Smell So Fresh, So Green

Saplings! I’m sorry I’ve been away for so long. You know the theory that sea salt soothes the young straight to sleep? Applies to the old, too, or at least the slightly older. Spending my days at the Jersey Shore – but far from the Snookis and Situations – I’ve been selfishly soaking up the sun. Blame my frivolity on youth, a spontaneous trip to Quebec, Taylor Swift (the video for “Mine” is adorable) – the summer has kept me away from you all, but I’m still solidly green.

Of course, you could credit my return to the school books and teacher’s dirty looks that accompany September. Back on board and now in grad school (!) at Tisch, I walk around campus and am reminded of the countless hours I spent on this blog. I read through the posts now and get nostalgic for real school when teachers gave me grades and midterm report cards and, aw, you know? Now, I all I have to do is read (essentially), plus two papers per class, which has its benefits. I get more sleep, more than four hours regularly. It also has the effect of making me feel like a bum, which is why I am back to blogging, waxing poetic on all things green with a touch of sparkle.

And since I’ve been such a stinker (hey, no Garden Stater can avoid the Jersey Shore stench entirely), I thought I’d start off September with an eco-friendly stank, complements of Ms. Donna Karan. It’s called pureDKNY and it’s oh-so-green.

To explain, the bottle is made from recycled glass. Likewise, the packaging is being constructed in a carbon neutral facility, which means that the energy is 100 percent reusable. And for all you animal lovers out there – I have a cuddly couple myself, including a sappy golden retriever, Linus, and a sarcastic grey tabby, Lucy – DKNY scents (including the apple-scented Be Delicious) are never tested on our furry friends.

More importantly, the “drop of vanilla” extract used in pureDKNY comes from a fair trade farm in Uganda. The facility promotes safe working conditions for its farmers – 60 percent of which are women – and fair wages. Congress could learn a thing or two from this model of efficiency, eco-consciousness and care, no?

Let’s leave it here for now. Missed you all like I miss sand between my toes.

XO, The Green Gamine

A Night at the Museum with Avis Cyrus

Miley Cyrus bumps, grinds and molts in the video for her new single, the pointedly named ‘Can’t Be Tamed.’ As if this were her first declaration of independence! Still, I didn’t expect to see Hannah Montana chained in a Shakira cage before running through the halls of the Museum of Natural History, sporting a pair of Paul Bettany’s wings from Legion. Girlfriend goes Gaga-lite for this video and let’s be frank, it’s such a spectacle of hot messiness, I’ve watched it at least eight times – in the last hour. Hitchcock would be proud.

And because I’m such a fan of the Cyrus – and her evolution from Disney princess to “LEMME DO CLASSY PORN!” – I’m going to spearhead a green campaign: Miley Cyrus for Mother Nature. Yes, Lady Gaga reuses Diet Coke cans. Pearl Jam seeds the rain forest. Christina Aguilera recycles everyone else’s music. But Miley Cyrus, or Avis Cyrus as she’s now known (who says they don’t teach evolution on the Disney backlot?), did something unexpected here:

Cyrus in The Blonds Fall 2010 peacock corset and dress: $25,000. The effect: Priceless.

Britney Spears between red latex shots.

By completely ripping off Ms. Spears’ ‘Oops…I did it again’ video – really, just swap Cyrus’ sparkly corset and bed of peacock feathers for Spears’ white belly bearing get-up and spiderweb of real people – she is actually encouraging her fan base (the 6 to 12 set) to go to the museum and learn shit. This all while channeling Big Bird gone bad. It don’t get more tame than that! Or more educational! The video purports that the poptart is the last Miley on Earth. This is serious, kids. We’re talking extinction. Thanks for bringing the subject to the forefront, Miles.

Check out Miley’s service announcement above. Next up, the teen queen does a counting video. (Oh, wait…)

XO, The Green Gamine

P.S. Hope y’all had a rockin’ Earth Day. Finals got the best of me.

Cher Horowitz Gets Honored

Who said Beverly Hills Betties are Clueless? Faboosh actress, author and vegan Alicia Silverstone, fondly remembered as Cher Horowitz from the 90s classic Clueless, will be honored with the Voice of Compassion award at this year’s Art of Compassion Gala, hosted by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. This makes me way excited.

Silverstone apparently snagged the award by voicing and exemplifying the many advantages to living vegan. The short list includes an Amberlicious amount of energy, a slim physique and clear skin. Sign me up!

The Idol host with the least to contribute, formerly known as Ellen Degeneres, was awarded the same honor earlier this week on her daytime talk show. Marilu Henner, actress and activist, currently lobbying for revisions to the Child Nutrition Act, will also be honored alongside Silverstone at the Gala. (Does anybody remember who she is?)

Alec Baldwin, who once inspired Silverstone’s Cher to refer to all attractive men as ‘Baldwins,’ is expected to attend. Tofu aficionado Moby and Katherine ‘Get Me Off This Show – I’m Done Sleeping With Dead People’ Heigl should be there, too.

Sounds swanky. Makes me want to pop in my Clueless VHS and reminisce. Oh, and of course, consider veganism.

XO, The Green Gamine

Wizard of Central Park?

In March, Selena Gomez, simply seen by many as the Latina Hannah Montana, used her Manhattan magic to score a Kid’s Choice Award. Now the seventeen-year-old mini-mogul has announced her plans to release an eco-friendly fashion line with Kmart. She’s calling the line Dream Out Loud. I’m calling it Quit Dreaming You’re Miley Cyrus.

Alright, I’m a little protective of the Miley. But seriously, does this stunt not seem a little suspect to you? Disney star turned pop singer (accompanied by a band called The Scene to seem more legit), turned fashion designer (with a penchant for organic clothing to seem more legit)? Sounds like a familiar Disney fairytale to me, only in this remake, Max Azria isn’t featured as the Fairy Godfather. Downgrade.

Since she’s cute as a button and a sworn virgin, the Wizards of Waverly Place starlet does seem to have the parental stamp of approval over Ms. Cyrus, who has been known to ‘Party in the USA’ atop a pole-sporting ice cream wagon or two. And yet, despite her involvement in last year’s green-focused Disney single – encouragingly titled ‘Send It On’ – she strikes me as eco-insincere. If girlfriend wants to legitimize herself, I suggest she do something unique to her, like unpublicized charity work for instance.

If you plant a sapling in the woods, will anyone know? The answer is yes, especially if you are a budding celebutot hounded by the paparazzi. No need to shout. We’ll read about your good deeds in next week’s Us Weekly.

XO, The Green Gamine

Avatar to Plant a Million Trees

Burn one down, plant a million more.

That’s a lot of potential hair sex! Which reminds me, did you know that the IMAX DVD release of Avatar this summer will include an extra 6 to 10 minutes of completed footage? Director James Cameron promises this will include the “explicit” tail sex scene (!) between Jake and Neytiri, for the anthropological sort. C’mon, you witches and warlocks, don’t pretend you’re not pumped.

But back to April’s Cameron cut. As I’m sure you’ve heard, and as I’ve posted previously, the unornamented Avatar DVD is getting an Earth Day release. Convenient and gimmicky, but also cute considering director James Cameron‘s newfound commitment to our planet. Cameron and Co. promise to plant one million trees upon the DVD’s release, a partnership with Earth Day Network. Kathleen Rogers, President of Earth Day Network, has said that she hopes her organization’s partnership with Twentieth Century Fox “will inspire others to stand up against climate change for Earth Day.”

Are your goals as lofty for this 40th anniversary of Earth Day?

XO, The Green Gamine

On the Queen of Diet Coke

Drink me.

I love Lady Gaga just as much as the next little monster. Every girl knows what it’s like to wake up one morning and discover that her heart has been eaten. However, just because her ingenuity has reached the level of Diet Coke can hair rollers does not make her Mother Nature. (I’m talking to you, Ecorazzi and Ecouterre.)

Gaga’s video for ‘Telephone’ is a revolving advertisement both for brands she supports (i.e. her own Monster Heartbeats, tour sponsor Boost Mobile) and others. Still, I think her reason for curling her ‘cues with Coke cans, as explained by Gaga herself, is far cuter than politics or PR.

Of her Coke can fetish, Gaga admits, “My mom used to do that when I was a kid. If we didn’t have any rollers in the house, she’d slice up some Coke cans and then she’d heat them up and pin them in her hair.”

See, guys? It’s a family affair, complete with a cameo by her teenage sister Natali Germanotta. (She would be the brunette Gaga lookalike in the ‘Telephone’ video at the 2:47 point.) Go revel in the music – not the unintentional initiative.

XO, The Green Gamine

The Weekend Reading List

ScarJo and Michelle: Maybe they're pen pals, too.

A rundown of the greenest happenings ’round town…

Leading lady Scarlett Johansson backs Michelle Obama, refuses to eat mystery meat. [U.S. News]

PBS to debut 2009 Sundance darling Earth Days on Facebook. [Channel Guide Magazine]

Victoria’s Secret drops organic line introduces ‘natural’ line for PINK – whatever that means. [ecorazzi]

Kate Moss models recycled mosquito net dress, fights malaria. [Daily Mail Online]

FernGully wannabe Avatar gets an Earth Day DVD release. [L.A. Times]

Runaways rocker Joan Jett releases ‘Greatest Hits’ in eco-friendly packaging. [Tonic]

XO, The Green Gamine

A few of Emma‘s favorite things

As every Muggle with her wits about her knows, British actress and Brown student Emma Watson, or as Potterphiles worldwide refer to her Hermione Granger, has just launched an organic, spring collection with fair trade company People Tree. Now that the catalogue of items has been released, I’m going to point out a few of my favorites from the collection Love from Emma.

The first is a T-shirt dress with the cheeky screen print “please don’t panic…I’m organic.” A cute greenism I have yet to hear. Added points for exposing all the partiers in the USA to some English manners.

The second item is perhaps my favorite item in the collection. It’s a forest green vest featuring a stitched crest of a golden lion atop the inscription “School of Fair Trade.” Not only is this vest so prep school, but it’s so Gryffindor. If Mrs. Weasley gave up the housewife act and decided to knit Harry and Ron ballin’ sweaters, I’m pretty sure this is what they’d have looked like. If you have no idea what I just said, go back to grammar school (do not pass Go, do not collect £200). The crest also comes in pin form.

The other two items are from Emma’s boys collection. The first is an ivory T-shirt emblazoned with a golden star attached to a red and green pin. Below the pin, the shirt reads Fair Trade Fashion Award. Will we see Watson designing red carpet attire one day? We shall see what the face of Burberry does next.

Finally, my last pick is a boy’s tank that brings the phrase “pick your poison” to life. It features a half full (or empty, depending) glass of questionable, emerald green potion with the words “I’m not toxic.” Honestly, I’m mostly enjoying the use of color here, and the way in which it conveys the dire state of our environment without getting preachy.

Have you ordered Emma’s green tees from across the pond yet? I’d love to hear how they hold up in real life.

XO, The Green Gamine

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Lovebirds Demi and Joe Make a Splash

Welcome back, lovers! I recently had the shock of my quasi-professional existence when I discovered that my precious website had suddenly disappeared! Perhaps you noticed? To be quite honest, I hadn’t, that is until my mother – my most loyal fan – informed me she could no longer access the site…!

Never fear: the Green Gamine is back and greener than ever. And in true form, I would like to celebrate the House of Mouse’s latest Ode to the Sea. As I am sure you already know, Disneynature, the “independent” film label that brought you earth is prepping to release Oceans. And on April 22, 2010, the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, no less. (Editor’s note: No, the lowercase “e” in earth is not a typo. I have yet to discover why Oceans is allowed to maintain a proper movie title with a capitalized “O”, while earth is stuck looking like an advertisemnt for Teen Vogue. If you know, please share.)

The news is that just days ago, Disney finally released Oceans‘ obligatory tween theme, a duet by none other than Disney’s new Brangelina: Demi Lovato and Joe Jonas. (Insert swoon.) Their song is aptly entitled “Make a Wave” and it features seals, otters, penguins and the like. I would recommend checking it out, even if only to be reminded that young love – true love (winknodnudge) – still exists. Also, if you decide to purchase the track via iTunes, Steve Jobs will send your $1.29 straight to various, unidentified environemntal relief organizations.

But seriously, this followup to “Send It On” – which also featured recently retired Hannah Montana and Selena Gomez – has some seriously good singing, especially on Demi’s part. She’s becoming markedly less annoying and has finally grown into her oversized grin. With Miley moving on to bigger and better Nicholas Sparks projects, Demi is quickly becoming my favorite Mouseketeer.

Watch these lovebirds make waves below. And excuse my corny humor.

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On Killing Christmas

Big Ben in Macy's Holiday Display, 2007

This one’s for our friends across the pond.

Obviously, I love me some eco-fanatics. But, for those of you who don’t regularly check my green shopping tab, I am also a sucker for pretty things that make me smile. This includes diamonds, bright lights, and Christmas. Shiny.  So, when BBC News reported that those Brits, in keeping with the Carbon Reduction Commitment, were considering pulling the plug on nighttime window displays, I was a tad taken aback. (This may have been in part due to the editor’s photo choice: a small shop’s Christmas display.)

They have a point, of course. Supermarkets and small chains – which were cited as major offenders – probably don’t need their lights glaring all night long. But what about Christmas displays? I wouldn’t bring it up if it weren’t implied through the picture choice that the British are coming…and leaving with Christmas. What if New York decided that the trippy 5th Avenue snowflakes or the nostalgic display on 34th Street was not worth keeping lit? Better yet, what if our mayor decreed Times Square’s energy inefficiency be put to an end (as he’s threatened before)?