On the green scene, no vehicle has more sex appeal than the Tesla Roadster. When the sleek all-electric American sports car (starting price $109,000) hit the U.S. market last year, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Robert Downey Jr., Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergei Brin, Dustin Hoffman and Kelsey Grammer were among the first to snap it up. The car even makes an appearance in Downey's film, Iron Man.
Last week, the first Tesla showroom opened in LA with a party that drew Quincy Jones, Anna Getty and Daryl Hannah, among others. Hannah, who as of late has devoted much of her time to environmental activism, told me she actually drives an '83 El Camino that runs on bio-diesel. "But if you insist on buying a new car," she enthused, "electric is the way to go." (She even made this video about the Tesla for her blog, dhlovelife.)
At the party, I also talked to Jason Calacanis, the internet entrepeneur who made a fortune off his company Weblogs when he sold it to AOL a couple years ago. (His latest project is a search engine called Mahalo.com.) Calacanis told me he ordered one of the 2008 Teslas in yellow and that he plans to power it up with solar panels installed on top of his garage. "My intention is to be off gas as quick as possible," he said.
Equinox has jumped on the earth-friendly bandwagon. They've gone "green" with their newest location at 10th Avenue and 17th Street. The furniture in the reception area is made from recycled wood and fabric (created by eco-friendly designers Marla Henderson and Tucker Robbins). The walls are coated with low VOC-level paints and one is covered floor-to-ceiling with plants. There are recycled rubber floors in the cardio and weight areas and bamboo floors in the yoga studio. There's a state-of-the-art air filtration system in place. The housekeeping staff even uses eco-friendly cleaning products. When I talked to Paul Boardman, Equinox's chief design officer, he was quick to point out that that the company has actually been eco-aware for over ten years, occasionally using recycled and renewable resource products in its decor. Well, it certainly is a nice step forward. And I'm still eagerly awaiting the day when my 20 minutes on the elliptical will power that TV in front of me.
He'll forever be a romantic hero to millions of BBC-watching Jane Austen fans—but I found out last week that there's a lot more to actor Colin Firth than brooding gazes and frock coats.
The actor's chic wife, Livia Giuggioli, recently invited a clutch of London journalists to the launch of Eco, the new green-minded housewares store that the couple (together with business partners Nicola Giuggioli, and financier Ivo Coulson) have set up in the leafy West London suburb of Chiswick.
Sadly, filming commitments kept Mr. Darcy—er, Colin—from the event. But still there was plenty to ooh and aaah over. Chic glassware, vases and furniture. Graham & Brown's wallpapers made from managed timber sources. Even a plasma screen television encased in rich Sapele wood, made by the Irish company Iameco.
For those interested in further "greening up their homes," as Livia put it, there's a consultancy area where customers can choose fabrics and wood floors or get advice on economical heating. So while Firth might not be a regular fixture in the store, he'll still be raising customers' temperatures.
Since owners of G5s don't need frequent flyer miles anyway, they'll soon have a morally rewarding way to flex their spending power. Early in 2008, Bank of America will launch the Visa Brighter Planet card, which aims to reduce its holder's "carbon footprint." Each dollar spent on the card earns a point that supports a variety of environmental organizations, and a thousand points will offset approximately one ton of carbon dioxide (the effect on global warming is similar to removing a car from the road for two months).
Simon Doonan and Julie Gilhart of Barneys New York are now officially the Regis Philbin & Kelly Ripa of high-end retail. The store's dynamic duo are the stars of a five-minute You Tube video (also available on the Barneys' website) where they engage in batty talk-show banter and push the store's eco-friendly Holiday merch.
With arguably the most popular political site on the Web, an endless roster of high-powered bloggers and a smart new book, Arianna Huffington is more influential than ever.
On the green scene, no vehicle has more sex appeal than the Tesla Roadster. When the sleek all-electric American sports car (starting price $109,000) hit the U.S. market last year, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Robert Downey Jr., Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergei Brin, Dustin Hoffman and Kelsey Grammer were among the first to snap it up. The car even makes an appearance in Downey's film, Iron Man.
