Raychel Harvey-Jones is a multi media journalist born in the UK. Raychel relocated to the USA to report and produce weather and news segments for Bloomberg TV. As a reporter she has covered world politics and conflict in the Middle East. Raychel has appeared on air for Aljazeera, ABC news now, NJN, America this Morning and as a freelance reporter and producer she is a regular contributor for Ebru.tv based in New Jersey. She currently writes for various online publications in addition to media relations consulting for Orange County based Morgan Drexen, Inc.

 

Hollywood is out in force to educate and advise consumers who are bombarded with products that claim to be environmentally friendly or ‘green as it has now been labeled. But how many everyday products are truly green and how many have that ‘green sheen’? In recent years, marketing companies have developed a green sheen strategy that promises no harmful affects from their products; however, those same products have no real facts to back up their seemingly innocent claims.

Consumers all over the world are not being brainwashed but green-washed.

Celebrity, climate conscious Ed Begley Jr. , a regular on the red carpet, often arrives in true style, on his push-bike. Begley is certainly considered an environmental leader in the Hollywood community. The causes that Ed supports are endless. He has served as chairman of the Environmental Media Association and the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy. In addition, he adds his celebrity weight to the Thoreau Institute, the Earth Communications Office, Tree People and Friends of the Earth, among many others.

His work in the environmental community has earned him a number of awards from some of the most prestigious environmental groups in the nation.  In recent years, Begley was featured in his own reality show, Living with Ed, which highlighted the incredible efforts of this celebrity green guru.

Ed tells Celebrity Society, "I've owned a windmill since 1985, and it's still profitable today. I own a share of a wind farm putting out many-homes-worth of power. That's 25 years of more than mitigating my use. And then you've got the solar panels on the roof….”

California is considered a leading example of promoting energy efficient products and conservation. Many experts acknowledge the well-known faces of Hollywood that highlight climate issues. If it’s hip in Hollywood, then it must be cool to be green. The residents of Beverly Hills don’t just come out when there is a red carpet event; they come out to emphasis simple lifestyle changes that are truly green.

Leonardo DiCaprio is another of Hollywood’s leading green men. DiCaprio joins a whole host of celebrities with his involvement with Global Cool, a climate change charity promoting green lifestyle choices. Sienna Miller, Orlando Bloom and Rosario Dawson are all using their celebrity status for the great cause of improving the world in which our future generations will grow up.

Naomi Segal, campaign director at Global Cool is a firm believer in the influence of celebrity culture: “Celebrity endorsement is an approach that is often used in commercial marketing to great success, where we see celebrities endorsing everything from perfumes to coffee brands. Global Cool harnesses this powerful influence to promote greener living, and to date the results of our campaigns have been fantastic in reaching and influencing those members of the public that are hard to convince.”

“We are extremely grateful to the celebrities that have supported our work so far. They have enabled us to reach a far wider audience more deeply than we could have ever managed without their help,” adds Naomi.

David Arquette added his celebrity weight to the campaign to cut down carbon emissions in California. Arquette, like so many celebrities, believes climate change should be at the center of everyone’s focus. He said, “My belief is that the most important aspect of celebrity is you can raise awareness, lend your name and give support to certain things and get people talking.  And that’s why I’m here.”

Magali Delmas, an Environmental Science and Management professor for the University of California says, “Consumers have no idea what is going on. They are completely blind sided by clever marketing.” “Every time I visit a grocery store, they ask the question.  ‘Would you like paper or plastic?’ Which do you prefer: the use of products from petroleum or deforestation? Neither option is good. No one really knows the right answer. Celebrity endorsements get this very important topic noticed,” emphasizes Magali.

For a simple guide to green washing and which products are dazzling you with that green sheen, check out www.sinsofgreenwashing.org.

This website was set up back in 2007 in an effort to assist consumers in making the right choices. This interactive site will open your eyes to the do’s and don’ts of green washing. Begley’s Best offers cleaning products that are effective and safe for use in your home and our planet.

It is clear that green is not the new black, so choose your products wisely. With the help of our celebrities and everyone else, we can change our carbon footprint.

Copr. © Raychel Harvey-Jones 2011