April 2009

Canada’s 2009 seal hunt has just ended, and more than 280,000 animals were brutally killed. Paul McCartney, like many of us, is appalled at the cruelty of the yearly event, and he’s speaking out to try to end it.

McCartney has joined with The Humane Society and Respect for Animals by signing a petition asking Members of European Parliament to make the trading of goods made from seals illegal, which, of course, would give hunters no reason to continue their brutal hunt.

He said, “The fate of millions of seal pups is in the hands of elected members of the European Parliament. In the next few weeks, they will have a historic opportunity to stop the cruel trade in seal products throughout the European Union.

McCartney went on to ask that everyone make their voices heard, too, by signing the petition (you can sign it by clicking here). If you don’t know much about the seal hunt, I definitely suggest you click that link and at least educate yourself. You might find that it’s a cause that’s truly important to you!Photo courtesy of contactmusic.com

Hugh Jackman is donating $100,000 to a couple of deserving charities, which, in and of itself, isn’t such big news. Don’t get me wrong; I know it’s a lot of money, but in the grand scheme of things, $100k isn’t all that much for the Sexiest Man Alive. What is big news is how he chose the charities — he called upon his fans to use the social networking Twitter to tell him what charities were most deserving!

He asked his fans to tell him on Twitter (in 140 characters or less, of course) what charity should receive his generous donation, and later wrote another message to fans saying, “The more passion shown for your charity the better! Get the support of your friends and teach them the importance of giving.”

Jackman selected Operation of Hope and charity: water to share the $100k donation. You’ve got to love a celebrity who gets his fans involved in his philanthropy!

Photo courtesy of askmen.com

Happy Earth Day! I hope you’re doing something fun and green, but in case you’re just hanging out, watching your shows, you should know that today would be a great day to tune in to Oprah — she’s dedicating today’s show to trash and the effect on our oceans.

This is nothing new. Oprah always take the opportunity to use Earth Day as a way to showcase environmental issues. Julia Roberts has appeared on the Earth Day show to talk about composting, while Matt Damon has also made an appearance to discuss reducing junk mail through an awesome organization called GreenDimes.

She’s also talking about ways that going green can save you green, which is something I think we’re all pretty interested in these days. Her site is full of helpful “go green” tips, so even if you’re not normally an Oprah watcher, today might be the day to convert!

Photo courtesy of starpulse.com

There are some unbelievably awful things happening in the Congo, and Nicole Richie wants to make sure you know all about them. She’s posted a video on her website telling us about the impact many of our every day purchases have on the women and children of the African country, and you need to watch it.

The video begins with Richie saying, “I’m about to tell you a true story about a place where babies and grandmothers are being raped on a daily basis, and the reason they are being raped is directly connected to the purchases of our cell phones, of our laptops and of our iPods.” The violence is related to the mining of minerals that go into the making of these items.

She goes on to say, “The number one weapon out there is not guns, its not knives, it is rape. They are raping these women. Not only is it rape, they are being raped in front of their husbands and children, their children are being killed … they’re being told to eat their children. This stuff is really inhumane. This is the worst stuff that I’ve ever heard in my life.”

Richie introduces Kimberly Pinkson from the Ecomom Alliance and John Pendergast from the EnoughProject.org, two organizations working to end the cycle of violence in the congo. The former reality star then offers four steps we can all take to do our part.

• 1. Join the Movement at www.raisehopeforcongo.org.
• 2. Text “CONGOPLEDGE” (one word, no spaces) to ACTION (228466) or visit www.raisehopeforcongo.org/special-page/conflict-minerals to endorse the Conflict Minerals Pledge.
• 3. Send emails to the industry leaders and ask them to be a leader on this issue by signing the pledge. Visit www.raisehopeforcongo.org/special-page/conflict-minerals to send your emails now.
• 4. Call the White House switchboard at 202.456.1414 or write to President Obama at www.whitehouse.gov and ask him to appoint a special envoy for the Great Lakes region.

Photo courtesy of askmen.com

I’ve always admired Doris Day’s dedication to the paws cause, and it turns out she wants to be like me, too. Well, okay, maybe not exactly, but she has become a blogger (just like me!). And, not surprisingly, she’s blogging about animal rights.

Day is blogging for CNN, and she’s a natural. April is Prevention of Animal Cruelty Month, and she has a small request:”[B]e a good citizen and keep an eye out for your neighbors’ dogs, cats, birds and other animals to make sure they are being treated humanely.”

She goes on to say that, at the very least, all animals should have “shelter, food, water, protection from the weather and company from their guardians,” and if you notice an animal constantly crying or pass a troubling situation day after day as you go for a walk, do your part and report the problem — animal abuse is illegal.

Her final point is a good one. She wrote, “Our animals’ lives are so short, and they love and watch out for us. We need to make their time on earth special and give them the compassionate treatment they deserve.”

Interested in helping out the Doris Day Animal Foundation? Find out what you can do here.

Photo courtesy of ddaf.org

Who doesn’t love a beautiful bag? And who doesn’t love a good cause? Obviously, plenty of celebrities love both, because Jessica Alba, Alec Baldwin, Sandra Oh, Mena Suvari, Blair Underwood, Rosie Perez, Justine Bateman, and Robin Wright Penn have all jumped on board with a fabulous handbag auction for The Nature Conservancy!

Sakroots, the environmentally-focused branch of The Sak, is hosting a celebrity bag auction for The Nature Conservancy’s Plant a Billion Trees campaign. The above-mentioned stars have signed a gorgeous Pax Eco Weekender to raise funds for the campaign.

Plant a Billion Trees is focused on planting a billion trees (shocking, I know) on the Atlantic Forest of Brazil, which is on the brink with only seven percent of its original trees remaining. It’s one of the world’s most endangered forests, and if something isn’t done now, it will soon be too late.

Ready to do your part (and maybe win a fab new bag to boot)? Head on over to the auction and place your bid. You have until Earth Day (April 22) at 3 p.m. ET to get involved!

Photo courtesy of charityfolks.com

Noah Wyle has been on a lot of people’s minds lately with the big series finale of “ER,” but that’s not all the actor has been up to. Last weekend, he served as host for Oceana’s Save Our Surf (or S.O.S.) Project big celebrity gala.

S.O.S. is all about helping people — surfers and non-surfers alike — get involved in saving the Pacific Ocean. The event was preceded by a surf-a-thon, and then the gala itself consisted of a blue carpet walk, live music, cocktails and a buffet dinner, as well as a live and silent auction with items like Dennis Hopper’s photography, a Costa Rican surf trip with Frank Caronna, and lots of original art.

Oceana is a strong organization that does a lot of good — find out more about them here.

Photo courtesy of ecorazzi.com

Paula Abdul gets a lot of flack for her occasionally, uh, wacky appearances on American Idol. However, even if she might come off as a little loopy sometimes, the gal’s got a good heart. Yesterday, the Straight Up singer presented guide dogs to seven veterans, one who has served in three wars.

The dogs came from Guide Dogs of the Desert, a Palm Springs-based organization dedicated to improving the lives of blind people by helping them become more independent and giving them outreach opportunities. It’s really no surprise that Abdul was involved in the event — she’s been involved in the guide dog cause for some time, and has signed up to help raise awareness and money for guide dog organizations all over the United States. May is National Guide Dog Month, and Abdul will be active in a number of events throughout the month.

“As an animal lover, it’s my honor to help raise awareness for [the] invaluable organizations who give so much help to the blind,” Abdul said. “I hope everyone will contribute to this program.”

Photo courtesy of paulaabdul.com

The recently slimmed down Scarlett Johansson has signed on to be the celebrity spokesperson for Moet & Chandon champagne, and last week, they held a “Tribute to Cinema” gala at London’s Big Sky studio.

Of course, the gala was attended by a plethora of celebrities, including Thandie Newton and Joseph Fiennes. And, those celebs weren’t shy about putting their signatures to a good cause.

Keeping with Moet’s tradition, celebrities were then encouraged to sign a bottle of Moet & Chandon Nebuchadnezzer. The bottle will later be auctioned off to benefit Oxfam (which was the charity chosen by Johansson), specifically to help with the agency’s climate change work.

Johansson is the first celebrity to serve as a brand ambassador for the popular champagne, and it’s great to see that she’s using her influence for a good cause.

Photo courtesy of askmen.com