Paige Donner, Founder of Greening Hollywood and EcoPreneur Salon; and Janine Johnson, Founder of GreenWave Enterprises Host EcoPreneur Salon at Marrakesh House, Culver City, May ‘09.

Paine, owner of Marrakesh House used Shellie Collier, noted LEED AP, as his green building consultant.

Paige Donner’s Greening Hollywood presented the EcoPreneur Salon with co-host Janine Johnson, founder of non-profit Greenwave Enterprises. “We recognize that global progress is unstoppable, what makes us different are our wholistic solutions vs. simply green solutions. Our solutions are green, sustainable, forward-thinking, and ever-changing,” states Johnson who is now touring with band Crystal Method.   Johnson’s day job is working for environmentally sustainable property developer Kalia Living whose eco-communities are centered in Costa Rica.

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Talking with Corey Szopinski, Principal and Founder of Core Industries.

Your firm has worked on some pretty cool projects like Live Earth and Pepsi, 1% for the Planet and the Volkswagen Carbon Neutral Project. Tell us what your clients come to your company for and what makes Core Industries different from other interactive strategy, design and development firms.

We’re the next evolution of a boutique interactive marketing firm. We are one of the few very high end development shops that has a clear mission of focusing on the triple bottom line: people, planet and profit. Clients come to us because they know that we get invested in their projects, their company, and their people, because we care about what we’re doing… we not out to make a quick buck. In fact, our overall mission is to help foster the emerging green economy. Our way of doing that is by using graphic design, computer science and marketing strategy to help our clients be more “sustainable”. And for us sustainability has a dual meaning: it means being responsible for our environment, but it also means making sure the business is sustainable. In other words, we help our clients thrive, not just survive.

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Though on the outset, the two events have nothing in common (save for the fact that the Mumbai attacks led to the cancellation of the Live Earth event) and that climate change and terrorism are two diffrent challenges faced by our civilization today, the cause and consequences of the two are in some way pretty much the same. And in order to ensure a peaceful world, it is important that both these challenges are tackled - the earlier the better.

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Elections are always riddled with controversy over voting. There’s that whole Bush stolen election thing (I think he did it), voting machine accuracy and the latest GOP attacks on voter’s rights brought to light by the ACLU.

Yes, it seems the Republicans will do almost anything to keep voters away from the polls. Of course, they aren’t the only ones.

So how can you fight back? Well, you cannot actually vote twice - that would be illegal and very very wrong. But you can carpool to your voting booth, ensuring other greenies like yourself vote yes on good green policy and save fuel along the way! And Al Gore’s Live Earth has partnered with Zimride.com to help you out.

Carpolling, if you will.

Image source: © Miflippo | Dreamstime.com

According to Nielsen ratings, however, the three-hour special on NBC only received 2.7 million viewers and was the least-watched U.S. program on Saturday night. A total of 19 million people watched at least 6 minutes on NBC, CNBC, Telemundo, Sundance Channel, Bravo, MSNBC, and Universal HD. The event also occurred during the July 4th weekend, when most people usually aren't watching TV.

There has been skepticism about the event and its performers as it required many artists to fly to the events, some in private jets, and could have created more CO2 as a result of the concert. Al Gore has defended the cause as a start of a 3-5 year program with a message that reached out to 2 billion people across the world. While some celebrities such as Sting and Cameron Diaz take active participation in helping with the efforts, others may not. Madonna and Black Eyed Peas both performed new songs that they wrote for the event. The goal is that with the help of the celebrities, more people will be aware of the issues and even the celebrities that attended and performed at Live Earth learned a lot about the issues. Whether or not, the concert really made a difference is really hard to judge. What are your thoughts?

Sources:
Newsday.com
Foxnews.com

The Live Earth mega-concert will be happening this coming Saturday, and former VP Al Gore, Live Earth founder Kevin Wall and Alliance for Climate Protection CEO Cathy Zoi have announced a “7 Point Pledge” which will be available at the seven-continent event and online.

I PLEDGE:

1. To demand that my country join an international treaty within the next 2 years that cuts global warming pollution by 90% in developed countries and by more than half worldwide in time for the next generation to inherit a healthy earth;
2. To take personal action to help solve the climate crisis by reducing my own CO2 pollution as much as I can and offsetting the rest to become “carbon neutral;”
3. To fight for a moratorium on the construction of any new generating facility that burns coal without the capacity to safely trap and store the CO2;
4. To work for a dramatic increase in the energy efficiency of my home, workplace, school, place of worship, and means of transportation;
5. To fight for laws and policies that expand the use of renewable energy sources and reduce dependence on oil and coal;
6. To plant new trees and to join with others in preserving and protecting forests; and,
7. To buy from businesses and support leaders who share my commitment to solving the climate crisis and building a sustainable, just, and prosperous world for the 21st century.

Granted, it’s hard to picture the fan who tunes in to the show only because they think their favorite pop star is awesome taking the time to seriously contemplate the details of the 7 point pledge, but at the bottom of the online pledge is a “Click here to continue and sign the pledge” button which leads to a menu of commitments to choose from which may seem more realistic to the enviro-newbie.

• I will change four light bulbs to CFLs at my home.
• I will shop for the most energy efficient electronics and appliances.
• I will shut off my equipment and lights whenever I’m not using them.
• I will ride public transit or carpool one or more times per week.
• I will forward a Live Earth email message to 5 friends.
• Add my name to the Live Earth pledge.

Of course there will be the cliche of those who find themselves unable to separate the message from the messenger, but this is an increasingly shrinking and irrelevant group. Consider the following in sheer numbers. Event organizers are claiming an expectation that 2 billion people will view the event. Whether that figure plays out as reality or not remains to be seen, but keep in mind that since Live Aid reached about 1.5 billion viewers, viewership of at least a billion is not an unrealistic expectation for this weekend. If one-eighth of one percent of the viewers are moved to make even minor efforts toward conservation within their personal life, do the math and you can see that this is not without meaning.

Image Credit: Rolling Stone

RS uses an article on Live Earth, the worldwide series of concerts promoting global warming awareness set to take place on July 7th on all seven continents, to lure it's music fan readers into a green frame of mind. Set to be the biggest concert in history, yet drawing fire from many environmentalists because of the massive energy resources involved in staging ten large-scale concerts (technically nine…the Antarctic show, and there is one, will probably be an intimate affair) and the real purpose of the shows. To some, they seem like just, well, big concerts. However, the article gives some reassurance from organizer Kevin Wall: "You can't depend on your governments anymore. We have to mobilize an army, and that's what we're going to start doing."

RS follows the Live Earth article with its traditional celebrity-focused pieces. In one, singer/songwriter Jack Johnson's attempt to build a green record label, Brushfire Records, and recording studio is profiled. This is followed by brief interviews on sustainability with several Live Earth musicians such as Dave Matthews, Melissa Etheridge, and John Legend. Let's just say some really know what they're talking about, and a few seem, well, still clueless. Perry Farrell's eco-style is profiled in the regular Style profile (including a very cool organic-cotton hoodie from H&M).

Just before RS gets into the meat of their issues — three features on climate change — they take a page to introduce these articles and to announce that they are the first mass-marketed magazine to be printed on carbon-neutral paper from Catalyst Paper, although they've received considerable flak for the recycled content (zero) of the paper.

To start, Eric Bates and Jeff Goodell (whom you may remember I saw a few weeks back at Wakarusa) interview Al Gore. Although Gore interviews are hardly rare since An Inconvenient Truth, Bates and Goodell do a fine job. I enjoy Gore interviews much more than any other eco-celeb, mainly because I feel he is able to combine knowlege of climate change with extensive knowledge of our political system, making him an ideal leader in the fight for real change.

RS juxtaposes the Gore interview with, ironically, an all-out assault, condemning the Bush administration, specifically Dick Cheney, and its refusal to take any type of real action on climate change. Writer Tim Dickinson goes even further, citing multiple examples of the current administration's attempt to downplay climate science and censor government scientists. Included in the article is one clever insert showing the revolving door of conflicted interests that is the environmental advisors to the Bush administration, and another chart documenting statements Bush has made about environmental policy, and the reality of what happened after those statements were made.

The trio of features ends with Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s proposal for what must be done to cut carbon emissions. The five big things? Establish an emissions cap along with a global carbon market, eliminating new coal plants that don't sequester CO2 underground, build more efficient cars, ban incandescent light bulbs, and make net metering nationwide, with Kennedy explaining these ideas more fully throughout the article.

In conclusion, Rolling Stone's issue is worth the read, particularly if you were already going to check out the review of the new White Stripes album. It is more big-thinking than some other green issues, taking on policy and larger changes than just changing your light bulbs. If only it was printed on recycled paper with soy-based ink…a girl can dream, can't she?

Sure I may feel ill the second I've finished, but whether you're hung-over after a night of organic red wine, or simply want the toy in the Happy Meal – a little McyD’s never hurt.

They must put some crazy chemicals in their buns, even Angelina Jolie has trouble passing one up. At her Marie Claire photo shoot Angelina was served a luscious organic orgy of a meal, in respect for her environmental awareness – and she didn’t touch it. She sent her assistant across the street for a Big Mac. With all respect to our green ways, I suppose we can give her a break. I oddly respect her for that.

Live Earth ticket prices were released on Ticketmaster, prices range from a mere $53 to an astounding $348, for what appears to be the biggest-party-ever held this July 7th.

"Live Earth will use the global reach of music to engage people on a mass scale to combat our climate crisis. Live Earth will bring together more than 150 of the world's top musicians for 24-hours of music from 7 concerts across all 7 continents. Live Earth will bring together an audience of more than 2 billion at the concerts and through television, radio, film, and the Internet…led by Vice President Al Gore. Kevin Wall, Worldwide Executive Producer of Live 8, is producing Live Earth."

Check out the list rocking out in London:

BEASTIE BOYS, BLACK EYED PEAS, BLOC PARTY, CORINNE BAILEY RAE, DAMIEN RICE, DAVID GRAY, DURAN DURAN, FOO FIGHTERS, GENESIS, JAMES BLUNT, JOHN LEGEND, KEANE, MADONNA, PAOLO NUTINI, RAZORLIGHT, RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS, SNOW PATROL.

Queen Elizabeth II is ordering an environmental, first-ever audit of carbon emissions from her three official residences. According to the article: Green measures already taken by the palace include converting all vehicles of state used by the Queen - plus a London taxi driven by her husband Prince Philip - to run on LPG (liquefied petroleum gas). However, this is the first time an official environmental audit has taken place. The results will not be made public.

Orlando Bloom is featured on the cover of Elle's May “green issue” and he had some very refreshing things to say in his interview, aside from women and films. On speaking of his environmental activism, Bloom humbly replies, “I’m really not an expert on environmental matters,” Bloom says. “But I’m very passionate about the environment. And the more I learn about it, the more I realize that there are little things that everyone can do.’ For example, this week governor Arnold Schwarzenegger suggests we bring sexy into Green. "We have to make it mainstream. We have to make it sexy. We have to make it attractive so that everyone wants to participate," I think we all can do that.