Give to those who need it most. And who are really cute.

With the holidays comin’ round the bend, I’m sure most of us are starting to think of gifts both for ourselves and for others.  And although receiving is arguably the most enjoyable part of the gift giving tradition, we must not forget others that need our help during this time.  Giving money or volunteering with any charity is awesome regardless of its cause, but I am an advocate of environmentally-geared charities.  Here are some of the top causes and their most reliable charities to get you in the giving mood this holiday season.

Forest Preservation: Because what would the holidays be like without trees covered in snow (or twinkle lights, if you hail from California as well)?  Forests form important ecosystems for many species of wildlife and plants.  Plus, trees are a great source of oxygen and an effective method of carbon sequestration which can lower greenhouse gas levels in the air.  Some of the top rated charities in this arena are: American Forests, The Pachamama Alliance, and Trees, Water, and People (TWP).

Ocean Protection:  The ocean is the world’s last frontier.  There are thousands of species that we do not fully understand or even know about yet.  The ocean exemplifies diversity in an ecosystem and is very essential to our life on earth.  Plus, dolphins are just adorable.  Help protect them and their habitat by donating to one of these charities: Oceana, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, The Surfrider Foundation, and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS). Read More »

Did you do your part to celebrate Earth Day this year? Maybe you showered with your man to conserve water or skipped the cardboard sleeve on your Starbucks to reduce paper waste. As for me, I went to a showing of DisneyNature’s new documentary film, Earth.

If you are into the kind of documentaries that make you feel incredibly guilty for living a lifestyle full of gas guzzling cars, 30 minute hot showers and an “ignorance is bliss” attitude, then this movie is not for you! Going in, I expected a deep-voiced narrator (most-likely Morgan Freeman) to describe how keeping my laptop charger plugged in is contributing to the deaths of adorable, innocent baby polar bears, but was pleasantly surprised at the opposite.

This film didn’t make me feel like a bag of crap for living in a world of consumerism. There was no finger pointing and guilt tripping here! However, the gorgeous views from around the world (and the stories of amazing animals) did make me think twice about not recycling my Red Bull. Instead of laying it on thick about the importance of what humans can do to help the planet, the narrator takes the viewer on a trip around the globe to educate you on the things we forget even exist.

Did you know that the Rainforest makes up only 3% of our land mass, but contributes more than 50% of our Earth’s oxygen? Not only did that fact blow my mind, but it inspired me to spend a Saturday not hungover in bed, but outside planting a garden instead.

But the facts and information presented were nothing compared to the film’s photography; I have never seen ocean water so crystal clear or trees so lushly green. Imagine what it would be like to take a helicopter tour over Hawaii and you can get an idea of what watching this movie was like. I especially loved the time lapsed sequences when you could watch a flower bloom in seconds and see an entire continent turn green with growth. My mouth hung open in awe at what our planet can do!

Oh, and the animals!  Watching the baby polar bears play in the snow had my heart melting along with the ice caps; and nothing is cuter than a furry little butt (as long as it’s on an animal and not my man).

The OCD bird who was obsessed with cleaning up his nest to attract a female had me cracking up in my seat. I barely know any guys who would go to the trouble of picking up a sock, let alone scour his room to spic-and-span standards! Those “chicks” in the forest have it made! When you’re not laughing at the birds, you’ll be rooting for several animal families as they run from predators and risk their lives in search of food and shelter. After learning that elephants trek for over a month just to find a drink of water, you’ll never hear me complain about a 3 mile run again (well, maybe).

If you haven’t gone to see this film yet, I am urging you to run out and buy a ticket. This is one documentary that is anything but boring and won’t have you feeling guilty when you do have to print out that 10 page essay or go for a drive. You’ll be cracking up at the animals, mouthing “WOW” at the gorgeous sights and become inspired to do your part to keep our world as beautiful as it has always been.

Don’t forget to stay for the ending credits! You can catch a hilarious blooper of the filmmakers crashing into a tree in their hot-air balloon. High comedy, I promise!

Today is 7/7/07 and besides being the biggest day for weddings, like, ever, it is a big day for Planet Earth. As I told you before, Live Earth, a concert to benefit the planet/spread awareness of global warming will rock the planet (from all around the world) from morning until night.

And while it will be an awesome show, today’s extravaganza is about a lot more than making some snacks and enjoying some good music with friends. Live Earth is a chance to begin something huge and make great strides in changing the way we treat this planet. And no one knows more about this than one Mr. Al Gore.

Who, by the way, personally sent me an email to alert me of the upcoming concert. Well, “personally” might be a strong word. Technically, I signed up for his email list and get updates from him weekly. But that is beside the point; the real point is that Mr. Gore has asked me to sign a pledge to change my actions and make a more positive impact on my beautiful planet. He also asked me to pass the pledge along.

So here it is: The Live Earth Pledge. Read it, click it and sign it. And begin making the difference that this earth so desperately needs.

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;” Read More »

Between studying for finals and watching episodes of Entourage this weekend, I took a little trip outside to catch some rays and noticed that the world was finally turning green! But the trees and the flowers aren’t the only things going green these days. It seems that people are getting a little greener too.

And they should be; after all, Sunday was Earth Day. To you, it may have seemed like nothing more than one day closer to the doom that is final exam week, but for many people (like Al Gore…and me), Sunday was another great excuse to talk about the current state of our planet and everything that lives on it.

Since my friends are really sick of me listing off reasons and ways to conserve energy and save the planet, I will share my list with you. And you will listen. Why? Because if you don’t, the future will hold extreme damage from hurricanes, many uber hot days, and the end of many adorable species of animals (like these cuties).

Saving the world isn’t even hard. Even the littlest changes can have a huge impact. Simply start with these 5 easy steps and we will be well on our way to a cleaner and happier planet:

1. Rent “An Inconvenient Truth”: Forget what you know about boring documentaries and Al Gore and put this bad boy on your Netflix queue. The film is packed full of years of research on global warming and really forces you to put your impact on the world in perspective. It also happens to be extremely interesting.

2. Switch your lightbulbs: Yes, those 60 watt bulbs from Home Depot are super cheap and really do the trick, but they also waste a ton of energy. Oh, and they don’t last too long. These new guys use 2/3 less energy and last 10 times longer! (Bonus: These bulbs are more natural, so they are perfect for makeup application!) Read More »