British Musician Walking the Walk

Posted on June 24, 2010
Filed Under Green Celebs, Music, TECHNOLOGY | 1 Comment

By Charlie Fisher

The name KT Tunstall may not be as recognizable in the United States as it is in Great Britain, but her single “Suddenly I See” has been a huge hit all over the world. The Scottish-born Tunstall was raised in a log cabin in the Scottish countryside, and she attributes her upbringing to the strong consciousness she has of her environmental impact.

Tunstall doesn’t want to be another one of the many prominent figures just preaching the message on sustainability, so she is taking a different approach. In 2007, she hired an advisor to help her completely re-do her London flat in order to make it energy efficient and nearly carbon neutral. Her newly renovated flat features many green accessories, such as a gas saver that is attached to her combination boiler. This captures the heat produced by the boiler and uses it to pre-heat the cold water supply, cutting her yearly hot-water bill in half.

Tunstall hired a nearby construction company for the labor and used materials from local areas whenever possible. The unit is outfitted with low-flow water amenities and was painted entirely with solvent-free paints and pigments. To keep warm in the winter and cool in the summer, the walls are insulated with British wool. KT also made sure to have a humongous 7′ by 5′ fully-opening window installed so she can utilize all available natural light before turning on her CFLs at night. To top it off, almost all of the energy used in the flat is produced from 11 solar panels mounted on the roof (this is still London we’re talking about).

There are plenty of celebrities out there preaching to the public about the importance of environmental awareness, but maybe what we need is more people like Tunstall, who is walking the walk.

Earth Day and Hip-Hop Go Hand in Hand

Posted on April 25, 2010
Filed Under Earth Day, Green Celebs, Music, Videos | Leave a Comment

Today in Washington, D.C., people who care about the environment are heading down to the National Mall for the Earth Day Network’s Climate Rally. After all, Earth Day turned 40 this year, and there’s a lot to celebrate!

This year’s event boasts a fair amount of star power:

The Climate Rally will include notable speakers Reverend Jesse Jackson, film director James Cameron, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, Olympic gold medalist Billy Demong, producer Trudie Styler, author Margaret Atwood, NFL player and television personality Dhani Jones, environmental photographer Sebastian Copeland and many more.

The Climate Rally will also feature live music from Sting, John Legend, The Roots, Jimmy Cliff, Passion Pit, Bob Weir, Willie Colón, Joss Stone, Robert Randolph, Patrick Stump, Mavis Staples, Booker T, Honor Society and Tao Rodriguez-Seeger.

John Legend and The Roots aren’t the only hip-hop stars who care about clean energy. Above is an Earth Day video collaboration from Repower America and Biz Markie, remixing Biz’s 1989 hit “Just A Friend” (and, we might add, featuring someone who looks a lot like our pal Obama Girl, who supported SmartPower’s America’s Greenest Campus contest with a video of her own last year).

Russell Simmons also did his part, appearing in an America’s Greenest Campus PSA. Simmons compared the groundbreaking effects of hip-hop to the potential of America’s youth, urging them to lighten their carbon footprint. Watch it:

How did you celebrate Earth Day?

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