The lovely & talented actress, animal rights advocate and eco-chic style arbiter Ginnifer Goodwin is one of those tough cases we encounter a lot with our “Do-Gooder” pieces… it’s hard to narrow down a specific week to feature her because she always seems to be doing good.

Whether she’s raising awareness to stop the atrocities of puppy mills with the Humane Society or heading up the Adopt-A-Turkey Program with Farm Sanctuary – or promoting Veganism via W Magazine… Ms. Goodwin is our kind of celeb – chic, thoughtful, talented and socially responsible!

However, this week we had to feature the Big Love actress because we spied her at Environmental Media Association Awards in Los Angeles wearing an edgy & elegant dress made of old hospital scrubs!  Did you see???

Created by students of the Academy of Art University, the re-used fabric had been treated, dyed and pleated into this gorgeous, “green” number.  Brilliant “sustainable” design meets beautiful, eco-minded actress… love, Love, LOVE!

The lovely & talented actress, animal rights advocate and eco-chic style arbiter Ginnifer Goodwin is one of those tough cases we encounter a lot with our “Do-Gooder” pieces… it’s hard to narrow down a specific week to feature her because she always seems to be doing good.

Whether she’s raising awareness to stop the atrocities of puppy mills with the Humane Society or heading up the Adopt-A-Turkey Program with Farm Sanctuary – or promoting Veganism via W Magazine… Ms. Goodwin is our kind of celeb – chic, thoughtful, talented and socially responsible!

However, this week we had to feature the Big Love actress because we spied her at Environmental Media Association Awards in Los Angeles wearing an edgy & elegant dress made of old hospital scrubs!  Did you see???

Created by students of the Academy of Art University, the re-used fabric had been treated, dyed and pleated into this gorgeous, “green” number.  Brilliant “sustainable” design meets beautiful, eco-minded actress… love, Love, LOVE!

So just this last Saturday I was privy to a party in Malibu thrown by none other than Chris “Ludacris” Bridges – and it was a fundraiser for his Ludacris Foundation, an organization dedicated to “Helping Youth Help Themselves.”

I have to admit, before this party, I knew nothing of Ludacris’ charitable work or the Ludacris Foundation, but since I’ve been nothing but impressed with the man and his efforts:

VISION – To inspire youth to live their dreams, uplift families and foster economic development in the community.

MISSION – To show young people they are the architects of their future and instill our “Principles of Success” – a roadmap for achieving dreams. To connect with our youth to build stronger families and communities.

HISTORY – Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, William Engram and Chaka Zulu were the inspiration for the development of The Ludacris Foundation (TLF). The foundation is based on the principles Ludacris learned at an early age: self-esteem, spirituality, communication, education, leadership, goal setting, physical activity and community service. Officially established in December of 2001, The Ludacris Foundation was created to make a difference in the lives of youth. These men have illustrated their deep-rooted tradition of community service, which has broadened with their celebrity status. The Ludacris Foundation is committed to helping youth help themselves.

As for the party…

The man is smooth… He was thoughtful to his audience.  He was loving toward his attending family and friends.  He was generous with his stage time.  And his sunglasses were simply divine (I’m thinking they’re Mosely Tribes, but I can’t find… let me know if you have any info on them, please)!

And I certainly enjoyed my time there… saw Gene Simmons (creepy) and Andrew Keegan (cute), but Apple Levy, the Founder of The Green Girls, definitely got the scoop – with interviews and the taped performance.  Click & enjoy!

I’m not her biggest fan.  It’s not that I don’t care for her, it’s more like I don’t identify with her, but… check this out.  Rachael Ray has offered up $200,000 to charities the help animals in need. In what she’s calling “Mutt Madness”, Rachael has launched an initiative to help raise money for organizations that practices no-kill animal wellness.

According to Ray’s site:

”If you’ve got a [charitable] organization that practices no-kill animal wellness, then enter to win up to $50,000! How does it work? Our panel will choose 64 qualified organizations to participate in a fun, brackets-style program where the public votes for the winners. After 6 rounds of cash rewards, the grand prize winner will receive $50,000! All in all, we are giving away over $200K to organizations that have shown a serious committment to helping animals in need.”

Right on, Rachael!

There’s definitely something sexy about compassionate, young dads, right?  Unselfishness is about the most attractive trait a man can possess, in my book.  Think Brad Pitt, think Blake Mycoskie, think Robert Kennedy Jr. and now – think Tobey Maguire.  Mr. Maguire, father of 2, has written an impassioned letter to Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, to draw attention to the current unhealthy & meat-driven meals served in U.S. schools and ask for more nutritious, more vegetarian-friendly dishes for our future voters, community leaders, teachers, etc. during their school day.

“My wife and I just had our second child, so this issue is tremendously important to us…Let me ask you please to ensure the Child Nutrition Act provides more fruits, vegetables, and healthy vegetarian foods. Young people deserve healthful food, and I can’t imagine a better investment in the future of our country.” – Tobey Maguire

To read Tobey’s letter in it’s entirity, hit up Ecorazzi.  And to sign the petition for healthy school lunches, click here!

I love this story!

Gorgeous pop songstress and animal rights supporter, Leona Lewis, approached a homeless man last week who was leading a rabbit on a leash down LA’s Melrose Avenue.  When she inquired as to what his plans were for the little bunny, he responded “… probably eat him.” The quick-thinking and compassionate Leona promptly offered the gentleman $100 for alternate food in exchange for the rabbit – which he gladly took.  The lovely Ms. Lewis took the sweet bunny back to her home garden where the newly-named “Melrose” is living happily.

 This is not the lovely Ms. Lewis’ first act of animal love.  According to Ecozazzi, “Leona is a vegetarian and an avid animal rights supporter. Last year she turned down a $2 million offer from exclusive London store Harrods to open its summer sale because the store sold fur. She is currently living in LA to record her second album.”

She’s not just a brilliant actress, she’s not just gorgeous and remarkably stylish… Cate Blanchett also an environmentalist and a philanthropist!

It was actually a trip to Australia in 2003 that prompted me to really re-evaluate how I live and explore the environmental impact of the lifestyle decisions I make everyday. Think about it… because Australia is a remote island (though beautiful, cultural, and lush.  I would live there in a minute!) their resources are pretty much limited to exactly what they have on the island (importing there is crazy-expensive) and everything “discarded” just stays there as well… so their recycling & waste reduction is top notch.

So, enter Ms. Blanchett… the Australian activist.  She’s taken on the honorable task of “greening” the Sydney Theatre Co. The result – the installation of the largest capacity building-mounted solar array in Australia!

The theatre group announced last week that it will be installing a 2,000 panel rooftop solar system to be completed by 2010. The project is expected to make The Wharf (the building where STC is housed) use 70% less energy from the grid. Funding for the 500KW array is coming from various government grants and organizations — including the chief executive of Suntech Power.

According to Ecorazzi, “the entire green renovation is expected to cost somewhere around $3.7 million. Besides the solar, there will be efficiency upgrades in the use of energy and lighting — as well as a rainwater harvesting, storage and distribution system to supply all of The Wharf’s non-portable water. In other words, it’s a kick-ass eco-upgrade.”  Brava, Ms. Blanchett!

Sofia Coppola is currently working here in LA – apparently shooting a filmic ode to Chateau Marmont and the stories that could possibly lie within its walls.  Sounds lovely, right?  I love that old hotel, so I’m intrigued by the film… but it gets better.

A little bird (um… my friend) spent Monday on the set of Coppola’s new film, “Somewhere” and told me that the production is impressively “green”.  First and foremost – NO PLASTIC WATER BOTTLES!  For anyone who’s been on a set (or a concert, a conference, etc.) you know the obscene amount of water bottles that are used once, discarded and headed for the nearest landfill.

Instead, the “Somewhere” production is using bio-degradable corn-based, re-fillable cups & utensils, as well as vegan-friendly catering from Hugo’s and high-end, healthy craft services.  Yay!

This week’s Do-Gooder is a champion of the well-rounded sustainable lifestyle… architecture, arts, entertainment, transportation – you name it. You may know his documentary Who Killed the Electric Car?, a widely lauded look at politics, Big Oil and the future of transportation.  His latest pro-environment welfare project is his own homestead in Culver City, CA.  A 21st Century Case Study house for sustainable design, comfortable living, and hi-tech function.  Behold the Marrakesh House!

This place is completely tricked out with “green” features inside & out.  Click here for and impressive & extensive list of “eco” details.  And another majorly impressive stat about the house’s construction:

A typical 4,300 square foot home construction project creates over 12,000 lbs of trash. The Marrakesh House team was able to eliminate 75% of this potential waste from entering a landfill by reusing and recycling original materials like lumber and dirt.

 And beyond actively proving that living “green” is as comfortable and easy as living “mainstream”… and certainly proving that it’s infinitely better for the environment, it’s people and all our our futures… and not to mention SO much more chic, Chris Paine is also hellbent on making the Marrakesh House a hub for “eco” entertaining – a modern day roundtable salon of sorts.  To kick off this beautiful home’s long & mindful life, Chris is hosting an open house fete on June 6th.  If you’re in the LA area… Come party like it’s 2099!

Paine & design collaborator Shellie Collier amongst the solar panels.

We live in a time when celebrities have an inordinate amount of power & influence over the rest of us.  It’s not their doing, it’s ours.  So what’s better than a famous person using their influence to inform and raise awareness for causes in need, social woes and noble efforts?  Think Paul Newman, a long-time advocate for organic farming and social equality.  Think Audrey Hepburn, a Goodwill Ambassador of UNICEF.  It’s not a new thing for celebrities to be do-gooders, but there are certainly more do-gooder celebs now than ever.

So we’re starting a new feature here at Living GwG.  Each week we’ll choose one person of the famous kind who’s really done something special that very week, something that will truly have a positive impact on the planet – and spotlight their good deed!

To kick it off… our first Do-Gooder: Adrian Grenier.  You know him as the star of HBO’s Entourage and possibly from all the way back in the day in, The Adventures of Sebastian Cole.  You may also know him from his years of “green” awareness raising and his countless “eco” projects.  And potentially, you know him as the host of Planet Green’s home/lifestyle renovation show Alter Eco.  So, you know him.

Well, here’s what he’s doing this week that makes him our favorite Do-Gooder…

Adrian is lauching a new eco-friendly app that will help consumers weigh products’ environmental and health impact. Fantastic, right?  Called “Ecohero”, it’s being developed by the same Texas-based firm that created the popular shopping comparison app ShopSavvy.

  Cheeky photo compliments of Ecorazzi.

From Forbes article, Ecohero will also contain other functions, such as a carbon calculator and eco-encyclopedia. To encourage users to live environmentally, the app will record their (submitted) activity and suggest eco-friendly ways they can offset their activities. “We wanted to provide a social way to use the apps,” Muse says. On-screen, the app resembles a “utility belt” that rotates with the swipe of a finger. It will launch this fall with six “micro-applications.” The group plans to add more “tools” to the belt in the future, including “lite” versions of existing eco-friendly mobile apps.

For those not familiar with ShopSavvy, the app uses the mobile phone’s camera to take a snapshot of a product’s barcode. That information is then sent over the web and shoppers can find out where to get that particular item for a cheaper price. Grenier’s app plans to implement the same system — but you’ll be able to see just how green (or non-green) that particular brand of orange juice is. What????? YES!

If all goes well (Fingers crossed! Sponsors are still being lined up), expect Ecohero is to launch for the iPhone and Android this August.