The Hulk Mark Ruffalo Hosts Party for Renewable Energy in Africa

by Nadine Weil

[This guest post is by Nadine Weil, Founder Heart of Green. 

All photos are by Drew Altizer]

The eco-glitterati came together on Thursday evening June 21 to bask in the glow of Empowered By Light’s second annual Light Up The Night party, a sold out affair in San Francisco. Fresh off his movie premiere of “The Avengers,” Oscar-nominated actor 

Mark Ruffalo flexed his celebrity muscle and co-hosted the party held at Roe to bring 

renewable energy to rural Zambia.

A beloved advocate for the environment, Ruffalo told the cheering crowd that it is time 

to move beyond fossil fuels and harness the power of sunlight. “I support Empowered 

by Light because they are bringing light and renewable energy to those who don’t yet 

have it. They are teaching whole nations that we don’t need fossil fuels to be modern,” 

exclaimed Ruffalo. The actor is a green superhero (The Hulk) not just on the big screen 

but also in real life, where he has a solar array on his New York home and spends many 

weekends battling the practice of natural gas drilling or “fracking.”

Guests at the party enjoyed organic bites from Roe and sipped on eco-friendly cocktails 

from VeeV Acai Spirit, sustainable varietals from eco.love Wines, and organic yerba 

mate beer from MateVeza. VIP partygoers received gifts of stylish Lifefactory glass 

bottles and RunRunRun bags made, coincidentally, from recycled water bottles.

Empowered By Light was founded last year by Marco Krapels, Moira Hanes and

Gianluca Signorelli to improve lives through clean, renewable technology. With their

Solar: Zambia project, they are delivering thousands of solar-powered LED lights and

cell phone charger kits to rural African families and schools.

A recent trip to Zambia in May showed that the LED lights are not only eliminating

the hazards and pollution of open-flame kerosene lamps but also helping the children

improve their performance in school. The Ministry of Education in Zambia informed

Empowered by Light that school children using the organization’s lights improved their

test scores by as much as 236 percent.

“During our last deployment, we saw first-hand the incredible impact our lights are

having,” said Krapels. “It’s richly rewarding to think that tonight, 8,000 children in rural

Zambia are reading because of our efforts, where previously they would have been in

total darkness.”

Krapels also announced the organization’s plans, in partnership with Suntech America, 

to install a sun-powered, micro grid system for Sioma High School in Zambia.

As a highlight of the event, Andrew Birch, the dashing CEO of solar company

Sungevity, presented Empowered By Light with a $40,000 donation to support the new

grid. “There is a universal need for electricity but a fundamental lack of access,” said

Birch. “Empowered by Light is making a difference in rural Zambia, and we are proud to 

be making a difference with them.”

The festivities were sponsored by environmental heavyweights Rabobank, Clif Bar,

Suntech, Lemnis Lighting, Heart of Green, and SHFT. Overall, it was a blockbuster,

star-studded evening where guests left feeling on cloud nine about their ability to make 

the world a lighter and greener place. For more scoop on the organization, please visit 

www.empoweredbylight.org

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The Hulk Mark Ruffalo Hosts Party for Renewable Energy in Africa

A-List Celebrities With Green Businesses

by Eliza Morgan

Not all celebrities are about Hollywood glamour, fast cars, and making money only. In fact, some of the most successful celebrities are about quite the opposite: saving the environment. Celebrities who have been in the business for some time are now opting to use their influence to create environmental programs and business solutions. Here is a sampling of some of the world’s most famous people today, working to create a better world for tomorrow through business:

1. Kevin Costner

Kevin Costner was the perfect personal defender in Bodyguard, and now he is defending the planet as well. His environmental protection business Ocean Therapy Solutions has spent over fifteen years designing a new centrifuge that can clean up about 2,000 barrels of oil out of seawater every day. After the BP oil spill, the company used Ocean Therapy Solutions to clean much of the coastal spill.

2. Cameron Diaz

While Cameron may be known for her goofy roles in some of the most beloved modern

comedies, this funny girl sees nothing to joke about when it comes to environmental

preservation. She has recently launched a new show on MTV, Trippin, where she heads around the world to experience first-hand some of the most dire environmental needs.

3. Rachael McAdams

Best known for her roles in The Notebook and Mean Girls Rachel McAdams is one of the top talents in young Hollywood. She is also an avid environmentalist who prefers to unplug, ride her bike, and recycle everything possible. She has also started her own site Green is Sexy to show others how to do the same.

4. Willie Nelson

Willie Nelson is not only a legendary country singer, he has also always had a fondness for the open road. It’s no surprise that he co-founded a biodiesel fuel company that produces a soybean and vegetable fuel named Bio Willie in an effort to reduce the United States’ dependence of foreign oil and minimize the threat to the environment. The fuel is currently sold by Earth Biodiesel Inc.

5. Daryl Hannah

Daryl Hannah is a beauty icon and talented actress who is also very environmentally active. She owns her own online store Love Life Goods where she sells sustainable, recycled and organic lifestyle products. From beauty treats, to clothing, to composters, this site covers it.

6. Ed Begley, Jr.

Ed Begley, Jr. has been a longtime A-list celeb and many people know he has also been a longtime proponent of environmentally friendly lifestyles. Once he rejected a limo to drive him to the Academy Awards, preferring to show up right on time on his bicycle. He currently owns a company that manufactures and sells a line of green cleaning products, Begley’s Best. They are made from completely natural, but effective, ingredients and are guaranteed to be non-harmful for the environment, for animals, and for humans.

This guest post is by Eliza Morgan, a full time freelance writer and blogger. She specializes in writing about business credit cards and other business related topics. 

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A-List Celebrities With Green Businesses

Suki Tinted Active Moisturizer

by Paige Donner

White Willow Salicins and Natural Retinol Liposomes are just a couple of the ingredients in this latest evolution of Suki Tinted Active Moisturizer. If there's one thing that Suki does, it's that she listens... she listens to her skin's needs, she listens to her clients' skin needs and then she develops and formulates her synthetic-free advanced technology pure makeup accordingly.

I've never had the luxury of applying a foundation that actually feels like it's soothing as it makes contact with my sensitive facial skin. In this much-improved product, the Suki Tinted Active Moisturizer, my skin benefits from the comfrey-sourced allantoin to make the application feel like a treatment for my skin that I'm applying underneath the rest of my makeup. 

I've also learned to regulate the thickness of coverage by taking Suki's advice and mixing a pump of the foundation with a dab of my favorite Suki Balancing Day Lotion to achieve a lighter coverage for day. For evening, I often use the tinted moisturizer, that goes on like a foundation alone for deeper coverage. 

I love that when I wear this makeup, I can trust that it's boosting my natural cell turnover and collagen synthesis. That it fights free radicals with its vitamin packed antioxidant, a proprietary Suki blend of high potency botanic concentrate, is a big bonus, especially amidst big city living. And don't get me wrong, I truly appreciate the anti-wrinkle properties she's formulated with vegetable-sourced retinol polypeptide liposomes, but it's the soothing feel my skin adores from the product's standardized white willow bark based ingredient when I smooth on a swath of it across my cheeks, chin, forehead and nose in the mornings. That's when I feel ready and good to greet the day.

*All Suki Pure beauty products are cruelty-free and never tested on animals. 

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Suki Tinted Active Moisturizer

Cleantech Connect Creates World of Connections

Cleantech Conference & Expo  June 18-21, 2012 - Santa Clara, CA  Click Here for Discount Registration Code

by Paige Donner

As an exhibitor at this year’s TechConnect Summit, Pixelligent Technologies has found that participating in this annual event has its payoffs. Craig Bandes, CEO of Pixelligent and a presenter at TechConnect Ventures for multiple years, says that, “We started looking for conferences that were focusing on nanotechnology about 3 years ago and TechConnect was the largest gathering of potential partners and vendors that we could find in North America.  We have presented in the Innovation Showcase for the past 2 years and will present again this year.  TechConnect has proven to be our most productive conference of the year.”

Not just the private sector but the public sector as well stands to gain through strategic attendance and participation at TechConnect Summits, this year’s held in the San Francisco Bay Area, a geographic zone that has proven attractive in particular to nanotechnology start-ups and companies. Dina Lozofsky, who also serves on the TehcConnect Advisory Committee in addition to her role as Sr. Licensing Officer at UC Santa Barbara, says that, “At Tech Connect I have made many good contacts at the event that have proven to be valuable for pursuing my organization's goals.  Tech Connect has also given us good opportunities to showcase our technologies available for licensing and our startups the opportunity to present to potential partners and investors.”

Can participants look for tangible outcomes from attending or exhibiting at Cleantech Connect Summits? I posed this question to Didier Leconte, President and General Manager at MSBi Valorisation and formerly with Univalor. His response bears testimony to several concrete outcomes from his experiences: “I met several representatives from companies during my first TechConnect Summit (and then after) and ultimately signed a commercialization agreement with one, in addition to developing long lasting relationships.” He added that he thinks “the location this year represents a great opportunity to network in the Bay area.”

Can exposure to a large array of participating companies at a summit like TechConnect World be potentially beneficial? Yes and no seems to be the answers, with an emphasis on potential. For example, University of Minnesota’s Leza Besemann, a Technology Strategy Manager and also on the TechConnect Advisory Committee, says that, “TechConnect provides a great venue to not only promote our available technologies but also to get market feedback and input on the commercial viability of these technologies.” And on the subject of leveraging networking opportunities presented by Summit participation, she says, “We obtained contacts at large companies such as Dow, Honda and Kodak that were potential licensees for our technologies.” She added that they are looking forward to the Innovation Summit,  “which is yet another opportunity to increase awareness of the University of Minnesota and our technologies.”

Boris Kobrin, CEO and Co-Founder of Rolith, Inc. had a different take-away: “We participated in TechConnect in 2011. Except a few new contacts no positive outcomes we have seen so far. Even personal meetings requested by 2 corporate partners (Dow and Lockheed) were not useful at all.” However, Rolith will be participating again at this year’s summit and Kobrin says that some of the highlights that keep him coming back are the exposure to the other participating companies that “positively impact our fundraising and partnership-building activities,” and the requests for meetings from two corporate partners - Applied Materials and SK Innovation.

Paige Donner is the Founding Editor of the Green Blog Network. The Green Blog Network is an official Media Partner of TechConnect World Summit 2012.

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Cleantech Connect Creates World of Connections

Cannes Film Festival Photos (from Bulgari)

Cannes, France May 25th – the following celebrities wore Bulgari jewelry at the 2012 amfAR's Cinema Against AIDS during the 65th Annual Cannes Film Festival at Hotel Du Cap on May 24th, 2012 in Cap D'Antibes, France.

•         Petra Nemcova

 ·          Aishwarya Rai Bachchan

 ·          Julianna Margulies

Petra wore a white gold and diamond necklace, diamond stud earrings and a white gold, diamond and ruby ring, all from Bulgari’s High Jewelry Collection

Aishwarya wore a yellow gold, emerald, ruby and diamond ring from Bulgari’s High Jewelry Collection

 

Julianna wore a white gold, diamond and mother of pearl ring and white gold, diamond and mother of pearl earrings , both from Bulgari’s High Jewelry Collection

 

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Cannes Film Festival Photos (from Bulgari)

Cannes Report: Eva Longoria & Denise Rich Hosted Charity Event

EVA LONGORIA & DENISE RICH HOSTED

CANNES CHARITY EVENT SPONSORED BY FREDERIQUE CONSTANT, THE-SPHERE.COM & RAFFLES MEMBERS CLUB

An Elegant & Star-Studded Evening Benefiting the Eva Longoria Foundation & Gabrielle’s Angel Foundation

“Luxury also means having the opportunity to contribute to helping those in need, as has Eva Longoria for many years. We totally share her values and we do everything in our power to support her.” – David Manoukian – Founder of The-Sphere.com.

WHERE:         The Lady Joy – Rich’s personal yacht

 Celebrity attendees included: Eva Longoria, Denise Rich, Diddy, Alec Baldwin, Roberto Cavalli, Michelle Rodriguez, Goga Ashkenazi, Fawaz Gruosi, Cassie, Amaury Nolasco, Tara Reid and many more.

ABOUT THE EVA LONGORIA FOUNDATION:

The Eva Longoria Foundation was established in 2010 by actress, activist and philanthropist Eva Longoria. This foundation has been established primarily for, but not limited to, two charitable causes: women in the Latino community and children. Our vision is to give women and girls the tools they need to reach their potential. The Eva Longoria Foundation supports programs that help girls excel in school and attend college. Additionally, we work to provide female entrepreneurs with career training, mentorship, capital and opportunity. By investing in women and girls, we hope to build a stronger future for our world. For more information, http://www.evalongoriafoundation.org/.

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Cannes Report: Eva Longoria & Denise Rich Hosted Charity Event

Constructing a Sustainable Future

by Kristie Lewis [Guest Blogger]

Top 3 Green Building Materials

For some time now our society has been leading an environmental revolution. We are dedicated to finding better more sustainable ways to live our lives on this precious Earth. 

One area of green initiative that has seen significant advancement in the last several years is green building and green construction. When constructing a building we must consider the location of the building, the actual construction of the building, the use of natural amenities, the types of materials used, and many more things to ensure that that structure truly promotes environmental and ecological sustainability. One of the most essential aspects of creating an environmentally conscious structure depends on the sustainability and "green-ness" of the building materials at use. There are numerous options available for the materials a builder, architect, and designer will use in a structure from the actual structural elements to the decorative elements of a space. These building materials are three of the greenest options out there. 

Managed Forest Wood

Real hard wood and specific wood color make a huge different to a designer's eye. For this reason, hardwood remains one of the most common and popular choices for many building elements from floors to ceiling rafters. Managed forest wood means that trees are planted and harvested like crops. We harvest select sizes of trees and carefully leave large areas undisturbed in growth areas. This prevents us from cutting down whole rainforests and disrupting entire ecosystems. 

Recycled Glass

Recycled glass provides a beautiful option for many design and architectural elements of a building. Many "green" houses use recycled glass tiles in kitchens and bathrooms. With such a huge amount of glass waste collected every year, just putting that material back into use improves our environment. 

Bamboo

Bamboo has become a hot design option for builders and designers throughout the world in recent years. Because bamboo grows so quickly and easily (in basically any climate), it is an extremely sustainable material. Bamboo is extremely strong and looks a lot like wood when used within a structure (though it's actually a grass). 

Byline:

This is a guest post by Kristie Lewis from construction management degree. She is a full time blogger from Texas. Besides blogging, she loves to spend her time gardening and travelling.

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Constructing a Sustainable Future

Sustainable Building Apprenticeship Program For Women

10-Week Women’s Earthbag Dome Building Apprenticeship in Canada  Lillooet, British Columbia, July 28-October 6, 2012 Kleiwerks International’s Women of the Americas Sustainability Initiative (WASI) is hosting a 10-week, hands-on natural building apprenticeship that brings together a group of women apprentices with an experienced team of earthbag builders and native St’at’imc community members. Their project is to construct a Healing & Cultural Arts Centre near Lillooet, BC. This training immersion provides participants with the opportunity to learn construction while building a dome from start to finish, develop leadership skills through facilitating local groups, work side-by-side with a community that is creating culturally appropriate local solutions, and document the story to share with wider audiences.   Ideal participants are women who have follow-up projects, intend to share what they learn, want to work in the natural building trades and be part of the growing natural building movement. “This apprenticeship is a unique opportunity for participants to delve into earthbag construction while building the envisioned creative cultural community commons with the people of T’it’qet and Lillooet who are engaged in proactively creating a vibrant future by combining traditional St’at’imc culture and values with refined sustainable and ecological solutions,” says Susannah Tedesco, local Program Coordinator.   Today’s building industry uses half of our planet’s resources, yet healthy, time-tested, affordable and soulful construction alternatives exist. These alternatives are based on reclaiming and refining the use of local and recycled materials. Coupled with indigenous knowledge and Permaculture design systems, natural building plays a profound role in creating a way of life that is good for people and the planet.    Instructors Fox McBride and Chloe Wolsey are teaming up for the first time, combining their extensive and global earthbag dome construction backgrounds. WASI Delegate Christine Jack is a Nlaka’pamux First Nations leader who resides in St’atimc Territory near Lillooet, BC. Guest Instructors, The Mudgirls are a network of natural builders from BC. WASI Coordinator, Susannah Tedesco, is devoted to rural grassroots initiatives that empower communities to create viable local living solutions.    Women of the Americas Sustainability Initiative (WASI) is an alliance of women leaders who construct, educate, organize, and advocate for strong and empowered communities through ecological design-build practices with the aim of creating a socially and ecologically resilient world.   For details or to apply visit: http://www.kleiwerks.org/wasi-canada-earthbagdome-apprenticeship-2012/. There are 12 seats available. The fee is $3,600, including tuition, meals, lodging and field trips. Photos:

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Sustainable Building Apprenticeship Program For Women

Tech Connect World Summit 2012 - Invitation and Discount Code

Receive 10% off when you register using the code 12GBN10

Register HERE http://www.techconnectworld.com

See Attached Invitation

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Premiere of Harmony at Sundance London Inspired by HRH The Prince of Wales

GREAT BEAR RAINFOREST SET TO SHINE IN WORLD PREMIERE OF HARMONY, INSPIRED BY HRH THE PRINCE OF WALES Filmed at King Pacific Lodge, environmental film debuts at inaugural Sundance London Film and Music festival NORTH VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, April 26, 2012 – Inspired by HRH The Prince of Wales (Prince Charles), Harmony, A New Way of Looking at Our World will make its world premiere on April 28th during the inaugural Sundance London Film and Music Festival. Harmony grows out of three decades of work by Prince Charles to find innovative solutions to the global environmental crisis, with the goal of creating a more sustainable, spiritual and harmonious relationship with the planet. The project, which filmed at King Pacific Lodge, a Rosewood Resort, features environmentalists, entrepreneurs, farmers, as well as business and government leaders who are working collectively to restore the balance between man and nature. While at King Pacific Lodge, producers captured spectacular images of the pristine wilderness along British Columbia’s coastline, and learned more about the lodge’s efforts as a leader in modern conservation and sustainable tourism. As a floating luxury wilderness lodge operating in the heart of the Great Bear Rainforest, King Pacific Lodge works hard to seamlessly blend sustainable philosophies and unparalleled luxury travel experiences, believing that fish counts are as important as thread counts. For more than a decade, the lodge has been at the forefront of creating a new model for sustainable tourism, one that embraces a triple bottom-line business philosophy equally concerned for social equity, environmental conservation, and creating both memorable and benevolent travel experiences for guests. King Pacific Lodge has made great strides in demonstrating this commitment; first by being the initial private tourism operator to forge a working partnership in 2001 with the Gitga’at First Nation in Hartley Bay, thereby recognizing their rights and title to their traditional territory, and by being the first resort in North America to offset its own carbon footprint as well as that of its guests. Additionally, Condé Nast Traveler has rated the lodge as the number one resort in Canada for four consecutive years. Harmony is produced and directed by Julie Bergman Sender and Stuart Sender, whose work has received Oscar nominations and a Director’s Guild nomination for best documentary feature. To view the trailer for Harmony, A New Way of Looking at Our World, visit www.TheHarmonyMovie.com.

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Premiere of Harmony at Sundance London Inspired by HRH The Prince of Wales