Many treehugging celebrities seen all over the media extolling the virtues of a green lifestyle own multiple homes, I know many people who read this have a second home but, Madonna has at least 6 London homes, and estate in Wiltshire, an apartment in New York and a Beverley Hills mansion. Nicolas Cage has a German medieval castle and a 40 acre private island. That apparently wasn't enough because in 2007 he bought a 12-bedroom home in Rhode Island, a castle in England and a $3.5 million home in New Orleans' French Quarter. There are many others and what's the problem? Each of these homes has a permanent staff using electricity, water, gas and pumping out CO2 just to keep them primed for the occasional visit of the owner. To get to these (im)modest piles many of these celebrities get in their private jet and burn much more fuel than they would do if their shared a plane with the rest of us, we who paid for their many homes in the first place by buying the album or watching the film.
I read a recent article about how, actress and celebrity wife and mother, Jennifer Garner always bought bio and fairtrade products and tried to use Farmers Markets as much as possible, laudable but then I saw a photo a few days later of one of her Farmers Markets trips using disposable plastic bags to stash her goodies in. Talking of shopping bags I'm sure you all have “bags for life” from SuperU or Intermarche at around 75 centimes each, but how about splashing out for something a little more stylish? 350€ for a Stella McCartney organic cotton shopper, around 700€ for a Hermès silk tote or 1,200€ for a Louis Vuitton canvas model? Veg shopping will never be the same again.
Some celebrities have branched out into other activities to, perhaps, supplement their incomes when their looks and popularity fade. Colin Firth has opened an “eco” store in Chiswick, SW London where he sells a variety of worthy goods which, if his bamboo, biodegradable, environmentally friendly bicycle which sells for over 3500€ is an example, will be monumentally expensive!
The recent death of Michael Jackson was a shock to many and a very sad event for all his fans. Michael, despite his foibles, was an advocate for all things environmental, listen to “Earth Song” , and a champion for racial equality which he is rightly applauded for – but did he really want to buried in a solid brass, gold-plated, 22000€ casket called the “Promethean “ which will never, ever degrade and will be a fixture in the California soil for all time! Personally when it's my time to shuffle off I will be burnt and scattered somewhere off the West coast of Scotland, but if I were to be buried I will be choosing the Hainsworth wool coffin, biodegradable and warm, not that it'll matter much.
