This is the cutest Jake Gyllenhaal interview ever.

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The post This is Why Jake Gyllenhaal Loves Dogs… and Kisses appeared first on EcoSalon.

ColumnWhere celebrity becomes conscious.

I dated in Hollywood for nearly 10 years. This means two things. First, I cannot watch an episode of Entourage without having queasy-stomach flashbacks. Second, I can give a read on a Hollywood man like a tarot card reader off Sunset and Fountain. And just like you’d imagine, the Hollywood dating scene can be filled with more toxic waste than a Superfund site. So what’s an eco-sizzler or stud to do in such a polluted landscape?

Fear not, because we have your guide to a green single life in Hollywood. There are some lovely lads and lasses out there; you just have to look a little harder in the landscape of Tinsel Town. Behind every other PR-backed eco-hero in a tailored suit, it’s possible there’s a beloved organic garden hidden somewhere on his property. But how to find him or her? Here are the role models we recommend. Sure, not all of them are available, but for every Leonardo DiCaprio, there’s a hundred who follow. We bet.

(Writer’s note: Article is meant to be totally, completely, utterly taken seriously, otherwise we will all clearly end up damsels of green doom. That is all.)

The Eco Philanthropist: Leonardo DiCaprio

Successful, handsome, and green, we are all just moths to Leo’s environmentally-friendly flame. I mean. The man has an eco foundation. The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation “supports efforts to secure a sustainable future for our planets and all its inhabitants.” DiCaprio’s campaign du jour is to save the tigers of our world, of which only an estimated 3,200 are left in the wild. When a man makes it his sincere business to save the planet, what’s sexier than that?

The Earth Mother: Natalie Portman

There’s no question who does the eco-dancing with Ms. Portman. The committed vegetarian, who shed her vegan diet during her recent pregnancy, has also headlined a vegan shoe line. And what’s that winking on her finger? Why, it’s an eco-friendly engagement ring, made from recycle platinum and antique diamonds.

The Sensitive Soul: Adrian Grenier

Sensitive green men, perhaps the most omnipresent amongst our eco-brethren, find their king in Adrian Grenier. He makes nurturing the earth a priority by supporting green causes such as charity:water, which brings safe drinking water to people in developing nations. Grenier also owns the SHFT Gallery in downtown Los Angeles, which specialized in eco-friendly products and art.

The Family Man: Brad Pitt

The patriarch of the Jolie-Pitt brood makes philanthropy a priority in his life. After touring the devastation of the Lower Ninth Ward after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, he started the Make It Right Foundation to build as many as 150 eco-friendly homes in the region. Recently, he joined forces with the Hyatt Regency New Orleans to raise money for his foundation.

The PETA Princess: Alicia Silverstone

This vegan darling of the animal rights movement once stripped down for PETA to make her point about cruelty to animals. (The organization voted her “Sexiest Female Vegetarian” in 2004.) She recently collaborated with cosmetics company EcoTools to create an eco-friendly brush and makeup bag. And she promotes a planet-friendly, body-friendly, animal-friendly vegan lifestyle called The Kind Life.

The Green Foodie: Jamie Oliver

Oliver is leading a food revolution, determined to stem the tide against our penchant for fast food. The British chef advocates balanced, healthy eating from food that is locally grown. Oliver recently moved to Los Angeles to film ABC’s Food Revolution, which looks to attack obesity in America and to “change the way America feeds itself at home, in schools and on Main Street.”

The Vouching Vegan: Ellen DeGeneres

The reigning queen of daytime television talk shows took the vegan plunge in 2008 with wife Portia de Rossi. Now, Ms. DeGeneres should be known as a patron saint for a cruelty-free lifestyle. She often promotes vegan awareness on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and details her commitment on her web site.

The Sustainable Stud: Jake Gyllenhaal

We’ve made no secret of our great love for the Gyllenhaal. To quote ourselves, “Recently, [Jake] teamed up with Chez Panisse creator and chef Alice Waters to help promote the Edible Schoolyard Program.” Further, he is friend to the Inuits and often offsets his carbon footprint by planting trees.
Who did we miss? Tell us about the green heroes and heroines in your own life.

This is the latest installment in Katherine Butler’s column, Shade Grown Hollywood, where celebrity becomes conscious. “Shade grown” refers literally to shade grown coffee, a farming method that “incorporates principles of natural ecology to promote natural ecological relationships.” Shade Grown is our sustainable twist on Hollywood.

Image: 21560098@N06/Flickr

The post Shade Grown Hollywood: The Guide to Dating Sustainable Stars appeared first on EcoSalon.

Sometimes, an article needs to be set to song. Go ahead, click, and come back to us in a new window. We trust you. All set? Great. Our February Man We Love had to be introduced against Bonnie Tyler’s “Holding Out For a Hero” because he is all things dreamy and heroic. He is actor Jake Gyllenhaal, and here’s why we adore him.

First, look at him. Dreamy! With an “everyman” look about him, he could be your hunky next-door-neighbor with a penchant for sit ups. He’s the sensitive high school English teacher who first introduces young minds to the idea that Romeo and Juliet wasn’t originally a Leonardo DiCaprio movie. He’s a modern day Clark Gable with a dash of Jimmy Stewart smarts.

Second, Jake can play buff superhero types and iconic sensitive leads. He made creepy Donnie Darko endearing. His Jack Twist in Brokeback Mountain was heartbreaking and will be remember for decades. He went blockbuster buff as Dastan in the Prince of Persia and then circled back as sensitive in the barely seen but critically-hailed Brothers. He’s fearless in his portrayals of relatable yet sensitive men and has a range of talent not easily paralleled in his peer group.

And, steady against swoons, Jake lives the conscious life. Recently, he teamed up with Chez Panisse creator and chef Alice Waters to help promote the Edible Schoolyard Program. Via Berkleyside, this is a “Berkeley-based program which teaches students in schools across the country how to grow and cook their own food.” As Gyllenhaal said of the collaboration, “I care deeply about helping children better their health, communities and environment…The Chez Panisse Foundation is not only offering an education that students will benefit from for the rest of their lives, but they’re a leading force in the movement to change the future of this country’s youngest generations.”

Accordingly, Jake has started showing up in schoolyards to promote healthy eating. In October, he appeared at Brooklyn’s P.S. 216 to look over “an organic garden and landscape that is wholly integrated into the school’s curriculum, culture, and food program.”

But our Jakey takes healthy eating a step further. When not concerned about children’s diets, he admits to whipping up a romantic, farmers’ market fresh meal for a special someone. Jake shares, “If I’m making a romantic dinner, I like to go to a farmers’ market first, buy things fresh and come up with my own dish based on whatever I’ve bought. I grow my own vegetables at home because I love fresh food,” he added. ”I don’t follow a special diet but I try and eat well, so I grow my own vegetables.” That sound you just heard was the swoon heard round the world.

Want more men to love? Check out Ryan Gosling, Mr. December, and Jonathan Franzen, Mr. January.

Images: Wikimedia Commons, ramsey everydaypants

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