started? Check out The New York Times Bestsellers on Audible.

Listen to Celebs Read Audiobooks

The perfect storm of any audiobook is the intersection between a compelling story and a great narrator. And while there are a plethora of incredible narrators out there in the audiobook marketplace, why not listen to a tale told by some of our favorite celebs? You might be surprised at the A-list celebrities who are also audiobook narrators. Narration is a form of acting, so it’s really not that much of a stretch that actors are naturals at narration.

11 Amazing Audiobooks Read by Celebrities

Here are just a few of the recommended audiobooks read by some or your favorite actors. Check them out and get listening.

1. “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, narrated by Jake Gyllenhaal

2. “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood, narrated by Claire Danes

3. “Jane Eyre” by Charlotte Brontë, narrated by Thandie Newton

4. “Anna Karenina” by Leo Tolstoy, narrated by Maggie Gyllenhaal

5. “The Princess Diarist” by Carrie Fisher, narrated by Carrie Fisher

6. “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, narrated by Sissy Spacek

7. “The End of the Affair” by Graham Greene, narrated by Colin Firth

8. “Dracula” by Bram Stoker, narrated by Alan Cumming and others

9. “Lolita” by Vladimir Nabokov, narrated by Jeremy Irons

10. “Death in a White Tie” by Ngaio Marsh, narrated by Benedict Cumberbatch

11. “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen, narrated by Rosamund Pike

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The post 11 Celebrity Narrated Must-Listen Audiobooks appeared first on EcoSalon.

So. Being famous now equates with being a business owner, I see. At least, that’s the impression I get from all the artisan/high-principled/my-shit-smells-like-roses celebrity websites popping up. Remind me to trade in my MBA for some bleach and a boob job.

Oh, for fuck’s sake, Reese Witherspoon. I thought you were cool. You were the one who ended up marrying a non-celebrity, who makes her kids’ lunches herself, who might actually be really fun to get drunk with. But now, you too? You’ve jumped on the lifestyle-oriented celebrity website bandwagon? GTFO my house.

It all started when I came across this gem of a Jezebel article about DraperJames.com, Witherspoon’s newly-curated online shopping destination, boasting all things Southern, charming, and pretty. She’s the latest in a line of stars taking a stab at such endeavors, with names like Blake Lively, Jessica Alba and Gwyneth Paltrow behind her. They’re all leading double lives as not only Hollywood actresses, but also, enough of self-proclaimed masters of something – food, clothing, hand-crafted goods, diapers – to create digital retail destinations that bring together only the finest products and insights that will help you, too, live as fabulously as they do.

You know what Draper James looks like to me? A linen-sheathed douche ad.

Okay. Perhaps I’m bitter. In the progression of my own life, no where along the way was I gifted with the metabolism, leg length or connections to become a millionaire celebrity. Not yet, anyway. I haven’t made enough movies to be in a stratospheric tax bracket, and launching my business required securing capital of my own. Unlike the rich and famous, I don’t have personal assistants or a paid team of experts to tell me what to do. I have to be the expert. I have two unpaid interns, a small business loan, and an MBA. Forgive me, then, if I perceive such celebrity websites as a slap in the face to the genuinely scrappy among we entrepreneurs.

Perhaps I’m not giving these ladies enough credit. It’s not as if they haven’t put forth effort anywhere. Witherspoon, for her part, has made some fantastic films, and even Paltrow has her likable side; back when “Glee” was worth watching, for example, she pretty much nailed the recurring role of Holly Holiday. And Alba, for her part, is actually a bit of a pioneer, with her founding of The Honest Company. That, I admit, was a pretty good idea.

In fact, here’s what I like about Alba: Once she realized her success with The Honest Company, she stopped pretending to be something else, like, say, a talented actress. That’s my real issue with the rest of the ladies of the equation. Are you really entrepreneurs? Does it really matter to you, Paltrow, how much kale we peons consume day-to-day, or the fact that so many people don’t even have accessibility to good food, let alone cost-prohibitive skin-brightening supplements made from the urine of Pacific sea otters? And by the way, Witherspoon, do you actually care about the wellbeing of the silversmiths crafting your bowls?

There’s a tremendous opportunity among the exorbitantly wealthy to stand for something good. Of course, encouraging entrepreneurship among women and girls is a fabulous thing, especially when it’s mission-oriented or social. It seems, though, as if most of these celebreneurs are missing the target. Most of them claim to have some sort of altruistic side; Draper James, for instance, vaguely brags about its “support” of Girls Inc., while Blake Lively’s Preserve website makes this doozy of a proclamation:

“We celebrate and indulge in treasures both high and low featured on Preserve. But we’re very aware that a lot of what we are selling is outlandish in a world with so many problems and so much suffering. We have to give back in some way. Even if it’s small, nothing is insignificant. This is our community. We have set our first goal of giving 5,000 children a meal, 2,000 children a blanket, and 2,700 children a warm hoodie, all within the U.S, through a partnership with Covenant House. We are putting 5% of our sales toward this goal, so every time you make a purchase, you’re contributing, too. We’re a small, but growing company. Our giving reflects our age. As we mature so will our contribution both fiscally and physically. Help us grow. Help us give.”

Ugh. Seriously? Look, Lively. You’ve got a net worth of $16 million. If you’re so ashamed of being “outlandish” and truly care about the suffering of others, then focus on that. Dedicate all of your time to the Covenant House, and publicize the shit out of that. Or, at the very least, point to how Preserve is benefitting the economy, creating jobs for those who need them (and where they are the most needed), and carefully selecting talented artificers in impoverished regions. Oh, what’s that? Preserve isn’t doing any of those things? You just saw an opportunity to turn a profit and are dressing it up in a humanitarian costume? My mistake.

Not all hope is lost, I suppose. Olivia Wilde, for example, is doing exactly what I wish the Paltrows, Livleys and Witherspoons of the world would do with Conscious Commerce, in its practice of “pointing you in the direction of cool, ethically sound businesses [and pairing] some of our favorite brands with small, locally run organizations, to create limited edition products. These exciting collaborations are our way of bringing together consciousness and commerce, and making them make sweet, sweet love.”

Share the love, ladies. But please: Until you can authentically do so, don’t try to fake it.

Say hey to Amanda on Twitter or Instagram

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The post For the Love of God and All That Is Holy: Go Away, Celebrity Websites appeared first on EcoSalon.

Last week, Olivia Wilde made her debut as the face of H&M’s Conscious Exclusive line, and we have one thing to say: Yowza.

For too many, the idea of sustainable or eco-fashion carries connotations of dresses made of burlap bags or seaweed. Actually, hemp and plant-based fabrics can be hot; our latest green girl crush, Olivia Wilde, makes that abundantly clear in the Conscious Exclusive photos recently released by H&M.

We know it’s about more than the fashion, though; girl crushes don’t come that easily. We already know that Olivia Wilde is one of the greener high-profile gals out there (we’ve talked about her vegan lifestyle before), but after doing our research, we see that there’s so much more to love.

Image: H&M, “Conscious Exclusive 2015“

1. About those photos for Conscious Exclusive. 

Sure, we’ll begin with the obvious. I’ve never felt particularly motivated to try on a monochrome kimono-style dress, but I am now. “This is how all fashion should be,” Wilde is quoted as saying in H&M’s official Conscious Exclusive 2015 press release. “Great style that’s naturally more sustainable.”

Get your shop on, consciously. Still time for your gifts to make it under the tree http://t.co/sOHN3eFxks pic.twitter.com/2RgvYJwZP1

— Conscious Commerce (@consciousco) December 14, 2014

Image: Conscious Commerce

2. She puts her money where her mouth is.

Talk is cheap. In 2013, Olivia Wilde and c0-founder Barbara Burchfield launched Conscious Commerce: A website that features articles, products and content designed to help us make better day-to-day lifestyle decisions. From a vegan’s guide to Thanksgiving, to eco-friendly gift guides, Conscious Commerce will help us live, as the founders’ welcome letter so astutely puts it, without “being an asshole.”

I've been spending so much time in airports that I can no longer pee without 40 strangers in the room.

— olivia wilde (@oliviawilde) March 12, 2015

3. Her tweets are green…and hilarious.

Go home, Kim K. We’re much more interested in reading Olivia Wilde’s hilariously relatable tweets. They aren’t all about the giggles, though; Wilde often tweets about causes she believes in and supports, like her March 19th message about recycling clothing to reduce fabric wastage.

Signed! “@rachtothemeyer: @oliviawilde – help save The Ethical Community Charter School in Bed Stuy: https://t.co/37QmHS5y8s #KeepTECCSopen”

— olivia wilde (@oliviawilde) March 13, 2015

4. For her, it’s more than “green”.

Clearly, we love Olivia Wilde’s public concern for environmental issues, but she truly does seem to epitomize the concerned citizen. In addition to her eco-chic habits, she also serves on the board for Artists for Peace and Justice, an organization that promotes education in vastly underserved parts of Haiti. She makes similar efforts on behalf of accessible education, as she did with a recent tweet directing her followers to a petition in support of a Bedford–Stuyvesant charter school at risk of closing.

Rock on, Olivia.

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The post 4 Reasons Why Olivia Wilde is Our Latest Green Girl Crush appeared first on EcoSalon.

New movie ‘Gravity’ is burning up the box offices around the country. One story line you’re not likely to hear in the industry rags is how director Alfonso Cuarón gave up meat.

In Hollywood, actors aren’t the only ones opting for a vegetarian diet. Directors are beginning to see the importance of cruelty-free dining as well.

Alfonso Cuarón, director of the much anticipated movie “Gravity”, is a vegetarian. He joins “Avatar” director James Cameron, who went vegan a little over a year ago. No word yet on why the director chose to forgo meat or how long he’s been vegetarian, but we’d love to find out. Perhaps he and Cameron could meet at a Hollywood restaurant and discuss meat’s impact on animals and the environment. (We can dream.)

Cuarón’s past successes include the much lauded film “Children of Men”. Gravity was released on Oct. 4 in U.S. theaters.

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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In our continued celebration of the lady geek, we present some of our favorite nerd girls who moonlight as environmental activists.

Celebrities make being famous look easy, but deep down inside those polished faces and sculpted bodies are some of the biggest nerds around. When not traipsing around on red carpets or dominating a boardroom, these famous faces geek out on the same things we do. What’s more, these influential women spend a lot of time worrying about what a mess we’ve made of this planet, and often use their unique combination of power and passion to create awareness about projects that matter.

1. Darryl Hannah – Theatre Geek

Hannah graduated from the University of Southern California School of Theatre where she studied both ballet and drama. Her long and illustrious film career includes nerdtastic credits such as “Blade Runner”, “Addams Family Reunion”, “Storm Seekers”, and of course, Tarantino’s masterpiece, “Kill Bill” (Vols. 1 & 2). But when not lighting up the Silver Screen, Hannah can be found in far less glamorous environs, like on-board the Sea Shepherd hunting whale killers or getting arrested for blocking construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. She also has her own sustainable solutions video blog called DHLoveLife, lives in a solar-powered home, and drives a biodiesel-powered car.

2. Melissa Etheridge – Music Geek

Activism seems to be as deeply ingrained in Etheridge’s being as the drive to create heartrending music. A proud cancer survivor, Etheridge has used her career to promote a range of health, human rights, and ecological causes including the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, the Human Rights Campaign, and Live Earth. Her official website introduces new visitors with green tips and she wrote the theme song, “I Need To Wake Up,” for Al Gore’s global warming documentary, “An Inconvenient Truth.” She’s also a big advocate of biodiesel, using it in all of her tour buses and trucks, as well as in her own personal vehicle.

3. Olivia Wilde – TV Geek

Few actresses can claim not one but three nerdy tribute roles in their repertoire. Wilde has appeared in such gems as the musical comedy “The Ballad of G.I. Joe”, “Tron: Legacy”, and alongside Daniel Craig in the history-bending “Cowboys and Aliens.” Wilde is a vegan and was voted PETA’s Sexiest Vegetarian Celebrity of 2010. Wilde is a board member of Artists for Peace and Justice, which provides education and health services in Haiti, and was commended by the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, a farmworkers’ union, for supporting the Fair Foods campaign.

4. Natalie Portman – Star Wars Geek

Natalie Portman became queen of the nerd girls way back in 1996 when she appeared in Tim Burton’s “Mars Attacks!” Since then, she’s only embraced her geeky side, with roles on “Sesame Street”, in “Garden State”, and most notably, as the gorgeous Padmé in the “Star Wars” Trilogy. Additionally, “Portman is a longtime vegetarian and animal-rights activist. And she’s been a longtime supporter of the Foundation for International Community Assistance, a microfinance organization that helps poor women around the world. In 2007, she traveled to Rwanda with zoologist Jack Hanna to film a documentary about endangered gorillas,” reports the Daily Green. She also designed a line of vegan shoes for Te Casan and donated all of the proceeds to environmental organizations.

5. Jessica Jackley – Internet Geek

You might not be on a first name basis with Jessica Jackley, but she’s definitely one of the nerd girls you should get to know. Jackley is the co-founder of Kiva.org, the world’s first peer-to-peer online microlending website. She is also the founder and CEO of ProFounder.com, a platform that provides new ways for small business entrepreneurs in the U.S. to access start-up capital through crowdfunding and community involvement. When not using internet technology to make the world a flatter place, she teaches Global Entrepreneurship at the Marshall School of Business at USC, and is a Visiting Scholar at Stanford’s Center for Philanthropy and Civil Society.

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Images: Michelouise, guano, angela george, jingdianmeinv, gdcgraphics, FSU

The post 5 Famous Nerd Girls With Big Green Hearts appeared first on EcoSalon.

We are used to seeing our celebrities sashaying down the red carpet, but these days, we are equally used to seeing them throwing their weight behind important social causes.

It’s not enough to star in the latest Hollywood blockbuster or release a hit single, our celebrities have also become our role models, mentors and advocates for social good. Many of them are using their unique influence to raise awareness on issues close to their heart. And with the climate change debate raging around the world, many celebrities have chosen to bring attention to issues of environmental concern.

Whether it’s through partnering with responsible fashion or beauty labels, setting up their own foundations, or using their acting and producing skills to spread the good, green message, Hollywood’s elite are embracing all things eco.

1. Leonardo DiCaprio

Leonardo DiCaprio has recently affirmed his green credentials by holding an art auction to raise money for environmental and wildlife projects, resulting in $38 million. This follows a long line of other contributions he has made to the eco world, including making films, such as The 11th Hour, to raise awareness for the cause. In true Hollywood style, he also joined fellow environmental crusader, Al Gore, at the 2007 Oscars, to announce that the awards had incorporated environmentally friendly practices, through planning and production.

2. Gisele Bundchen

Gisele Bundchen may best be known for modelling but she has also entered the world of eco design, creating flip flops for the Ipanema brand and launching an eco friendly skincare line, Sejaa. Goodwill Environmental Ambassador for the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), she has actively campaigned for a number of issues and even won the Best International Green Celebrity Award in 2011. She also dedicates part of her website to environmental causes and even launched a ‘green’ blog back in 2008.

3. Cate Blanchett

Aussie actress Cate Blanchett has been committed to tackling climate change for many years, even causing a stir in her home country for appearing in advertisements to support a price on carbon. She has been a member of the Conservation Foundation in Australia and both she and her husband, Andrew Upton, have joined the Climate Project. She also participated in a project with the Sydney Theatre Company, which saw a new solar array supply up to 70 percent of the power supply.

4. Jamie Oliver

British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver might not be the first name that comes to mind when you think of eco friendly celebrities, but his ethos of fresh, healthy eating comes from a belief in using sustainable produce. Not only has he lobbied governments over food quality, he has also pushed for better conditions for farmed animals, and has launched his own frozen fish range which comes from sustainable stock, a very timely issue given that some species are set to become extinct by 2050, should we not act fast!

5. Adrian Grenier

Adrian has well and truly joined the environmental entourage by co founding SHFT, a multimedia platform to convey more sustainable approaches to the way we live through video, art, culture and design. He has also been active in a number of eco campaigns ranging from saving the blue fin tuna to supporting hybrid cars. He even launched a beer business, called the Churchkey Can Co, which offers beer in 100 percent recyclable steel cans. Instead of using pull tabs (they can harm wildlife), the cans use an old-fashioned churchkey instead. Both eco friendly and innovative!

Images: Wikimedia Commons, Sebastian Freire, Jingdianmeinv

The post Green Celebrities: 5 Celebrities Doing Social Good appeared first on EcoSalon.

InterviewJessica Alba wants to make sure that we regulate chemicals and protect our children.

You might have seen Jessica Alba kill a bad guy with a stiletto heel in the gory action flick Machete. You might also have spotted her on the cover of Maxim (twice). But fewer people probably caught her on C-SPAN lecturing Congress about the urgency of passing laws to regulate the chemicals in the products we buy. A staunch environmental advocate, the 31-year-old star recently launched the Honest Company, which makes nontoxic, ecofriendly baby gear. She took some time to answer our questions about her commitment to safe chemistry.

Q: Why did you go to D.C. to lobby for the Safe Chemicals Act last year?

A: Basically, it’s legislation that hasn’t been reformed in more than 30 years. It’s about regulating chemicals in everyday products. There are more than 80,000 chemicals in the U.S. marketplace right now — only five have been banned. In Europe, 1,100 are banned because they’re not safe for humans. When they’re creating and selling new chemicals, companies aren’t thinking about how they affect people’s health — it’s about their bottom line.

Q: You had asthma as a kid, right? Does that make you worry more about air pollution?

A: I grew up with asthma and allergies, among other health issues. That forced me from a very early age to look at my environment in a different way. I don’t take things at face value. I don’t automatically trust the conglomerates. I question processes, I question ingredients, I look for a better way. I always try to find a more natural and holistic approach before just slapping on a Band-Aid. Better to prevent something bad from happening in the first place.

Q: We assume that you’re the only woman who’s topped Maxim’s “Hot 100” list and also testified before Congress about environmental legislation. How do you walk that balance?

A: [Laughs] I don’t know. I don’t even really think about it in those terms. The marketing I’ve done to promote TV and film has been wonderful because it’s given me a platform to be able to speak about things that are important to me.Q: What’s the main message you try to deliver about the environment?

A: That there’s a cause and effect to every action you take. So all of your purchasing and consuming choices are going to affect the planet and the people around you in some way, be it positive or negative. Just being a thoughtful, conscientious consumer is the first step.

Q: Do you get overwhelmed thinking about how many chemicals kids are exposed to?

A: I felt overwhelmed as a parent at first. But now I know that there are steps we can take. You can really change the health of your environment by doing anything from buying fresh, organic food to choosing the paint and carpeting in your home. Just understanding the quality of those products and what the potential hazards are. I’ve taken steps to eliminate as much that’s hazardous as I could from my home. So I feel great about the environment now that I’ve been able to create for my family. I know it’s possible.

Q: What else do you do to go green in your personal life?

A: I spend time outdoors with my kids. I have a nontoxic turf lawn instead of grass so we don’t have to water it. We have all energy-efficient appliances in our house, and most of the materials that we used to build it — probably 70% of them — are upcycled. I bought them off Craigslist or at flea markets or vintage stores. With the rest, I made an effort to buy sustainable materials, bamboo flooring, recycled glass tiles, things like that.

Q: Are people surprised to see a Hollywood actress buying things from them off Craigslist? 

A: I don’t go and pick them up [laughs]. I don’t even think that’s safe for a girl by herself to go to a random address and go pick something up. No, I have a family member — a guy, obviously, my husband or someone — go and pick up a piece here and there.

Q: You’ve said that your favorite place in the outdoors is Franklin Canyon Park in Los Angeles. Why that spot?

A: I like any piece of nature in urban environments because it feels like you can get a break from the hustle and bustle of the city. You can just escape and quickly be surrounded by nature. One of my favorite places in New York is Central Park, for that same reason. In L.A., Topanga Canyon is another really great place, and so is Malibu Canyon.

Q: What made you want to start the Honest Company? 

A: Frankly, I needed a company like it. As a parent, I think there’s a lot of confusion in the marketplace around what’s eco, what isn’t, toxic chemicals and how they affect the health of your family. There’s just so much information out there that there needed to be one company that’s done all the research and finds the formulations that perform best.

Q: How does the Honest Company work?

A: It delivers nontoxic products straight to your door, everything from laundry detergent to bubble bath to diapers and wipes. We also have what we call an “essentials kit”: Out of 16 items, you get to choose five, and that’s what you get delivered every month. Ninety-nine percent of our products are made here in the U.S. Our diapers are really the best on the market — they’re made from plant-based materials, are completely nontoxic, and have the cutest designs. We really wanted to innovate the diapering space. It was important for me as a parent to make sure that everyone could get these products delivered straight to their door.

Q: Do you have Hollywood mom friends who’ve signed up to use the service?

A: Yeah, quite a few!

—interview by Orli Cotel / photo courtesy of the Honest Company

This post originally appeared in Sierra magazine.

Sierra is the magazine of the Sierra Club. Our motto: Explore, Enjoy, and Protect the Planet. Follow Sierra magazine on Twitter.

The post Interview: Jessica Alba is Saving the World One Chemical at a Time appeared first on EcoSalon.

Because it’s refreshing to see celebrities try out a little eco sometimes.

Actress Jessica Alba was recently spotted enjoying a day of family fun with her husband, Cash Warren, and three-year-old daughter, Honor, at the L.A. County Fair in Pomona. She looked casually cool in slouchy capris, a loose top with shoulder cut-outs and flats. Out favorite part, however, is her necklace from the Futurelore collection from Kyler by Joy O and boosts some serious eco-cred. The pieces in Kyler’s funky geometric collection are all made from upcycled scrap steel and recycled precious metals and created to stand the test of time and trends. Designed by Joy Opfer, the Anode Collar Necklace, as Alba’s piece is called, is made from two recycled steel intaglio pendants and will set you back about $98.

Now, if she could only ditch that bottled water…

Images courtesy of Kyler by Joy O.

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They’re building national parks, protecting endangered species, revealing environmental injustice and making crucial decisions that will affect the future of our planet. Or, maybe they’re just making it cool to be vegan. But in all their varied contributions, these 20 women – from global environmental leaders to community activists – are using their power, fame or sheer will to make the world a greener place.

Vandana Shiva

Perhaps no woman alive fights harder for the rights of female farmers than Vandana Shiva, an Indian philosopher, physicist, ecofeminist and environmental activist. Shiva is an outspoken critic of industrialized globalized agriculture and proponent of traditional, sustainable farming methods, and has written about the impacts of corporate international trade agreements in books like Water Wars: Privatization, Pollution and Profit as well as Stolen Harvest: The Hijacking of the Global Food Supply. She founded the Navdanya movement to counter corporate seed control in 1991.

Lois Gibbs

In 1978, Lois Gibbs’s picture-perfect suburban life in Love Canal, New York turned into a nightmare when she realized that her neighborhood was built on top of a toxic dump, making residents sick and causing birth defects. Outraged, Gibbs organized a community effort against local, state and federal governments, leading to the evacuation of Love Canal and the creation of the EPA’s Superfund program, which locates and cleans up toxic sites around the nation. Gibbs later founded the Center for Health, Environment and Justice and wrote several books about the effects of toxic waste.

Daryl Hannah

No Hollywood armchair activist, Daryl Hannah isn’t afraid to get dirty – or arrested – for environmental and social causes. She was jailed for chaining herself to a walnut tree to protest the demolition of the nation’s largest urban farm in South Central Los Angeles, drank biofuel to prove its safety, got arrested again for her role in a protest against mountaintop removal mining and dipped her hands in oil-contaminated water in Ecuador. Hannah, who lives on a sustainable farm in Colorado, vlogs about sustainability weekly at her website DHlovelife.com.

Simran Sethi

Simran Sethi is a familiar face in the world of environmental journalism, appearing to give green tips and discuss sustainability on programs like The Oprah Winfrey Show, the Today Show and The Ellen DeGeneres Show. She’s also a contributing environmental correspondent at NBC News, co-host and writer for the Sundance Channel’s The Green, creator of Sundance web series The Good Fight and co-writer of Ethical Markets: Growing the Green Economy.

Wangari Maathai

The first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, Dr. Wangari Maathai founded the Green Belt Movement, a grassroots environmental organization advocating for human rights, good governance and peaceful democratic change through environmental stewardship. The Green Belt has assisted women in planting over 20 million trees on farms, school properties and church compounds and spurred a tree-planting initiative across Africa. The former Kenya Parliament member has gained much-deserved worldwide recognition for all of her hard work.

Frances Beinecke

Frances Beinecke might not be a household name, but she’s more influential than you realize: she’s the president of the National Resources Defense Council, and has been involved with the organization for three decades. Beinecke has helmed some of the NRDC’s most ambitious and successful campaigns, fighting to protect polar bears, preserve our offshore environment and safeguard the health of children.

Majora Carter

Not so long ago, Hunt’s Point Riverside Park in South Bronx was an illegal dumping ground. Now, it’s a beautiful place along the Bronx River for local residents to enjoy green space and fresh air – thanks to Majora Carter, an environmental justice advocate and writer, producer and co-host of several radio and television programs. Carter founded Sustainable South Bronx (SSBx), a non-profit organization that spearheaded a number of Bronx cleanup initiatives and started a green collar job training program. She’s now an environmental consultant.

Sylvia Earle

She’s been called “Guardian of the Sea”, and says she’s happier in a wetsuit than on land. Legendary oceanographer Sylvia Earle is 74 and still actively exploring the oceans, recently getting an up-close-and-personal view of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence has led more than 400 undersea research expeditions and was named Time Magazine’s very first ‘hero for the planet’ in 1998. Author of a cornucopia of books on the sea, Earle is also executive director for a number of environmental organizations including The Conservation Fund and Ocean Conservancy.

Jane Goodall

Nobody in the world knows more about chimpanzees than Jane Goodall, who spent 45 years in the jungles of Tanzania’s Gombe Stream National Park observing their lives and challenging conventional notions about their diet and behavior. Goodall pioneered the belief that chimps were capable of rational thought and emotions and has since become a global leader in the effort to protect them and their habitats.

Laurie David

A longtime trustee on the Natural Resources Defense Council, Laurie David is most renowned for producing the Academy Award-winning documentary An Inconvenient Truth, which played a big role in focusing America’s attention on global warming. David also produced the HBO documentary Too Hot to Handle, and regularly plays a large role in environmental projects like the Stop Global Warming Virtual March.

Mei Ng

“What kind of world will we leave to coming generations?” That was the question that led Hong-Kong born Mei Ng to enter the world of environmental activism, a path that has led to her current position as director of Friends of the Earth. Ng’s volunteer work as a housewife in the 1970s brought her into contact with victims of childhood cancer, sparking a passion to protect children from environmental toxins. Her work earned her a spot among the United Nation’s Global 500 Roll of Honor in 2000.

Julia Butterfly Hill

Can you imagine caring so much about a single tree, that you’d spend two years of your life among its branches, your feet rarely touching the earth below? Julia Butterfly Hill did just that in 1998 and ’99 for the love of “Luna,” a 200-foot redwood tree that was in danger of being felled by loggers. She didn’t come down until an agreement was reached with the logging companies to give Luna a 600-foot buffer to protect her from destruction. Hill’s dedication brought nationwide attention to the problem of deforestation.

Alicia Silverstone

The lovely Alicia Silverstone – perhaps best known for her role in iconic ’90s flick Clueless – is much more than just a model and actress. This animal lover, who lives in an eco-friendly solar-powered home in Los Angeles, is an avid animal rights activist and appeared in a memorable 2007 ad for PETA. But these days, Silverstone has been winning a lot of converts to the vegan lifestyle: her book, The Kind Diet, topped the New York Times bestseller list.

Marina Silva

She was the 2010 Green Party candidate for President of Brazil, gaining an impressive 19.4 percent of the votes cast. She was a colleague of renowned environmental activist Chico Mendes, who was assassinated for defending the Amazon Rainforest. But Marina Silva’s work for the environment is what really makes her stand out, earning her a place among the United Nations’ Champions of the Earth in 2007. Silva, a native Amazonian, fought for environmental protection of the Amazon during her time as a senator and as Brazil’s Environment Minister and remains one of the country’s top activists.

Carol Browner

Few people have more say in some of America’s most crucial decisions about the environment than Carol Browner, current Director of the White House Office of Energy and Climate Change Policy and former head of the EPA. Her pragmatic approach to environmental issues has won both praise and criticism from environmentalists, but there’s no doubt that she has and will continue to make a big impact. As EPA administrator, Browner started the Brownfields Program which cleans up contaminated land and facilities and brings them back into productive use.

Alice Waters

Crusader for organic and local foods, chef Alice Waters pioneered the fresh style of California Cuisine and has been hailed as a ‘foodie hero’. Owner of Berkeley restaurant Chez Panisse, Waters successfully launched the bid to start a food garden on the White House lawn and created the Edible Schoolyard Project, a hands-on educational initiative teaching kids to raise, grow and prepare their own food using fresh ingredients. Waters is often credited as a major driving force in the current popularity of pesticide-free, fresh, healthy foods.

Habiba Sarabi

In 2005, Habiba Sarabi made history when she became Afghanistan’s first female governor, appointed by President Karzai to run the province of Bamiyan. It was a bold move, but Sarabi had no intention of meekly maintaining the status quo despite her country’s views on women in power. Knowing that Bamiyan is one of Afghanistan’s most beautiful areas, known for the massive Buddha statues that were destroyed by the Taliban, Sarabi has campaigned to turn the natural charm of her home into a money-making tourist attraction. Her work includes the establishment of the Band-e-Amir National Park.

Lisa Jackson

Fighting against the big businesses that pollute our air, waterways and communities is no easy task, especially when they’ve got billions of lobbying dollars on their side.  And whether you agree with her even-handed approach or wish she would take a bolder stance, Lisa P. Jackson, the current head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, is one of our most important allies. With nearly 25 years of environmental leadership under her belt, Jackson looks for ways to compromise with corporations and is without a doubt one of the leading female influencers in our nation.

Sangduen Chailert

Known as Thailand’s Elephant Queen, Sangduen ‘Lek’ Chailert developed a deep love for endangered Asian elephants as a child when her grandfather adopted a baby elephant named Tongkum, or ‘Golden One’. So it’s no surprise that she is now one of the most prominent advocates for the animals, which are threatened by poaching and habitat encroachment. Lek’s conservation work has been highlighted in documentaries by National Geographic, Animal Planet and the BBC.

Images: wikimedia commons,  ohio citizen, dhlovelife.com,  simransethi.com,  center for neighborhood technology, treehugger, mospeaks,  noaa.gov,  wikimedia commons,  lauriedavid.com, women of china,  juliabutterfly.com, peta, wikimedia commons, wikimedia commons, david sifry, white house archives, wikimedia commons, mikka22

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