Look To The Stars News: Greenpeace

Melanie Laurent Joins Greenpeace In Indonesia

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 12:30:00 -0000

Inglorious Basterds star Mélanie Laurent was in Indonesia earlier this month for Greenpeace.

The star joined 50 activists in the Indonesian rainforest calling on world leaders to cut a fifth of global greenhouse emissions. As negotiators meet in Barcelona for the final round of talks before December’s critical UN climate summit in Copenhagen, the activists are tackling climate change at the frontline of rainforest destruction by damming the industrial drainage of carbon-rich peatlands in Indonesia.

Laurent and the activists built a dam across one of the many canals designed to drain the rainforest and peat soils in order to make way for plantations on the Kampar Peninsula on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. This destruction emits huge quantities of CO₂ and means that Indonesia is the world’s third largest climate polluter after China and the US.

“I am really sad to see how this once beautiful forest now more looks like a war zone,” said Laurent. “I am impressed with all of Greenpeace’s efforts here. What makes me more impressed is the spirit, I’ve visited the dam-building activity and see everyone working really hard. But I’ve never seen anyone looking down, everyone was working with passion and the spirit is high.”

To find out more about the Greenpeace Climate Defenders and Mélanie’s work with them, visit their official website.

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].”

Michael Jackson And Greenpeace Honored At Save The World Awards

Wed, 29 Jul 2009 15:00:00 -0000

The 2009 Save The World Awards were held in Austria on July 24, and honored Michael Jackson for his charity work.

Held at the Zwentendorf Nuclear Power Plant in Lower Austria, the evening was filled with many moving moments, emotional highlights and important messages with the motto “Heal The World”.

The first global honors presented to exceptional individuals and organizations working toward a peaceful, sustainable and livable future was hosted by Hollywood star and fashion icon, Andie MacDowell. 2,500 guests at the grand event, and millions of people around the world, followed a pioneering TV gala dealing with important issues accompanied by numerous music and show highlights. Michael Jackson posthumously received a 2009 SAVE THE WORD AWARD for his many humanitarian contributions. His brother Jermaine, who performed the songs “Smile” and “I’ll be there,” accepted this special award in Michael’s honor.

The Awards also honored Carl Lewis for his charity work “to empower youth, adults and families through Track & Field activities, and to enhance their life condition through wellness and education.” Several non-profit agencies were also honored, including Greenpeace.

“[Greenpeace is] unbelievably persistent, to the point of irritation,” said the organizers. "However, they have been undoubtedly successful regardless of their methods. We have their perseverance to thank that the world has taken notice and for increasing environmental awareness, as well as for initiating the Kyoto agreements.

“Their engineers developed the “Greenfreeze” technology for the first climate and ozone-friendly refrigerator that, in the meantime, has become the industry standard, significantly reducing greenhouse gases.

“Their campaign for “greener electronics” forced an entire industry to produce environmental-friendly appliances. Energy saving has evolved into one of the most important sales arguments for everything from the computer to the car industry.

“Energy responsibility is an ongoing process. There is much going on and now it is the time to act – and Greenpeace is acting in all our best interests.”

Thomas Henningsen, coordinator of Greenpeace’s international climate work and who collected the award, stressed, “Climate change is by far the most serious and urgent threat facing the world. It’s not too late, we can still avert climate catastrophe, but we need to see urgent action, now. If world leaders fail to act then our future will be characterized by poverty, resource wars, mass migration, mass starvation and mass extinction.”

“We can use new technology, and start making the changes that obviously need to be made. There are better ways and it does cost money, but we are going to have to do it,” said Andie MacDowell.

Jermaine Jackson, who accepted a posthumous award for his brother, said, “What Greenpeace is doing is definitely representative of what Michael’s messages have been in his music. It’s up to all of us, together, to make a change. World leaders should take a look at what we’re trying to say with music: Heal the world, make this a better place!”

To find out more about the event, click here.

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.

LTTS Exclusive: An Interview With Yaya DaCosta

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 15:20:00 -0000

Written by Brandy Reynolds

America’s Next Top Model runner-up Yaya DaCosta recently told Look To The Stars about the causes important to her, showing both her eloquence and deep understanding of what one person can do to make a difference.

LTTS: Which charities do you support, and why?

Yaya: I have been a member of Greenpeace (which is more of an environmental activist group than a charity) all of my life, and I worked with them during my high school summer vacations. In the past few years, the two charities I have most consistently supported are charity:water and Women for Women International.

Have you seen improvement since you started volunteering?

These organizations were founded and seeing results from their work long before I joined or – in Greenpeace’s case – before I was born! The success of these organizations and their hands-on approaches are in large part why I felt safe getting involved. Every month, people who dedicate their lives to improving the lives of others and the health of the planet are making improvements and advances, but the problems are also growing.

As a child growing up in New York City, occasionally giving part of my lunch to homeless people on the trains, I learned that giving alone doesn’t always fix the problem. I would see the same people begging day after day.

Greenpeace makes advances, but is faced with new challenges every day, especially now with the exponentially increasing threat of global climate change and natural disasters. With every well

charity:water builds and the more they travel, the more aware they become of the many other surrounding villages in need of their help.

It would be virtually impossible for Women for Women International to find and enroll every female victim of war into their recovery program, but with every success story, there is progress and growth in the community of people who care. I think improvement can be defined as a growing awareness of the problems of the world and a sense of responsibility among the “have’s”, as well as a spreading of wealth of knowledge and sense of hope and among the “have not’s”.

Were you raised to think about others, or was there an event in your life that spurred it?

I was raised in a poor (by U.S.A. standards) family in a rough neighborhood in New York City, but I didn’t know I wasn’t well off for a long time, because my parents gave us top-notch educations and taught us that our privilege was defined not by money, but by the love in our lives and by the simple things we enjoyed that poor people in very poor countries couldn’t (food, shelter, childhood etc.).

The act of giving attempts to balance out, even a little bit, the very uneven and unfair structures in which we live.

I saw the homeless people in New York as New Yorkers who had experienced unfortunate circumstances, not as people who weren’t worthy of having a home. I was also reminded by my parents that we – human beings – are all one, and if tragedy could happen to a stranger, it could happen to me too. Children born in poor regions of the world where they have no access to clean water did not ask to be born there. Women in war-torn regions being raped, abused and displaced did not wish these circumstances upon themselves. Being born in a place of relative privilege makes me lucky and gives me the position – obligation, even – to help others in whatever way I can.

What do you get out of it (lessons, morals, etc.)?

I am very sensitive and always conscious of the world’s injustices, so when I am able to help others in the little ways I can, I feel a little less helpless and feel closer to the other people around the world doing their little parts. Hopefully our “little parts” add up and contribute significantly to the work of the our crusaders who dedicate their entire lives to making change.

Why would you recommend others get involved?

There can never be too many people involved in making positive change. Recommending that people get involved, however, can be tricky because people don’t like to be made to feel guilty. In the Western world, especially, we tend to defend our right to have what we have because we – or our ancestors, or our ancestors’ slaves – worked hard for it. It can be difficult to get past that sense of detachment from our responsibilities as citizens of the world, but if someone is already interested and open, I love sharing ideas with comrades in struggle and urging new friends to get involved in whatever little ways they can.

For people who really don’t have a lot of money to give, where do you suggest they start in helping out?

Where there are small, locally based organizations in their areas, they could volunteer time and labor. Even if people don’t have a lot of money, we can still give a little. If you find a good organization you can trust to put the money exactly where they claim it’s going, then every little bit counts, even loose change. Sometimes when we’re tempted to buy something we don’t really need (a sweet treat, a new pair of earrings, or some other cheap knick-knack), we can stop and decide to put those few dollars aside in a ‘charity box’ and give it to someone in need instead. Also, if we can’t give to people living now, we can always give to our unborn family members and all future generations by making changes in our daily habits to reduce our carbon footprints and help keep the planet human-friendly for a lot longer than scientists are predicting today (ie. recycling, using low energy light bulbs, using dishwashers and clothes washing machines only when full, riding bikes instead of driving, planting a tree etc.). There are so many little things we can do that really do go a long way!

What would you do to fix the issues?

I don’t know about fixing the issues, but I intend to always do my part to help minimize them and, hopefully, as my resources grow, so will my “part”!

Do you feel young females in Hollywood should take action and set an example?

If young women in Hollywood, along with young men in Hollywood, old men on Wall Street, everyone in WalMart, and everyone who can, for that matter, did their little parts and set examples for their family members, I think a more worldly consciousness of interconnectedness and responsibility would spread and we’d all benefit from it.

Will any of your up-and-coming work reflect your feelings on world issues?

Well, I’m always working on my own little projects, in which my feelings on world issues are embedded, by default, but as an actor, anything you see in the near future will simply reflect the job I got hired to do. Every once in a while, though, a movie, a play, or a television show is produced that is entertaining enough to reach a wide audience and brave enough to raise important questions about the state of our governments or our human collective consciousness. If I’m hired to work on one of those projects, I’d be so lucky!

Celebrities Do Whatever It Takes For Charity

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 15:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

A huge selection of celebrity-designed bags and T-shirts are currently available at the UK’s premiere celebrity charity auction website, Buy Once Give Twice.

The auction site is hosting the auction for Whatever It Takes, a unique charity artwork project which inspires hope by gathering artworks from leaders in all fields; royalty, film, music, Nobel Peace Prize laureates, sports, literature etc. The artworks are used to ethically produce Whatever It Takes products which are then sold to raise funds for charitable causes chosen by each contributing leader.

Going under the hammer in the auction are T-shirts featuring designs by The Killers, Pink, Snoop Dogg, Nicole Kidman, Hilary Duff, Lucy Liu, Toni Collette, Coldplay, Minnie Driver, Keane, Whoopi Goldberg, Green Day, Barry Manilow, Penelope Cruz, Melanie C, Annie Lennox, and the Kaiser Chiefs. There are also bags and purses designed by Gwen Stefani, Snoop Dogg, Lucy Liu, Kanye West, Slash, David Bowie, Ozzy Osbourne, and Stella McCartney.

Charities supported by Whatever It Takes include: Adopt-A-Minefield, Anti-Slavery International, Breast Cancer Campaign, CARE, Children of the Andes, Children’s Medical Research Institute, Christian Children’s Fund, City at Peace, Comic Relief, Dreams Can Be Foundation, Great Ormond Street Hospital, Greenpeace, Healthlink Worldwide, Heifer International, Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen, Red Cross, LIFEbeat, LifeLine & Rape Crisis PMB, Opportunity International, Oxfam, ROTA, Rights and Humanity, S.A.F.E., Save the Children, Sharon Osborne Colon Cancer Program, Snoop Youth Football League, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Teenage Cancer Trust, The BRIT Trust, Christina Noble Children’s Foundation, Little Dreams Foundation, Lotus Outreach, Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund, Toothfairy Foundation, Trade plus Aid, UNHCR, UNICEF, and WaterAid.

To make a bid in the auction, which runs until June 30, click here.

Stars Want Bluefin Tuna Off The Menu

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 14:00:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

A group of actors has written to Robert DeNiro’s Nobu restaurant chain to ask them to stop serving endangered Bluefin Tuna.

According the Britain’s The Telegraph, Sienna Miller, Charlize Theron, Jemima Khan, Woody Harrelson, Laura Bailey, Alicia Silverstone, Zac Goldsmith, Sting, Trudie Styler, Elle Macpherson and Stephen Fry have “written to the restaurant to say they can no longer dine with a clear conscience as long as the restaurant continues to serve bluefin tuna – a species considered by many to be as endangered as the white rhinoceros, panda or tiger.”

The plight of the bluefin tuna has been highlighted by the release of The End of the Line, a film narrated by Ted Danson that shows the effects of overfishing on the world’s oceans.

“The possibility that the magnificent bluefin tuna, one of the fastest creatures on the planet, could be extinct in as little as four years is a tragedy,” wrote the stars in their letter. “Continuing to serve bluefin leaves Nobu vulnerable to public criticism and lagging behind Moshi Moshi, [”Gordon Ramsay":http://www.looktothestars.org/celebrity/921-gordon-ramsay], Jamie Oliver, Itsu and numerous others. We all love [Nobu, but bluefin tuna] must be completely removed from the menu due to its perilous position as an extremely endangered animal".

“It’s astounding lunacy to serve up endangered species for sushi,” added Stephen Fry. “There’s no justification for peddling extinction, yet that is exactly what Nobu is doing in restaurants around the world.”

A spokesperson for the restaurant said they are taking the issue “very seriously… The consumption of this fish is a cultural institution in Japan and there is still an enormous demand for this delicacy at all our restaurants. In the specific case of the menus at our London restaurants it should be noted that the statement that informs diners that the tuna served is Bluefin was included at the behest of [”Greenpeace":http://www.looktothestars.org/charity/142-greenpeace], with whom we have continual dialogue. We are also currently looking at Australian farm-raised tuna as an alternative."

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

George Harrison Honored With Charity Mini

Mon, 18 May 2009 12:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Former Beatle George Harrison is being honored by a new car that is to be sold to benefit charity.

The new one-of-a-kind Mini Cooper S will sport a psychedelic paint job based on the design of a car owned by the late singer and guitarist. Gifted to Harrison in 1966, the car featured in The Beatles’ Magical Mystery Tour. Now, for Mini’s 50th birthday, the automaker is commissioning a one-of-a-kind modern version of George’s psychedelic Cooper S.

The car will be auctioned later this year to benefit Harrison’s Material World Foundation, a charity the musician established to support a wide range of charities, such as Amnesty International, Greenpeace, the Elton John AIDS Foundation and many more.

The Mini will be on display May 22-24 at Mini United, the Mini’s largest fan event, to be held at Silverstone raceway in the UK. The event will provide three days of nonstop entertainment for Mini enthusiasts and owners, with concerts, shows and car races.

For more info about the Material World Foundation, visit their official website.

Look To The Stars Exclusive: An Interview With Corey Feldman

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 15:30:00 -0000

Written by Brandy Reynolds

Run through your top 10 favorite films from the 1980’s, and chances are that Corey Feldman will feature in at least one of them. From The Goonies to Gremlins to Stand By Me to The Lost Boys to Friday the 13th:The Final Chapter, his is a face a whole generation grew up recognizing.

Recent viewers may recognize Feldman from The Two Coreys, a reality show on the A&E Network that also starred Corey Haim. Since the late 90’s, he has also been enjoying success with his band, the Truth Movement, but it is charity work that keeps the actor and musician occupied for much of his time. With interests in animal welfare, environmental issues and several other causes, Feldman was awarded the Paws of Fame Award by the Wildlife Way Station.

Look To The Stars’ reporter Brandy Reynolds was lucky enough to catch up with Corey recently to chat about his work towards making the world a better place.

Hi Corey… can you tell us about some of the charities you support?

I support a lot of charities, I’m very involved with several different charities on all different levels. I can kind of give you the hit list .

I can’t really be selective. All are meaningful. At the top of the list would be the The Humane Society, PETA, Farm Sanctuary , Last Chance for Animals. All relatively related to each other. All related to animal rights and animal protection and health and welfare of animals.

And there’s environmental… Greenpeace, Global Green, Save Our Earth… and cancer charities, children’s charities like Camp Rainbow, the Make-A-Wish Foundation. I try to lend my voice to those who don’t have a voice of their own. Which is why I talk about animals, children, or environment – because those 3 topics don’t have their own representative.

Were you raised to think about others, or is there a certain event in your life that made you really want to get involved with charity work?

I’ve always cared about others, I myself was raised in a very abusive house hold. I spent most of my life very poor – always living hand to mouth and figuring out where the next meal was coming from… that was a big part of my life. So that made me very sympathetic to the less fortunate; and my mother was a huge animal rights advocate. When I was a child working as actor she had me involved with a group called Actors and Others for Animals which was one of the first animal rights organizations based out of Hollywood. So I was involved with them very early on… probably seven or eight years old -running around rescuing dogs and bringing them to our home. Shortly after that we ended up with 30 dogs and 20 cats living at our ranch.

We were really consumed with trying to save the world – and at that point of course no one was really doing what we were doing, there wasn’t really a lot of vegetarianism and animal rights activism. By the time I was 10 years old, I was resigned to the fact the I wanted to be a vegetarian for the rest of my life. However, growing up in a strict family environment, my grandparents where old Jewish traditional type people and thought I was crazy for wanting to be a vegetarian. It took until I was about 13 years old when I made the decision to be a strict vegetarian… and have been every since, and it’s been about 24 years for me now.

What would you recommend others do to get involved and what can they do?

There’s a lot you can do and it depends where you want to focus your time and energy. For me, I say anything you can do to help another struggling being [is great]. If you have the opportunity, just do it. That could mean anything from going down to the homeless shelters and feeding people, or if you have food you can go down to the homeless shelters and give it to them. You can hand out things to people on the streets – I don’t suggest handing out money because you don’t know what it’s going to be spent on.

You can get involved , you can be come a volunteer at any countless number of shelters or abuse clinics or hospitals. As far as environmental causes and helping the world goes – become environmentally safer and more eco friendly. There are small things you can do at home, such as using only bio-degradable products, earth-friendly products, making sure you turn your lights off, separate plastic and metals… every little bit that a human being does can push us forward in the battle of trying to restore our earth.

Do you feel Hollywood should set a better example?

I think the wheels are in motion and it’s certainly a hot point that people are progressively thinking about escalating this battle to the next level and making sure that we are setting a example. If you look around, everything is green this and green that. But there’s always more that can be done. For example, I put out a album a couple of months ago with my band, Truth Movement, and we wanted to kind of raise the bar when it came to environmental products and doing things environmentally friendly. So we released it under my own label in order that we could release it on one hundred percent recyclable biodegradable materials – the package is one hundred percent recyable material, the tray is corn plastic and we used soy wheat to print the images. Our first single is called Green Is The Color, so right there that was a way that I made my mark with my band to set a example. Yes it can be done in the end. It cost us a little bit more , but it can be done. And it’s worth it because we are making a statement that we are not going to keep taking the easier softer way.

What can we tell the people to look forward to and watch for in your up-coming projects?

Theres a couple of things. We’re doing a live premiere of our record release party in which I just mentioned. It’s call Technology Analogy. That event is planned at the Key Club on April 10th .

We are also talking to Weed Ware. They make materials out of weed instead of regular material. One of the things they focus on is they make all band materials out of weed. And we are now using all weed materials in our band (drum sticks and guitar picks).

Another thing we’re doing – I can’t say that this is done yet – but we are trying to have all of our musical performances completely green. It’s not one hundred percent yet , but we are trying.

On April 16 we are headlining an event at the Whiskey on Sunset which is going to be for the animal awareness week. So we basically have a series of events that are directed at raising awareness and financing efforts to stop animal testing. And on March 28, my wife Susie – who is also a huge animal and environmental activist (she is the one who got me involved) – will be presenting an award at the Genesis Awards at the Beverley Hilton.

Look To The Stars would like to thank Corey Feldman for taking the time to talk to us and share his thoughts on making the world a better place. To find out more about his efforts and upcoming events, visit Coreyfeldman.net or Myspace.com /technologyanalogy.

LTTS Exclusive: Celebrity Babes Come Out To PLAY For Charity

Tue, 27 Jan 2009 15:00:00 -0000

Written by Delinda Lombardo

Last weekend in Los Angeles celebrities showed up at infamous Saddle Ranch Chop House on Sunset Boulevard for the second annual ‘Babes on the Bull’ charity event to benefit P.L.A.Y. (Providing Laughter and Amusement for Youth), an organization that collects new toys, books and games and distributes them to children in hospitals, shelters and other organizations.

Guests packed the Saddle Ranch for an afternoon of ’LA’s hottest girls’ riding the mechanical bull for charity with extra entertainment in the form of fire dancers (Fire Groove) and a live auction which included amazing seats at a Laker’s game, VIP booths at LA’s hippest clubs, golf outings, LA Dodgers baseball tickets and others. The best aspect of the auction was that everyone entering the Ranch-including the general public- received a hundred-dollar voucher to use towards auction items.

Celebrities who lent their name and came out to PLAY for the cause included: Backstreet Boy A.J. McLean, actress AnnaLynne McCord (90210), MTV’s ‘Wild N Out’ stars D.J. D-Wrek and Leonard Robinson, Warrant front man Jani Lane, actress Claudia Jordon, David Faustino (Married w/Children, STAR-VING), Gladiator Romeo, Cory & Susie Feldman, Amanda Detmer, Colleen Shannon, Jaimarie Bjorge, model/actress Kaki West, recording artist Oryon, ‘Vacancy 2’ star Lola Davidson, and actress Kelly Monaco.

Warrant front man Jani Lane was all smiles as he arrived and admitted that he’s never ridden a mechanical bull.

Actor David Faustino, who lives within walking distance of the venue, was happy to lend his support for a great cause. “I figured I’d come out today and support the cause” he said on the red carpet, “I live in the neighborhood, so you know, I give a little cheer, a little money and you know-promote, the whole package.”

Corey and Susie Feldman, the power couple who star in the A&E hit show ‘The Two Coreys’, were genuinely excited to take part in the event. “We’re here to support the kids of course,” said Corey. Granted, Corey is no stranger to giving back big-time to the community while also promoting animal rights. He’s a spokesperson for PETA, Farm Sanctuary, The Humane Society, MoveOn, and Greenpeace, and was awarded the Paws of Fame Award by the Wildlife Way Station for his dedication to animal rights.

Inside the venue, the crowd was pumped up as girls took to the bull to raise cash for the kids. And it wasn’t just "babes’ who rode the bull, a few celebrities gave it a try. First to give it a shot was actress Jaimarie Bjorge, who remained in the saddle for the duration of the ride and got the crowd pumped up for the rest of the riders.

All in all, this was a great event for a great cause and no doubt, there are quite a few grateful children in Los Angeles today.

Emma Thompson Buys Land To Stop Heathrow Extension

Fri, 16 Jan 2009 15:00:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

British actress Emma Thompson has joined with Greenpeace to buy a plot of land earmarked for a proposed third runway at Heathrow airport in London.

The 49-year-old actress said it was “hypocritical” for the government to promise to reduce greenhouse gases while increasing air traffic capacity by expanding the country’s largest airport.

“I don’t understand how any government remotely serious about committing to reversing climate change can even consider these ridiculous plans,” she said. “We’ll stop this from happening even if we have to move in and plant vegetables.”

The land was purchased for around US$36,500 in the village of Sipson, where hundreds of family houses are to be destroyed if the expansion project goes ahead.

“The legal owners of the site will block the runway at every stage through the planning process and in the courts,” said Greenpeace director John Sauven. “They will never sell the land to Spanish-owned airport operator BAA, and if it comes to it many thousands of people will be prepared to peacefully defend their field in person, standing in front of bulldozers and blocking construction.”

As well as Thompson, the coalition of land owners include comedian Alistair McGowan, opposition politicians, Greenpeace members and scientists.

Whatever It Takes For Christmas

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 12:00:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Whatever It Takes – the charity that offers artworks and clothing designed by celebrities – have some great gift ideas for the coming holiday season.

The charity – which raises money for all sorts of charities, such as Adopt-A-Minefield, Anti-Slavery International, Breast Cancer Campaign, CARE, Children of the Andes, Children’s Medical Research Institute, Christian Children’s Fund, City at Peace, Comic Relief, Dreams Can Be Foundation, Great Ormond Street Hospital, Greenpeace and many more – is offering T-shirts designed by the Kaiser Chiefs and Bloc Party; rings designed by Robbie Williams, Ozzy Osbourne and Snoop Dogg; mouse pads from George Clooney, Nicole Kidman, and Coldplay; bed linen from Joss Stone; and a huge selection of plates and mugs designed by Bob Geldof, Paul McCartney, Ewan McGregor and many others.

To get your hands on one of these unique items – which would make the perfect gift – or to see the entire range, visit the Whatever It Takes website.

Look To The Stars Asks Melora Hardin

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 14:58:03 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

You probably know her as Jan from NBC’s The Office, but Melora Hardin’s face is one that has been gracing our television screens for years. A trained dancer, she is a veteran of all the shows we used to love – The Love Boat, Diff’rent Strokes, Little House on the Prairie, Magnum PI, Friends, Monk … the list could go on and on. And with big screen appearances in films such as Reckless Kelly, The Hot Chick, Absolute Power, Thank You For Smoking, and 27 Dresses, it is almost certain that most people have seen her face somewhere.

As if television and film acting was not enough, Hardin recently made her feature film directorial debut with You, and has released two CDs of her original vocal stylings – a talent that will see her perform the role of Fantine in Les Miserables at the Hollywood Bowl in August. This will be followed by the release of her latest movie, Seventeen_, – alongside Zac Efron (High School Musical_) and Matthew Perry (Friends) – in October.

With the new series of The Office set to debut in America on April 10, Melora found a few minutes to talk to Look To The Stars about how people can make the world a better place.

Hi Melora. A few weeks ago you went to the bebe Luncheon and Fashion Show in LA, which was a fundraiser for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Tell us a little about the day and what attracted you to it.

I found out about the Make-A-Wish Foundation many, many years ago. I started acting professionally when I was 6 years old, and when I was about 12 my close friend’s mother was volunteering for Make-A-Wish. I had appeared on some show at that time that one of these kids really loved, so I went to the hospital and met this kid about my own age, shook their hand, signed a picture. And I was so moved by that. I felt that I could do something – I could use the celebrity that I have to give back as much as I can.

With the bebe event, Manny [Mashouf] invited me – he’s a really lovely guy – and so I thought it would be a fun day. I offered my support to both him and Make-A-Wish. I had great fun. Lots of yummy food and lots of nice people, and they gave away some great prizes and people won some good things. I think Make-A-Wish is a wonderful charity.

Where do you find your own inspiration to help others?

I feel like we’re all equal, and that some of us are luckier than others – born into situations with more opportunities, more education, more love, more culture, and all those things. But that doesn’t make anyone more important, just because they’ve been born into it. So I really do feel like everyone is innocent until proven guilty, and I really do try to treat people that way. I’m often shocked when people are bad. But I think there are very few really bad people in the world. I’d say most of the people in this world are good people who do the best they can. Unfortunately, the few really bad people can affect the way we see things. So I guess it’s really trying to live and let live.

What would you say to someone who wants to help a cause but doesn’t know where to start?

I would say the first thing is the internet, that is one of the greatest tools we have in our time. Now you can go online and find anything from anywhere across the world, if you try hard enough and keep on searching. And if you don’t have access to the internet, then you can just ask – if you need something, if you’re looking for something, just ask where ever you can. If it’s the internet, great, if it’s friends and family, then start there, then branch out and just go as wide as you can until you can find your way.

How would a charity attract your attention?

Well firstly and obviously I would have to feel aligned with whatever their message is, and then secondly I would want to feel that whatever the money is that they were getting is really going towards the cause, and not just creating more and more paper to send out to people. If they send that out to everybody, then that’s thousands of dollars and hours of time, and thousands and thousands of trees. To me it’s such a waste, and it’s not a great use of money. So when I look at charities that are really successful, like Greenpeace or Make-A-Wish, they’re really using the funds that they’re gathering to do what all of their supporters want them to do. So I would say that would be a very high priority for me.

If you could start a charity, what would it be?

I’ve often said that I wish every graduate from high school would be handed a Euro Pass to go round Europe – that’s what I did when I graduated high school. I traveled around Europe for three months by myself. It was one of the most wonderful and balancing experiences, and I think that if you get out of your own backyard and see the world a little bit, you realize that there are good people everywhere. The conflicts that happen in our world are really based on politics, they’re not based on the things that everybody believes they are based on. I feel that people should get on a plane and fly somewhere, live somewhere, and have to deal with the way the cultures differ, to make friends and start to have compassion and empathy for the different ways of doing and being. That’s one of the greatest gifts you can give a young person, and I really wish there was such a program.

I just think we would have a much better chance of peace if people got the chance to see the world and spend a little time traveling. Even if it’s the only time they ever do it in their whole lives. I think it’s appalling to me that we have a president who never traveled out of this country until he was elected. I don’t know how you can possibly run a country when you haven’t seen other countries and the way they live their lives. You don’t get a sense of that from television. You just don’t.

That would be a charity I would be really interested in if there was such a thing, where young people had the opportunity to see the world and learn a little about other cultures by being immersed in it.

Are there any other charities or causes you support that you think need help?

I’m on the Board of Directors for Victoria Rowell’s Foster Children Positive Plan, which brings fine arts to foster children. It means that if a foster child would like ballet lessons, we get them their lessons and whatever they need. I have found that it really reaps benefits. Victoria Rowell is a soap actress here and was a foster child. She had a great foster family that put her into ballet, and from there she became a successful actress. I find that things like that can really change someone’s life.

What do you think are the biggest problems facing the world today, and how can one person make a difference and help solve them?

I think we are a consumer-driven society, and that really affects all of us. People really don’t know much about it. I just got emailed a video called The Story of Stuff. It’s really wonderful and very informative about where our “stuff” comes from, how it becomes our stuff, and then where it goes. And how that affects the environment to a really drastic and horrible degree. You know, when you look at our stuff today as opposed to the 1930s, things were made to last back then. Now things are made to break, so that you have to buy more. And its really so unfortunate for our planet. The more things we make, the more the planet suffers. It’s really fascinating, and I would encourage everybody to have a look at that video, because it really taught me a lot.

I think there are a lot of simple things people can do. You know, yesterday I was at Whole Foods buying my groceries, and I bought seven cloth bags that from now on I’m going to take my groceries home in and keep using them every time. I’ve wanted to do that for a long time, and finally I said this is something I can do.

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.

Then there are food issues.

In our country, we have more childhood diabetes now than we have had ever before. And that’s because everything is packaged with sugar. So when someone thinks they are giving their child a slice of bread, they are actually giving their child a slice of bread that has sugar in it. Everything that they’re eating has sugar in it. Then we end up putting kids on anti-hyperactive drugs instead of adjusting their diet and realizing that sugar is a drug. I have a real issue with sugar because I really see how it changes my kids’ personalities, and it’s a really tough one because at every single party they go to there’s sugar, it’s just constant sugar for kids. I’m sure it’s different in different parts of the world, where sugar isn’t quite so available or common. But in Western culture it’s a problem, and I’m concerned about that because I do have young kids.

Can you give our readers a final message on how they can make the world a better place?

You have to be aware and conscious. I understand it’s hard, it’s easier to slide through life and pick up what’s there. But it starts with just one person. The more conscious the person can become the better. Whatever they feel they can wrap their brain around and take on and feel responsible for, the world will become a better place.

Thanks for your time, Melora.

Elissa Sursara's Comfort in Charity

Sun, 27 Jan 2008 08:27:52 -0000

Written by Charles Alleckman

Young actress Elissa Sursara is mourning the death of a close friend this week, following the passing of actor Heath Ledger.

The starlet, whose charitable campaigns include Greenpeace International’s Save The Whales and The Great Ape Project, has not yet released a public statement to the media regarding the tragic loss. Sources reveal her plans to travel to Africa with a non-profit environmental group will not be canceled – according to the group’s travel documents, the trip was to be taken with Ledger.

“She’s been struck down by this loss,” revealed a friend of the actress. “Someone she loved, and who loved her, has left this earth in such a sudden and uncertain fashion – it’s a hard thing for anybody to come to terms with. Elissa has been through a lot in her life, but she is not emotionally strong. She is a sensitive and passionate person, and her best friend will be sadly missed. Elissa has no plans to postpone her work or her charity work – if anything, pushing on will help her to move on, something Heath would have wanted for her.”

According to reports, Ledger had been the one to nickname Sursara ‘Ocean Eyes’, a term now widely attached to the star’s name, in reference to her striking blue eyes.

The actress’ planned visits to Africa to promote environmental awareness are scheduled to take place in May 2008.

Eliska Sursova: Saving stolen animals in Southern Africa

Fri, 30 Nov 2007 10:12:17 -0000

Written by Charles Alleckman

In the midst of a rumored break-up with boyfriend and Australian footballer Chris Knights, 19-year-old model-esque actress Eliska Sursova appears to be holding down the fort the way all Hollywood’s finest activists do – by going to Namibia to save the elephants of course.

Taking some time off from her busy schedule and after wraping up filming on her first Public Service Announcment for Greenpeace alongside actor Milo Ventimiglia, Eliska travelled to southern Africa with fifteen members of a non-profit organization to protest the poaching of exotic animals in the Republic of Namibia and spoke out against the exotic animal trade, all while helping to build much needed water holds for African elephants.

“Africa is home to some of the world’s most beautiful creatures and their biggest predator is man. We steal them, abuse them, kill them… all for the benefit of entertainment and luxury,” says the actress whose busy activist schedule sees her campaigning for animal welfare and environmental organizations like World Society for the Protection of Animals, Wildlife Warriors Worldwide and PETA.

Spending an extended 39 days (from the planned 28) in Namibia, the Hollywood phenomenon assisted multiple welfare societies in their quest to shut down the exotic animal black market, a trade in which tigers, bears, birds and reptiles are trapped and sold illegally to international customers. “These animals don’t belong in bedrooms or in cages in your yard. It’s their natural instinct to run, hunt, interact and reproduce.”

On her return home to New York City this week, the exhausted actress recalled moments where she felt immense failure. “Anyone that decides to do this kind of thing needs to be mentally prepared to find or witness things that will haunt them for the rest of their life. You feel such a desire to beat the bad guys that you don’t tend to think about that side of things until you’re there and it’s all around you. It does make you more determined to end the suffering, but you spend most of the night crying into someone else’s lap.”

Eliska admits that, despite her sizzling movie-star career, “there is nothing in this world that will feel as good as helping to make a difference. There are issues, issue after issue and it’s up to us, every day regular people to figure it out. To know that because of you, there are some animals still roaming Africa instead of sitting alone in a cage… I can’t even describe that feeling.”

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