Look To The Stars News: Lucy Lawless

The Stars On Climate Change - What Do They Think?

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 15:00:00 -0000

October 15 marks the third annual Blog Action Day, when bloggers around the world focus on one prominent issue through individual ideas, actions, and thoughts.

This year’s topic is climate change, and Look To The Stars has delved into our archives to find 13 quotes relating to the thoughts of some of the most noteworthy celebrities who are devoted to finding solutions to global poverty.

Hugh Jackman: "You can’t separate the issues of climate change and poverty. They are inextricably linked. Having been to Ethiopia and seen these farmers, seen the battle they face from what is a problem that the developed countries have brought on many of these developing countries, there is a justice, there is a gap we need to fill.

I don’t do private jets. I try and do my best and I teach [sustainability] to my kids. Deb [wife Deborra-lee Furness] and I have brought in a company to say what we can do in our home – change light bulbs, etc."

Richard Branson: “Our generation has inherited an incredibly beautiful world from our parents and they from their parents. It is in our hands whether our children and their children inherit the same world. We must not be the generation responsible for irreversibly damaging the environment.”

Al Gore: “We face a true planetary emergency. The climate crisis is not a political issue, it is a moral and spiritual challenge to all of humanity. It is also our greatest opportunity to lift global consciousness to a higher level.”

KT Tunstall: “Stop completely twatting your planet. We haven’t got anywhere else to live.”

Leonardo DiCaprio: “Global warming is not only the number one environmental challenge we face today, but one of the most important issues facing all of humanity. We all have to do our part to raise awareness about global warming and the problems we as a people face in promoting a sustainable environmental future for our planet.”

Harrison Ford: “What we do today will set the course and the example for generations to come. I have four children and two grandsons. I feel responsible for tending to things I can affect as a private person, not as a celebrity. I can’t fix the world, but it’s our duty to help how we can. We have a moral responsibility for what we do as individuals. We have to accept it.”

Ronan Keating: “Climate change is a really big deal that all of us should be concerned about, because there’s no question that runaway climate change will endanger the lives of people, as well as animals.”

Desmond Tutu: “Climate change is the greatest human-induced crisis facing the world today. It is totally indiscriminate of race, culture and religion. It affects every human being on the planet.”

Phil Keoghan: “The biggest issue we face is that we continue to take the world’s resources without giving enough back in return. It’s a little like having a credit card and spending at large without thinking about how to your going to pay the bill. The solution will come from finding financial solutions to our environmental challenges. Right now many of those answers are locked away in the minds of young people. I have faith that we will find a way to create change.”

Melora Hardin: “The environment is really a serious issue, and it really doesn’t take that much to make a difference. I would just say that people should do whatever they can do – it’s good not to litter, it’s good not to pollute, it’s good to recycle when you can.”

Lucy Lawless: “There’s nowhere else for our kids and grandchildren to go. We need to get on with the business of tackling climate change.”

Keisha Castle-Hughes: “Our Pacific Island neighbours are suffering. I saw the real and devastating impacts of a changing climate: coral bleaching, homes battered by cyclones, erosion and food crops affected by rising sea levels… The locals were all extremely welcoming and happy to share their stories of how their daily lives have been impacted. It was a real eye-opener.”

Spinal Tap: “[We’ve] heard of global warming. Nigel thought it was just because he was wearing too much clothing, and if he took his jacket off it would be cooler.”

World March For Peace Starts In New Zealand

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 15:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

The World March for Peace and Non-Violence kicked off in Wellington, New Zealand, today, beginning a trek that will visit 90 countries on 6 continents, ending in Argentina on January 2 of next year.

Marchers braved chilling winds in the country’s capital to start the march, which has been endorsed by world leaders and celebrities such as Penelope Cruz, Viggo Mortensen, Desmond Tutu, Martin Sheen, Jane Fonda, Jimmy Carter, Lou Reed, Yoko Ono, Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan, Bryan Adams and many more.

The 160,000-kilometre (99,419 mile) march has been organized by World Without Wars. A core group of 25 marchers will complete the entire journey, carrying with them a “nuclear abolition torch” taken from the Hiroshima Flame which was lit from embers following the 1945 nuclear explosion in Japan. The primary goals of the World March include:

nuclear disarmament at a global level
immediate withdrawal of invading troops from occupied territories
progressive and proportional reduction of conventional weapons
signing of non-aggression treaties between countries
renunciation by governments of the use of war as a means to resolve conflicts

A rehearsal march was held in New Zealand earlier this week, led by Xena Warrior Princess star Lucy Lawless, who walked beneath a Chinese-style dragon made from the sails of the Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior, sunk by French agents in Auckland in 1985.

Earlier this year – as a lead up to the march – organizers created roving billboards and also recreated the famous Bed-In held by Yoko Ono and John Lennon.

Look To The Stars is proud to support the March For Peace and Non-Violence, and wish all those taking part a great and successful journey.

More info can be found here.

Prime Minister Agrees To Talk To Actress Over Environment Issues

Tue, 11 Aug 2009 12:00:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key has agreed to meet film actress Keisha Castle-Hughes after dismissing her environmental calls for action last week.

The Whale Rider star earlier signed up as part of Greenpeace’s new Sign On campaign, along with other Kiwi stars including Xena Warrior Princess Lucy Lawless and Flight of the Conchords’ Rhys Darby. The campaign is calling for support of a 40 percent emission reduction target by 2020 at the UN climate talks in Copenhagen in December. The young actress then went on to witness the effects of climate change in the Pacific, saying she “saw the real and devastating impacts of a changing climate: coral bleaching, homes battered by cyclones, erosion and food crops affected by rising sea levels… The locals were all extremely welcoming and happy to share their stories of how their daily lives have been impacted. It was a real eye-opener.”

Last week, Prime Minister John Key told 500 people at a business gathering in Brisbane: “My advice to Keisha is this: stick to acting.”

Yesterday, in a political “about face”, Key announced New Zealand would aim to reduce emissions by between 10 percent and 20 percent on 1990 levels by 2020, and agreed to give Castle-Hughes a ring and “have a cuppa with her” over the issues.

“I am happy to give her some of the reading I have been given,” he said. “Wait till she reads the Treasury document, she might think I have been a bit extravagant at minus 10 [percent].”

Keisha Castle-Hughes Hits the Seas With Greenpeace

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 15:00:00 -0000

Written by Elizabeth Willoughby

With evidence of the devastation of climate change so close to home, New Zealand actress Keisha Castle-Hughes is pressuring government for heavy emission reductions.

Just back from a trip to the Cook Islands with Greenpeace, Castle-Hughes was very moved and wants immediate action on climate change, reported Stuff.co.nz: “Here is a region contributing so little to the problem, yet bearing the brunt of it,” she said. “Our Pacific Island neighbours are suffering. I saw the real and devastating impacts of a changing climate: coral bleaching, homes battered by cyclones, erosion and food crops affected by rising sea levels… The locals were all extremely welcoming and happy to share their stories of how their daily lives have been impacted. It was a real eye-opener.”

Castle-Hughes is the latest big name to join Greenpeace’s Sign-On campaign, whose goal is for governments to reduce emissions by nearly half. It is hoped that meetings with Ministers and Representatives can garner agreement on emission targets before the Copenhagen meeting at the end of the year, where talks on the Kyoto Protocol’s sequel will take place. Other famous names include Lucy Lawless, Cliff Curtis, and the Flight of the Conchords’ Rhys Darby.

“If I’m going to put my name to a campaign as I’ve done with the Greenpeace Sign On campaign, I want to do more than read brochures and fact sheets. I want to see first-hand what I’m fighting for,” said Castle-Hughes. “I haven’t come out of the trip with the knowledge of a scientist, nor have I come out with all the answers on how to solve climate change, but I do have a stronger passion than ever before to see New Zealand do its fair share in this global crisis,” reported Stuff.

“Seeing their beautiful land under threat, I felt ashamed for coming from a country that has failed to act on climate change and is still dragging its feet despite the growing urgency.”

To find out more about the initiative, visit the official Sign On website.

Lucy Lawless Signs On For Greenpeace

Mon, 25 May 2009 11:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

New Zealand-born actress Lucy Lawless – best known as Xena Warrior Princess – has joined with Kiwi actor Cliff Curtis (Die Hard 4) in supporting Greenpeace’s new Sign On climate campaign.

The campaign aims to generate support to convince New Zealand’s Prime Minister, John Key, to sign on to a 40 percent emission reduction target by 2020 at the UN climate talks in Copenhagen in December.

“I’m signing on because there’s no Planet B,” said Lawless. “There’s nowhere else for our kids and grandchildren to go. We need to get on with the business of tackling climate change.”

Other supporters of the campaign include Whale Rider’s Keisha Castle-Hughes and Flight of the Conchords’ Rhys Darby.

To find out more about the initiative, visit the official Sign On website

Lucy Lawless, The Warrior Bed-Making Champion

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 12:00:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

It may not be exactly what you would expect from a warrior princess, but Xena star Lucy Lawless took part in a charity bed making competition for a children’s hospital last week.

The star was in her native New Zealand to raise money for the Starship Foundation, the fundraising branch of New Zealand’s biggest pediatric hospital, the Starship Children’s Hospital. The 40-year-old raced against the clock in front of hospital staff and patients in the contest to see who could make the neatest bed in 2 minutes. The contest was judged by Starship Foundation Vice Chair Rosie Horton and past oncology patient Ruby Seeto, with Lawless coming first equal with the CEO of Lorraine Lea Linen – who was at the event to make a $115,000 donation to the Starship Oncology Rebuild project.

“The donation from Lorraine Lea Linen is a great way to acknowledge this huge contribution to our cause,” said Starship Foundation CEO Andrew Young. “We’re so grateful that even our Australian counterparts are getting on board for this worthy project.”

The new oncology ward will provide eight single inpatient rooms for pre-teen patients who need the space to recover away from much younger patients.

Lucy Lawless To Play Charity Concert

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 12:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Xena Warrior Princess Lucy Lawless will play a special concert in San Francisco this weekend to raise money for AIDS research.

The New Zealand-born star will perform at the Herbst Theater this Saturday to benefit the Richmond/Ermet AIDS Foundation, an organization dedicated to raising money for AIDS service providers in San Francisco. Born from the grass-roots efforts of two mothers – Barbara Richmond and the late Peggy Ermet, who lost their only sons to AIDS – the Foundation honors their sons’ memories by helping to alleviate the suffering of many of the other sons and daughters living with HIV and AIDS. The Foundation has now become one of the leading sources of funding for many local AIDS service providers.

“I am going to Feel the Love this year with a concert at the Herbst Theatre in San Francisco, September 27,” said Lawless. “I am inspired by the fans and their incredible generosity of spirit. I will take none of the proceeds from the box office. Anything that might have been my portion will go to the REAF organization, which does such a great job with AIDS-related charities in the Bay Area.”

The concert follows the commencement of the third annual Lucy Lawless Feel The Love Day charity drive this week. September 21 kicks off a week of charitable acts and contributions by Lucy fans all over the world.

According to her Official Fan Club, who are organizing the charity drive: "Anyone, anywhere can participate, regardless of how old (or young) you are, or where you live. All you have to do is decide what charitable or kind act you would like to do during “Feel the Love” week, and e-mail it with your name and location as you would like it to appear on the pledge list. On Sept. 21st, Lucy will be presented with a red rose and the pledge list of all the charitable acts being done in her honor that week."

The San Francisco concert starts at 8pm on Saturday, September 27. Tickets are available from City Box Office for $45-100. More information about the show can be found at the REAF website.

Look To The Stars News: Lucy Lawless

The Stars On Climate Change - What Do They Think?

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