Nicole Richie (left), Amy Smart and Anna Getty teamed up in Hollywood recently to bring attention to a new project that is set to take students back to basics, by growing their own organic gardens.

Twenty-five schools will be paired with participating celebs including Lance Bass, Rosario Dawson, and Jake Gyllenhaal to create organic gardens and learn about healthy eating habits. The schools may also potentially earn revenue from the sale of flowers and vegetables they grow. Read more here

The Environmental Media Association (EMA) and LA Unified School District (LAUSD), with personal care brand Yes To Inc., has announced an ongoing partnership to support organic gardens and greenery in urban schools across Los Angeles. EMA and Yes To will directly support a number of school gardens through funding and celebrity mentoring from EMAs Young Hollywood Board.

Board members include Amy Smart, Nicole Richie (pictured left at the 18th Annual Environmental Awards), Maroon 5, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Rosario Dawson, Maria Menounos, Matthew Rhys, Lance Bass, Emily VanCamp, Anna Getty, Olivia Wilde, Carter Oosterhouse and others. Each member will adopt a school to raise awareness for the program and help kids with environmental education.

As the school gardens grow and evolve, student gardeners learn invaluable life lessons such as team work, problem-solving, service-learning, ecology and patience. The program will launch in early summer with a special event at one of the 25 schools.

Partying need not be bad for you or the environment. The Dove is heading to ECCO Ultra Lounge in Hollywood tonight to see exactly why this eco-friendly club is the talk of Tinseltown.

Using energy from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power’s Green Power-a resource that provides wind, sun and water power-the nightspot is all about green, from free valet parking for hybrid vehicles to insulation of 100 per cent organic cotton. Then there’s the LED lighting system and Turbosound speakers and Powersoft amplifiers that reduce energy by a whopping 70 per cent (compared to the standard varieties). Ecco Lounge’s organic cocktails are also served on a bar made from non-toxic materials, while the restrooms feature waterless urinals.

A favorite of celebrities (think Nicole Richie, Joel Madden, Tommy Lee) and every day locals alike, Ecco Lounge is giving everyone a good (and healthy) reason to celebrate.

1640 N Cahuenga Blvd
Los Angeles, CA, US 90028
www.eccohollywood.com

While the film The Soloist brings attention to homelessness and mental illness, it also highlights the importance and impact music can have on our lives. In this exclusive interview, L.A. Times journalist Steve Lopez tells how his friendship with Nathaniel Ayers changed his life, how the film made him more self-aware and how music impacts him.

TGD: What do you believe firstly your LA Times article, then your book and finally The Soloist film has done for raising awareness of the homeless?

SL: I think the story raises awareness about who those people are out there and how they ended up on the pavement. We’d like to think, for our own benefit, that they all made a decision to be out there, or simply couldn’t pay the rent because they’re laggards. In fact many of them, including veterans, were hit with severe illness that is both terrifying and debilitating. On the west side of L.A. does it make sense to anyone that physically and mentally wounded vets sleep in Palisades Park and on the street just a few miles from abandoned VA barracks? One thing I’ve learned is that we know how to help people but haven’t made a big enough commitment to the right programs. On the west side (of Los Angeles), programs like Step Up on Second (www.stepuponsecond.org) and the Ocean Park Community Center (www.opcc.org) do both the humane thing and the cost-effective thing, helping people rebuild their lives rather than churning endlessly through courts, hospitals and jails. Anyone who wants to make a difference should check out their websites and either donate, volunteer, or learn what they’re about and spread the word.

TGD: Describe what it was like having an actor portray you? Did this experience make you more self-aware? If so, how?

SL: Its always a strange out-of-body experience, having seen the film several times. Did Robert Downey Jr. just say he was Steve Lopez? I guess he did. I joked with Downey that he doesn’t look like a Lopez. The joke of course is that I don’t, either. My grandparents are from Italy and Spain, and yet I’ve taken complaints from readers and journalists who are disappointed that I didn’t insist on being played by a Latino. Each time I see the movie I catch some new and different element of Downey’s portrayal. He accomplished something amazing: he created an original character, yet captured elements of my personality and drive and the essence of my journey with Mr. Ayers.

TGD: In the film, you were instrumental in adding richness to Nathaniel’s life. In what ways did Nathaniel add richness to yours?

SL: I learned patience, hope, strength, and passion. Few people are lucky enough to find their true ambition and to live for it. Mr. Ayers fights through his troubles each day and ends up in the embrace of music, which transports him to a beautiful, safe, sane world. In letting me know him well enough to tell his story, he has shined a spotlight on our public policy failures, he has helped humanize thousands like him and he has helped destigmatize mental illness. I’ve also learned to appreciate classical music and like Mr. Ayers, I now have friends in the L.A. Philharmonic.

TGD: Music changed Nathaniel’s life. How has music changed you?

SL: Few things in life are just inherently good, uplifting and therapeutic. Music is all of that. I envy Mr. Ayers’ talent and wish I could play something, but despite years of lessons on guitar, I’m a bit of a hack once I get beyond songs like Rainbow Connection and Eensy Weensy Spider. Fortunately, because she’s only five, my daughter thinks I can actually play the instrument.

To read more about Steve Lopez, see www.stevelopezonline.com. To see how music can help heal, head to www.musictherapy.org

Participant films and producers of The Soloist, have teamed up with NGOs nationally and regionally to launch The Soloist Social Action Campaign which includes a viral tool called The Art of Understanding: Humanizing Homelessness and Mental Illness. It will be available to the public and educational institutions nationally (US only).

Michelle Harris, host and co-creator of Alive & Well TV, a modern organic living show, walked the EARTH red carpet event in Hollywood recently, styled by Planet Style Concierge‘s Colin Megaro.

Colin used green accessories to play off of her BCBG Max Azria Green and Navy striped dress including earrings and a bracelet by Smart Glass Jewelry and a yellow Harveys Seat Belt bag. The eco-friendly bags use factory-reject seatbelts and weave them into beautiful and functional handbags.

Smart Glass Jewelry recycles old pieces of glass into handmade modern jewelry pieces by artist, Kathleen Plate (starting at $US38).

How can you pull off a green eco-chic look like Michelles (left)? Colin says research is key.

“Many companies say they are using organic or recycled materials, but not everyone is honest,” he says.

“Use green blogs and web sites to find the best eco-friendly brands, and if youre ever unsure about the materials used in a specific item, pick up the phone and call the company.”

More than just pretty accessories or a fashion fad, Energy Muse jewelry is a “lifestyle of wearable energies”, say its creators Heather Askinosie and Timmi Jandro.

Each handcrafted piece holds energy and intention to aid the wearer in manifesting a desired outcome. Heather and Timmi say people gravitate towards the gemstones they currently need to create and support balance within their own spiritual, mental and physical lives.

“Our mission is to educate and reconnect the world to the ancient wisdom and healing properties of crystals,” they explain. “Energy Muse is a conscious lifestyle brand providing tools of empowerment, inspiration and hope.”

In need of a change of fortune? Black tourmalinated quartz is thought to be a stone of great luck and wealth-a stone featured on the Energy Muse Luck bracelet (a Green Dove fave), pictured below left, which also holds an authentic Chinese coin-estimated to be 100 to 500 years old-an ancient and powerful manifesting tool for attracting not only luck but also wealth and limitless opportunity.

Celebrity devotees include David Beckham (Health), Heidi Klum (1st Chakra), Jeremy Piven (The Sun with coin), Britney Spears (High Priestess), Hillary Duff (Prosperity with peridot), Courtney Love (Divine Numbers #33) and many more.

Find the right energetic fit for you at www.energymuse.com

Tales of Black Freighters Siobhan Flynn is not only an eco fashion fanatic; the long-time vegetarian is a big supporter of Earth Day (April 22). The Hollywood actress shares her earth-loving essentials with The Green Dove

Rare Elements
“John Amato, formerly of Amato Hair Studio in Beverly Hills, has developed the first salon-inspired eco-luxury hair care line, Rare El’ements (below). Each product is sulfate, paraben, synthetic and silicone-free. Its the best.” For local retail locations, visit rare-elements.com.

Rejuvenating hair serum, $44
Pure shampoo, $34
Essential conditioner, $44

Cole Haan Sporting Collection

Cole Haans green Sporting Collection focuses on craftsmanship, function and style, says Siobhan, who carries the Dylan sustainable tote (left). “Theyre made with bionic yarn, which contains fibers made from recycled plastic beverage bottles, and theyre trimmed in vegetable chrome-free leather.” See Colehaan.com

FHI Heat
Keeping her hair in perfect condition is of utmost importance, particularly for those red carpet moments, admits Siobhan. THE ISLAND actress is a fan of FHI Heats straightening iron (below). “Theyre helping environmental, social and health-related causes with the Do More series of color-coded styling irons – theyre super cool,” Siobhan says. The first of the series, Earth features a green-plated styling iron. One dollar from sales of Do More: Earth, go to Trees for the Future (Treesftf.org), an award-winning non-profit organization dedicated to helping communities around the globe plant trees. $120. From Tipperary Salon, Beverly Hills. (310) 274-02904.

The Solution
Siobhan simplifies her beauty regime with Kimberly Snyders The Solution (right) – a natural moisturiser that does it all. “Its a day and night moisturiser, eye cream, anti-aging serum and make-up primer is bursting with aĆ