Photo: Copyright © 2008 Oceana
 
Longtime ocean advocate Ted Danson is pressing Canada to take a more active role in efforts to reduce fisheries subsidies.

By Shermakaye Bass

Celebrities trade on their celebrity and always have – sometimes in not so earth-friendly ways. But among the nobler echelons of Hollywood, Manhattan and London, renown is fuel for green power. Instead of selling handbags made of rare reptilian skins, some of The Biz’s top stars try to protect these rare species, using their reputations, checkbooks and Rolodexes to aid our ailing planet.

Atop the green mountain are people like Robert Redford, Leonardo DiCaprio and Ed Begley – well-known spokesmen for the environment. But how many of us plebes realized that Pierce Brosnan is one of celebrity’s most committed eco-activists, supporting at least a dozen charities, or that Ted Danson is a key player and board member of the marine juggernaut Oceana.org.

There are many more, actually – dozens of celebrities who’ve thrown their green ideas into the ring, not just to green-wash or prop their careers, but to do the right thing, it seems. Ever wonder exactly what these famous stewards are committed to and why?

Here’s a sketchbook of five who are putting their money and hearts into making strides for Planet Earth: [Read more →]

By Harriet Blake

In Columbus, Ohio, yesterday Mayor Michael Coleman and his staff biked from their homes to the Ohio Statehouse, jacking up their heart rates and kicking-off the city’s 20-year Bicentennial Bikeways Plan.

Photo: City of Columbus
 
Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman

In Boston, Mayor Thomas Menino fought a stiff wind cycling a half mile from City Hall to Post Office Square to launch Massachusett’s Bay State Bike Week.

They weren’t the only ones. Across the country bicyclists and officials making a point about pollution-free commuting are celebrating national bike month, which pedaled into high gear this week, which is designated national Bike-to-Work Week in many American cities, as well as overseas. “The soaring price of gas is helping jump start a transportation revolution in Columbus,” said Mayor Coleman, “and we are proud to promote biking as an alternative to the automobile for commuters as well as recreation.” [Read more →]

By Harriet Blake

The greening of America’s college campuses is happening from coast to coast. Stanford University hosts a green dorm project; the University of Texas has started the McCombs Green Team; and Northwestern University sponsors the annual Green City Summer Institute.

At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, home to some of the world’s finest scientists and engineers, the green umbrella program is called the MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI) and like the university, it aims high, aspiring to be a “catalyst for transforming the energy landscape,” says Susan Hockfield, MIT president. [Read more →]

By Bill Sullivan

Charles Harris is here, there and everywhere. While the rest of the Winston Solar Car Team dotes over “Sun Hunter”, the eighth such vehicle in the organization’s nearly 20-year history, the captain surveys the scene, making sure everyone is playing his or her proper role.

“Everyone here is motivated. You don’t have to worry about that,” Harris says. “But sometimes kids aren’t working when they could be doing something. We ARE teenagers, after all.”

Not that you would guess as much from the scene at Dallas’ Winston School on this sunny spring afternoon. This is a no-nonsense operation, which isn’t to say it is no fun. Of a total k-12 enrollment of about 230 students, 17 at the high school level participate in the solar car project, devoting afternoons, weekends, and big chunks of their summer to what has become a world-famous program. [Read more →]

By Shermakaye Bass

In the 1918 silent film starring “Scraps,” the canine hero, Charlie Chaplin asserted, “It’s a Dog’s Life.” Back then, “a dog’s life” was a good thing.

Photo: American Humane Association

But these days environmentalists are wondering: What exactly does a dog’s life consist of? Just how safe are our dogs and cats, our birds, turtles and gerbils? What sorts of toxins are entering their world through everyday household items – or through pet products themselves? How can we learn more about these toxins, and what can we do to protect our furry beloveds, especially in light of increasing pet cancer rates?

[Read more →]

By Lynette Holloway

Eastman Chemical may have come out ahead in the recent move by the Canadian government to label bisphenol-a, a chemical found in some forms of plastic, as toxic.

That is because the company already manufactures plastic without the noxious chemical, which could put its product in great demand. Last fall, the company rolled out its Eastman Tritan co-polyester product after about five years of research and development, said Tracy Kilgore, a communications specialist whose company is based in Kingsport, Tenn. [Read more →]

By Bill Sullivan

Charles Stone expected to encounter a skeptic or two. He had done his research, and this outside-the-box idea seemed to make good sense, but the Director of Transportation for the Mansfield (Texas) Independent School District figured he still would have some explaining to do.

“Natural gas is a little unusual,” he says. “Most people think of it as, ‘See that house that exploded on TV?’” [Read more →]

Perhaps more than any other auto brand, General Motors’ Chevrolet division is applying various fuel-saving technologies across a wide range of vehicles, including full-size SUVs and pick-ups that are not usually thought of as environmentally friendly. The 2008 Tahoe Hybrid was even named Green Car of the Year by Green Car Journal. And Chevy is testing 100 fuel-cell vehicles with families in three American cities. Green Right Now recently caught up with Scott Settlemire, manager of Chevrolet shows and exhibits, at the Dallas Auto Show. In this interview, Settlemire talks about Chevy’s more fuel-efficient continuum of products that range from “gas friendly to gas free.”