But many celebs have not, even though they represent a select group who own a disproportionate number of outrageously excessive homes located in sunny places, and they may want to consider re-decorating their roofs with energy-generating silicon.

>> Don’t forget to show your support by voting for this article above.

If saving money and resources, or doing the right thing aren’t enough, every time a celebrity installs solar with BP Solar Neighbors program, a low-income home in South Los Angeles will receive a system as well. It also wouldn’t hurt for any of these people to spearhead their local solar panel collective bargaining clubs.

For your viewing pleasure (and our own personal enjoyment), we’ve rounded up the top ten heinously huge celebrity homes that probably should attempt to redeem themselves by installing solar panels. We’ve added DC nameplate rating quotes for each roof to show the wattage that would fit on the usable roof space, which was estimated by our resident solar expert and former solar installer. (An average home can fit about 4 kW, for your reference.)

Here they are, ranked from the smallest to largest potential system:

10. Ashlee Simpson, Beverly Hills, California, 2.5 kW

Pete Wentz said goodbye to his $1.8 million bachelor pad and hello to this $4.5 million home with Ashlee. They now live right around the corner from Demi and Ashton. Though this house isn’t ideal for solar, the installation could be just the distraction Ashlee needs right now.

Read more of this story »

Dear Mr. DiCaprio,

If you haven’t heard, there are reports that several years ago you bought a “pristine” Caribbean Island in the Central American country of Belize. It’s been the subject of speculation for some time, and there are many reports and rumors that you plan to build a “green resort.”

Seeing as that I just came across another one of these stories today, I would like to offer you some unsolicited advice, Leo, if I might.

Read more of this story »

With Election Day less than 24 hours away, Leo wants you to know that now is your chance to vote (the environment).

Read more of this story »

But being green has definitely gone mainstream, and from celebs like Julia Louis-Dreyfus with her lavish, multi-million dollar solar-powered home, to Pierce Brosnan, aptly named the ‘Best Dressed Environmentalist’ by the Sustainable Style Foundation, the stereotype of the gritty, unkempt nature wanderer that once dominated the category no longer applies.

Recently, MSN posted a list of the ‘Top 14 Green Celebrities,’ which contained some long-time environmental advocates and a few surprising new additions, all echoing a commitment to championing this important cause through various initiatives like Leonardo DiCaprio’s documentary film about global warming, the 11th Hour, featuring interviews with green leaders and a companion website where everyone can sign up to take action in their local communities, and George Clooney’s Oil Change, a campaign aimed at ending America’s independence on oil.  

Read more of this story »

Sunchips is helping the town of Greensburg to rebuild. Their first initiative was to donate $1 million to help build a solar-powered business incubator. It will eventually house 10 local businesses and help Greensburg residents return to their homes (many of them newly replaced).

Now Sunchips is taking another step to help Greensburg. When the tornado hit, it didn’t just destroy homes. It also destroyed the tree canopy in Greensburg. So a Facebook application was created called SunChips Greensburg widget that will allow Facebook users to add the widget to their profiles. For each widget that is added, SunChips will donate $1 towards replanting the tree canopy in Greensburg. The goal is to raise $50,000.

Read more of this story »

The movie has helped to bring energy and attention to reforming diamond operations with the goal of reinvesting more diamond money into the infrastructure and economies of these ruined nations. At the New York International Diamond Conference in February earlier this year an idea emerged to apply Fair Trade standards to the diamond industry in Africa as a first step toward reformation. During the conference Ed Zwick, producer of Blood Diamond, issued a passionate calling out of the diamond industry that inspired quick action.

The Rapaport Report, a leading diamond industry publication, wasted no time in working with the government of South Africa, the Fair Trade Labelling Organizations International and private diamond companies in bringing to market the first Fair Trade diamonds. The diamonds were on display last weekend at the Rapaport Fair Trade Conference held in Las Vegas.

Participants in the conference noted this year's marked difference in the industry's acceptance of ethical trade in diamonds and gems, no doubt in part to the influence of Blood Diamond combined with the rapid growth of Fair Trade and increasing consumer awareness.

Eric Braumwart, CEO of Columbia Gem House, a manufacturer of Fair Trade gems, noted how far the concept of ethical jewelry had evolved over the past few years. Recalling the scant interest in such jewelry at previous conferences as little as five years ago, he shared how some retailers had embraced the concept at this year’s JCK show. “This is the first show where we have had retailers walk into our booth and say ‘We’re ready to buy—we want to buy the concept,’ he said.

The South African diamond trade is already much more standardized and benign to the lives of laborers than its West African counterparts making it more easily certified. Now that a model exists in South Africa the work must begin to export Fair Trade certification and its accompanying improvements for diamond mine laborers and basic infrastructure improvements to the countries that desperately need the reform. And we can also hope that Fair Trade's focus on sustainable production will also help this historically dirty and environmentally indifferent business clean up its act.

5. Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, Beverly Hills, California, 26.4 kW

This six-bedroom Beverly Park mansion was purchased from Sylvester Stallone’s ex-wife in 2003 for $6.2 million, and is now on the market for $14.8 million. Though the couple have taught their children to recycle, going solar would make a lasting lesson as well.

4. Tiger Woods, Windermere, Florida, 38.6 kW

The golf superstar’s home boasts 6692 square feet and 8 bedrooms on Lake Isleworth. His other home on nearby Juniper Island uses 129 thousand gallons of water per month, much of which supports elaborate landscaping. You’d need a solar array the size of Texas to fix this mess, but panels on the roof would be a great start.

3. Leonardo DiCaprio, Los Angeles, California, 44.9 kW

This celebrity environmental activist owns an ecofriendly apartment complex in New York City, but there is no evidence that this albatross runs on renewable energy. Considering he has his own “ecosite”, we hope that solar panels are on the way.

2. Jennifer Aniston, Los Angeles, California, 90 kW

Jennifer upgraded from the cottage on Carbon Beach she rented after her split with Brad Pitt with this $15 million dollar mansion. It’s still a construction zone though she bought the property in 2006. Jennifer has hired three security guards to patrol the grounds during construction. Her roof layout is excellent for solar panels, and since she’s supposedly spent over $1 million on interior renovations, why not shell out for solar as well?

1. Barack Obama, Washington DC, 156.4 kW

Oh wait! He already does (sort of)!

32 solar panels were installed on the roof of the White House under Jimmy Carter in 1979, and were subsequently removed by Ronald Regean in 1986.

In September 2002, 167 solar panels and two solar thermal water systems were installed on a maintenance building close to the White House. We can’t give too much credit to dear old W since the National Park Service is responsible for both the building and the renewable energy installations.

It’s not too late to reverse Reagan’s actions and reinstate solar panels on the White House roof. The time for change has come again, and Obama could lead the way by providing support for renewable energy in Washington.

If you’re a celebrity we’ve mentioned here (or a reader who wants solar), it isn’t too late to redeem yourself. Get yourself a solar system or spearhead the local branch of solar community purchasing and get yourself and your neighbors a discount.

Images via Microsoft Virtual Earth

Image credit: U.S. Department of Defense photograph

I know some people who buy that magazine with pure shallow intent, just to be like, “oh god, my grandmother could be in this…” Not me of course. But my grandmother, dear ole’ Gladys, is the hottest 91 year old on the planet.

It’s been an interesting week, especially for Sheryl Crow, whom has clashed with politics and…The View. The night before Earth Day, Crow was attending the White House Correspondents Dinner and decided to chat up Karl Rove on global warming. This was a bad idea. Unfortunately, Rove acted how we would expect, stomped his foot like a spoiled school boy and his face turned the shade of a tomato on the verge of combustion. I'll let Crow explain the rest in her own words:

We asked Mr. Rove if he would consider taking a fresh look at the science of global warming. Much to our dismay, he immediately got combative. And it went downhill from there.

In his attempt to dismiss us, Mr. Rove turned to head toward his table, but as soon as he did so, Sheryl reached out to touch his arm. Karl swung around and spat, "Don't touch me." How hardened and removed from reality must a person be to refuse to be touched by Sheryl Crow? Unfazed, Sheryl abruptly responded, "You can't speak to us like that, you work for us." Karl then quipped, "I don't work for you, I work for the American people." To which Sheryl promptly reminded him, "We are the American people.

If that doesn’t make you stand up and cheer, I’m not sure what else will. In the second incident of the week, Crow urged college students to conserve toilet paper to one single square. The girls of ‘The View’ apparently didn’t get the sarcasm. Rosie O’Donnel actually managed to say something genuinely funny, along the lines of ‘one square, Sheryl have you seen my ass?’ I think we would rather not. Good stuff.

Our own Rebecca Carter, also of Ecorazzi posted a very funny video with Lewis Black mocking green celebrities on the Daily Show. It’s definitely worth watching and perhaps even poignant: “So there you have it, advice on saving the planet Earth from a bunch of people who couldn’t even save Planet Hollywood.”

Angelina Jolie lobbied in Washington yesterday for the world’s orphans and children at risk. She spoke on behalf of Global Action for Children, a non-partisan group seeking funding for orphaned children all over the world.

"The numbers associated with this problem are staggering," Jolie said in a statement. "It is overwhelming and the scale of the problem seems to give many an excuse for inaction.

"In many ways it is better to think of these children one by one, each deserving of our care and attention, each being of equal value and each being a test of whether justice — or injustice — will prevail," she said.

At Green Fest this past week Green Options had the opportunity to drink excellent beer from the Great Lakes Brewery with green celeb and musician Michael Kang of The String Cheese Incident. We all made a toast to "the farmers."

Also – my big bro, fellow blogger Michael d’Estries of Ecorazzi will be speaking at the Toronto Green Fest. Brings a tear to my eye Mike, I’m so proud! ; )

5. Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, Beverly Hills, California, 26.4 kW

This six-bedroom Beverly Park mansion was purchased from Sylvester Stallone’s ex-wife in 2003 for $6.2 million, and is now on the market for $14.8 million. Though the couple have taught their children to recycle, going solar would make a lasting lesson as well.

4. Tiger Woods, Windermere, Florida, 38.6 kW

The golf superstar’s home boasts 6692 square feet and 8 bedrooms on Lake Isleworth. His other home on nearby Juniper Island uses 129 thousand gallons of water per month, much of which supports elaborate landscaping. You’d need a solar array the size of Texas to fix this mess, but panels on the roof would be a great start.

3. Leonardo DiCaprio, Los Angeles, California, 44.9 kW

This celebrity environmental activist owns an ecofriendly apartment complex in New York City, but there is no evidence that this albatross runs on renewable energy. Considering he has his own “ecosite”, we hope that solar panels are on the way.

2. Jennifer Aniston, Los Angeles, California, 90 kW

Jennifer upgraded from the cottage on Carbon Beach she rented after her split with Brad Pitt with this $15 million dollar mansion. It’s still a construction zone though she bought the property in 2006. Jennifer has hired three security guards to patrol the grounds during construction. Her roof layout is excellent for solar panels, and since she’s supposedly spent over $1 million on interior renovations, why not shell out for solar as well?

1. Barack Obama, Washington DC, 156.4 kW

Oh wait! He already does (sort of)!

32 solar panels were installed on the roof of the White House under Jimmy Carter in 1979, and were subsequently removed by Ronald Regean in 1986.

In September 2002, 167 solar panels and two solar thermal water systems were installed on a maintenance building close to the White House. We can’t give too much credit to dear old W since the National Park Service is responsible for both the building and the renewable energy installations.

It’s not too late to reverse Reagan’s actions and reinstate solar panels on the White House roof. The time for change has come again, and Obama could lead the way by providing support for renewable energy in Washington.

If you’re a celebrity we’ve mentioned here (or a reader who wants solar), it isn’t too late to redeem yourself. Get yourself a solar system or spearhead the local branch of solar community purchasing and get yourself and your neighbors a discount.

Images via Microsoft Virtual Earth

Image credit: U.S. Department of Defense photograph