Mmm…Mamma Mia!!!!!

Come on! Don’t tell me you haven’t been struck by the Mamma Mia bug?! Of course you have, you’re a closet fan, I know you are. For everyone with a hopeless sense of romance, wanting some kind of summer loving feeling in the midst of this dull grey winter, Mamma Mia gets your heart skipping like a school girl. Well it did mine anyway, I have to admit it. I’m smitten!

Of course I’m a married woman who loves her husband very much, but I do have a soft spot and a smidgen of a crush on Pierce Brosnan. Colin Firth is oh so cute too!

Ok so what have my aimless fantasies have to do with anything Green or Eco-Conscious? Well I thought I’d see what these guys and gals get up to in their spare time and share with you. I wasn’t disappointed!

Pierce Brosnan (thump, thump, thump) for one, is well into the Green Scene and spends time campaigning for environmental education, clean water and marine-mammal and wetland protection. He has been an environmental activist for quite some time and regularly recycles, buys eco products and supports environmental causes.

Read more at http://www.piercebrosnan.com/pdf/BonAppetitFeb2008.pdf

Check out Pierce’s guide – 10 things you can do to be green

1) Eat organic and buy fruits, vegetables, herbs, cheese, eggs, honey and other food products at farmer’s markets which support local farmers and growers.

2) Use eco-friendly products and services. Purchase all-natural, organic household cleaners, recycled paper products, organic cotton, and non-GMO food products. Locate an organic dry cleaner. Hire an eco-friendly gardening or car service.

3) Recycle everything possible, including printer cartridges, paper products, newspaper, plastic, glass, cans, etc... and cut paper consumption by using e-mail.

4) Give back – support individuals and organizations who are doing extraordinary work for our planet. Over the years The Brosnan Trust has distributed more than one million dollars to environmental organizations, schools, activists, and charities.

5) Plant an organic garden or a victory garden– for yourself or a friend and promote green living.

6) Compost kitchen scraps-- from banana peels to coffee grounds, and green waste. Purchase a rotating or stackable composter and start a green waste pile that can be used to fortify your garden naturally.

7) Promote environmental education. We currently fund environmental programs for kindergarten thru grade 12 (Roots and Shoots) in California and helped pass legislation which requires the state of California to design environmental curriculum for all its students.

8) Donate to off set your emissions (plant trees with Tree people; pay a carbon tax when traveling in environmentally sensitive areas, etc…).

9) Design an eco friendly home that features energy efficient appliances, low flow and/or composting toilets, state of the art solar technology, recycled grey water, reclaimed hardwoods, and non-toxic paint and building materials.

10) Speak up -- use your voice and speak out about important environmental issues (examples over the past 13 years: stopping BHP’s LNG Terminal off the coast of Oxnard and Malibu, Mitsubishi from building a massive salt factory in Lagoon San Ignacio, protesting the US Navy harming whales with sonar and the French Government nuclear testing in the South Pacific, promoting Dolphin Safe Tuna and supporting the Heritage Tree Bill.) One person can and does make a difference. What kind of difference do you want to make?

Colin Firth is also involved in Green issues. Without the luxury of being able to interview him at the drop of a hat, I have to rely on articles written about him and on the internet. Most of the history on his website points to involvement in Fair Trade campaigning, either to the EU, or on global and coffee issues dating back to the early 2000’s. He also has an Eco store in Chiswick surprisingly called ‘Eco’ which he owns with his wife the beautiful Italian documentary producer Livia Giuggioli, her 26-year-old brother Nicola, and friend and investor Ivo Coulson. The shop is cleverly lit by the sun, covered in plants and solar heated. In an interview on Times Online, Colin admirably said “if you have this many perks, surely you can help out. Rather than being a luvvie with a lofty opinion preaching to people, I prefer to do things, to get involved, put my money where my mouth is and learn along the way.”

Meryl Streep, last but not least is an amazing icon, involved in many health campaigns, especially in the fight against Cancer, Aids, America Forest tree replanting scheme- Global Re-leaf and in creating a healthy world for our children. In talking about creating a healthy world for our children, one of the main concerns she raises is regarding the toxins in our environment and foods. For more info see www.healthchild.org for an amazing read.

Looking behind the scenes of the romance and the glitz and the glamour of Mamma Mia are real people who although busy in their lives, take conscious time and effort to make a difference in the world in their small or big way, as we can all do from the comforts of our own home. With every negative element it is important to remember there is a positive element; one cannot be without the other, its just Yin and Yang!!