Look To The Stars News: Natural Resources Defense Council

Leonardo DiCaprio Has Time For The Environment

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 13:30:00 -0000

Leonardo DiCaprio has joined forces with Swiss watch manufacturer Jaeger-LeCoultre to confront global environmental issues and promote eco-friendly causes by creating the “Time to Care” program to benefit the Leonardo DiCaprio Fund at the California Community Foundation.

The company will release two new and unique timepieces this Fall that feature DiCaprio’s signature and endorsement, with 100% of the proceeds going to some of the environmental organizations supported by the California Community Foundation around the world – including the Natural Resources Defense Council and Global Green.

The first of the watches will be a one-of-a-kind Master Compressor Extreme Lab, as worn by DiCaprio to the premiere of his documentary, The 11th Hour. Valued at approximately $300,000, the watch will be engraved with Leonardo DiCaprio’s signature, and be crafted in carbon fiber and titanium. It will feature an automatic tourbillon, two time zones, a pointer-type AM/PM indication at 12 o’clock and a patented jumping date display. This revolutionary concept watch features the first mechanical movement to operate without any lubricant and it is resistant to extreme temperatures of -40 degrees to +60 degrees Celsius – which is just what you need for global warming.

The second watch for sale will be a one-of-a-kind edition of the Reverso Gyrotourbillon 2 which, apart from having one of the coolest names ever, contains the first-ever spherical tourbillon – a great little gizmo invented in 1795 to counter the effects of gravity on timepieces… a very important thing if you ever find yourself in space or late for work. It also contains a 50-hour power reserve and will be worth around $400,000.

As well as being an eco-warrior, DiCaprio is also well known for his passion for Jaeger-LeCoultre watches. At the premiere of 2007’s “Blood Diamond” he wore a platinum Master Minute Repeater, and is known to own several more of their pieces.

The watches will be available through stockists of Jaeger-LeCoultre timepieces.

Britney Sheds Threads To Save Planet

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 11:55:14 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Opps, she’s done it again! But this time Britney Spears is in the news for all the right reasons.

The 26-year-old pop star appeared on the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother on Monday night, and followed the airing by auctioning off six items of clothing she wore on the set. Proceeds from the sale are set to go to the Natural Resources Defense Council, a New York City-based environmental advocacy group that regularly lobbies Congress for a public policy that promotes conservation of the environment.

“The general public has a fascination with celebrities and fashion,” said Michel Schneider, Executive Director of Clothes Off Our Back, a website that hosts charity auctions for celebrity attire. “It’s good that they are turning her performance into a positive occurrence.”

The auction, which includes a navy print Juicy Couture dress and a cream Nannette Lepore cardigan, can be accessed at www.seenon.com and closes on March 31.

Celebrities Wear Their Hearts On Their Sleeves

Tue, 21 Aug 2007 08:33:55 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

This Summer has seen both style and flair in the fashion world, and nowhere has this been more evident than in the clothes worn by celebrities. From the metallic mini-dresses that made a splash at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards to the dazzling array of gowns seen at the 79th Academy Awards, celebrity fashions have made it a year to remember. Yet, in a season that has included a host of environmental and humanitarian events, many stars have used what they wear to raise awareness of some big social and ecological subjects. They have embraced issue-based labels as a way of provoking thought on some of the most important problems facing the world today.

One such label is Threads For Thought, a contemporary lifestyle brand of clothing for men and women. With a portion of its proceeds going to the Natural Resources Defense Council and the International Rescue Committee, Threads For Thought produces designs which draw inspiration from three major areas: Africa, the Environment, and Peace. The 100% organic cotton garments have been worn by a multitude of celebrities who support the brand’s concepts, including American Idol judge, Paula Abdul, and actor Jamie Foxx. Singer Gwen Stefani has been setting trends with a selection of Threads For Thought scarves and tops, and actor Don Cheadle, well known for his humanitarian work in Darfur, was spotted wearing a TFT t-shirt on “Inside The Actor’s Studio”.

Another brand popular with celebrities is OmniPeace, who donate 50% of all proceeds to the Millennium Promise Alliance, a non-profit organization working to end extreme poverty by 2025. The brand’s easily recognizable t-shirts were launched by Courteney Cox and David Arquette in 2005, and have since been worn to events by Jennifer Aniston, Angelina Jolie, Naomi Campbell, Kevin Costner, and Harry Potter’s Emma Watson.

Also popular is Edun, a fashion company that works to improve the skills of the workers where their clothing is made, including India, Tunisia, Kenya, and Madagascar. Founded in 2005 by U2 singer Bono and his wife, Ali Hewson, Edun also recently launched the “edun LIVE” sub-brand, which aims to foster trade in Africa by ensuring all of its products are 100% African, from “grower to sewer”.

“Bono’s biggest impression of the Africans is that they don’t want charity, they want trade,” said Hewson. “They have pride, they’re very dignified people. They want to work. This company is a business model that other people can follow.”

The company has raised the support of celebrities such as Pierce Brosnan, and last year released special Edun-One t-shirts, which made over $376,000 for ALAFA, a fund set up to fight Aids in Africa. The t-shirts were worn by stars such as Naomi Watts, Gary Oldman, Heath Ledger, and Jimmy Fallon.

With Winter just round the corner, both the celebrities and the fans are looking forward to new styles and surprises from the fashion world.

Kevin Bacon Launches “SixDegrees.org”

Tue, 23 Jan 2007 10:02:12 -0000

Kevin Bacon has launched SixDegrees.org, a new web site that builds on the popularity of the “small world phenomenon” to create a charitable social network and inspire giving to charities online.

Bacon started the network with celebrities who are highlighting their favorite charities – including Kyra Sedgwick (Natural Resources Defense Council), Nicole Kidman (UNIFEM), Ashley Judd (YouthAIDS), Bradley Whitford and Jane Kaczmarek (Clothes Off Our Back), Dana Delany (Scleroderma Research Foundation), Robert Duvall (Pro Mujer), Rosie O’Donnell (Rosie’s For All Kids Foundation), and Jessica Simpson (Operation Smile) – and he encouraged everyone to be celebrities for their own causes by joining the Six Degrees movement.

“SixDegrees.org is about using the idea that we are all connected to accomplish something good,” said Bacon. “It is my hope that Six Degrees will soon be something more than a game or a gimmick. It will also be a force for good, by bringing a social conscience to social networking.”

The game, ‘Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon,’ made the rounds of college campuses over the past decade and lived on to be a shorthand term for the small world phenomenon.

Bacon created SixDegrees.org in partnership with the nonprofit, Network for Good, AOL, and Entertainment Weekly. Through SixDegrees.org, which builds on Network for Good’s giving system for donating to more than one million charities online and AOL’s AIM Pages social networking service, people can learn about and support the charities of celebrities or fundraise for their own favorite causes with their own friends and families. Bacon will match the charitable dollars raised by the top six non-celebrity fundraisers with grants of up to $10,000 each.

“People give to charity because someone they know or respect asks them. So charities are increasingly looking to their supporters – not just themselves – to raise awareness and money online. That means both celebrities and everyday people can make an enormous difference for people in need,” said Bill Strathmann, CEO of Network for Good.

SixDegrees.org harnesses two important online trends: the exponential growth of social networks and the increasing interest in using the web for raising money for charity among family and friends. Through SixDegrees.org, people can upload their own photos and stories and fundraise for the charity of their choice with their own charity badges and AIM Pages.

To kick off the launch of SixDegrees.org, Bacon will attend opening weekend of the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, UT, where he and other celebrities will be encouraging charitable giving. Entertainment Weekly is celebrating SixDegrees.org and Kevin Bacon at its third annual Sundance Festival Opening Weekend Party on January 20 at Jean Louis in Park City. At the party, guests will be able to learn more about SixDegrees.org and celebrities will be encouraged to donate their “swag” to benefit charity. Items will later be listed on eBay using eBay Giving Works.

There will also be a representative from SixDegrees.org in Entertainment Weekly’s Main Street photo studio throughout the week so that when celebrities come to be photographed for the magazine, they can learn more about the organization and find out how they can get involved. Bacon will also be feted at an AOL reception where he will tape an episode of Moviefone.com’s Unscripted with Bradley Whitford, a SixDegrees.org participant and star of “An American Crime” premiering at Sundance.

“AIM Pages and Six Degrees are the perfect pairing as the immense popularity of social networking and the importance of individual giving converge. We look forward to building an important network of good-deed-doers via AIM Pages to benefit the scores of charities associated with Six Degrees,” according to Marcien Jenckes, VP/GM, Instant Messaging & Social Media, AOL.

Look To The Stars News: Natural Resources Defense Council

Leonardo DiCaprio Has Time For The Environment

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