MTV · Eco-Chick

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Barefoot Walking and Running: Best of Both Worlds with Vivo Barefoot Sneakers

My Viva Terras. Cute on the trail or off.

Last summer, I was walking up from the beach at Gay’s Head on Martha’s Vineyard. (They’ve renamed the place Aquinnah, but I’m sticking with the original name, thank you very much) and then headed up the steep dunes, and over the top. When I got to where the sand meets the more rocky soil, I stopped to put my Chakos back on, but then decided to go barefoot instead.

As I walked up the path, seagrasses waving in the setting sun all around me, I could feel what was beneath my feet change. It started more sandy, and warmed from the sun, then small pebbles cropped up, and as I went around a bend, I felt the ground cool and dampen and the pebbles recede into the soft, more claylike walkway. As I headed up another rise, warmth again seeped between my toes, and as I reached the road to wait for the bus, the concrete burned my feet and I put my shoes on.

On that ten minute walk, I remembered something I knew as a child, which is that you miss tons of information from the earth when constantly wear shoes. I used to spend entire summers essentially barefoot (I grew up at the end of a dirt road in the Hudson Valley) and when I was 8 I could have told you how long it had been since rain from the viscosity of the mud that pushed between my toes since I spent hours I playing in the wetland next to my house. I don’t know if I could tell you that now, though I’m certain I could learn again.

Men’s Vivo Barefoots at the Terra Plana store.

So when a couple months ago I heard about the barefoot running movement, and the new book, Born to Run, I was intrigued. The premise is that our fancy $200 uberpadded sneakers are actually BAD for our bodies when running, and can actually cause or exacerbate injury. Which makes sense if you think about the fact that we have only been wearing such contraptions for about 20 years (flat, unpadded Converse All Stars were the sneaker of choice for basketball players for years). So I went hiking with a friend in Connecticut and took off my sandals and did a bit of trailrunning with naked feet, which was fun as long as I was careful (and this forces one to focus on each step, which is interesting). And then…

book, car, comedy, decor, eating, farm, farms, health, Home, humor, kids, media, MTV, Organic, shoes, spa, style, summer, Target, Technology, trike, tv

MTV Trashes Rainforest for Road Rules/Real World Challenge

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by Stephanie Rogers · 09/17/08

Way to go, MTV. You try to convince us you’re dedicated to being green, going so far as to make this year’s Real World abode as green as can be and enlisting our very own Summer Rayne Oakes to give the cast a tour of the eco-features. Then, you go and trash a piece of rainforest for a brainless, scripted ‘reality show’. Nice job.

The ‘Real World/Road Rules Challenge: The Island’ has been much-hyped on the network of late, promoted as a sort of ‘Survivor’ where contestants must perform tasks and survive in a ‘remote island environment’. But, Michael Drake of the Tree Climber’s Coalition has the inside scoop on what went down on the set of the show. Aside from the fact that they found scripts and that the set is far from remote, they also revealed some shocking destruction to the area where the show was filmed.

Ecorazzi describes what the Tree Climbers Coalition found:

As one would expect, the real “reality” is much less exciting. In fact, as was recently reported by Michael Drake on the Tree Climber’s Coalition site, not only is the show basically scripted and shot in and around civilization, but it also appears to have done a good deal of environmental damage. Drake, along with others living on Boca del Drago Island in the Republic of Panama witnessed MTV clear a large section of rainforest for the set construction. In addition, they also trashed a pristine beach, disturbed a bird sanctuary island “off-limits” to human visitations, and left behind an insane amount of garbage, set debris, and refuse.
As Drake wrote, “MTV’s behavior in this situation has been rampantly inconsistent with their self-proclaimed ‘MTV Green Crusade’. I sense a bit of hypocrisy and I question their commitment toward being ‘green’.”

Check out all of the photos and the full account of what was left behind after the MTV crew vacated the site at the Tree Climbers Coalition website. It’s pretty sick. MTV, what excuse are you gonna throw at us to explain this away?

MTV, Pollution

Don't Believe the Hype

7 Comments

by Courtney Tenz · 07/09/07

First, full disclosure: Unlike Starre, I didn’t watch LiveEarth. Not on TV or in person or on the Internet. It was held, admittedly, for a good cause. But I’m not a huge fan of pop and celebrity, so something about the whole spectacle turned me off. And that’s tough to say because I try hard to not be a cynical environmentalist (the kind who’s so anti- as to be virtually paralyzed in this world) and I appreciate the aim of raising awareness. I really do hope that something comes of it and that people in policy-making power were watching along with everyone else.

But.

Part of the problem with this awareness-raising is that without accountability and corporate responsibility, everyone can say they’re doing green things. Like Carson Daly (thanks Starre, for sharing those words of wisdom), who thinks unplugging his Blackberry is the best he can do to help save the world (it is a nice baby step, but wasn’t Cameron Diaz saying this three years ago in an MTV show?). Greenwashing has become such an issue in the UK that 9 of 10 people surveyed by The Guardian newspaper (which has a wonderful environment section) say they don’t believe the hype. Perhaps it’s McDonald’s entrance into the eco-friendly fold in response to demands from consumers in the UK. Or perhaps it’s the fact that DaimlerChrysler, a not-so-green auto manufacturer, sponsored Live Earth. (From Der Spiegel):

On Saturday, DaimlerChrysler will sponsor Al Gore’s Live Earth series of concerts, where it will promote its Smart “fortwo” line of fuel-efficient automobiles. Daimler’s presence at the event has drawn heavy criticism from some environmental groups, including Greenpeace which has refused to affiliate itself with the global event.
“It’s problematic that a firm like Daimler, which just several weeks ago was doing battle with the European Commission plans for mandatory emissions limits, can now present itself as a protector of the climate,” Jürgen Maier of the Berlin-based Climate Alliance wrote in the July issue of Greenpeace Magazine.
And while Daimler may be packaging itself at Live Earth as an environmentally friendly firm, its recent track record of abandoning support for sustainability projects suggests the company isn’t putting its money where its mouth is.

Though I feel a bit like every little step – including this worldwide concert – counts, I’m not so sure little steps are what we need. I just hope that while everyone’s hopping on the green bandwagon, they’re also, as Der Spiegel said, putting their money where their mouths are. Before green fatigue sets in and consumers stop caring.

automobiles, Baby, car, cars, emissions, Europe, Food, greenwashing, magazine, MTV, News, paper, spa, sustainability, tv

MTV Seeks Eco-Activists for TRUE LIFE Documentary Series

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by Olivia Zaleski · 05/10/07

Believe it or not, MTV is seeking eco-activists for its award winning documentary series TRUE LIFE. The series is looking to cast young environmentalists taking on the issue of global climate change in their schools, towns, and greater communities.

I spoke with MTV this morning and it sounds like they want the real fanatics, the militants, and the protesters. I’m not sure if this means those willing to go on a hunger strike, spray paint neighborhood SUVS . . . or perhaps spike a couple trees on a local logging site . . . who knows, but if you “appear” to be between the ages of 17 and 28, and are passionately fighting—hard—for an environmental cause, email them at: ecoactivist@mtvstaff.com with all the details of your story, your name, location, phone number and a photo. To learn more about this and other MTV casting calls visit their casting website.
Thanks for the tip Remy C .

climate change, farm, local, MTV, schools, trees, trike, tv

FYI for your FYI: Wanted – GIRLS WITH CAMERAS!

2 Comments

by Summer Rayne Oakes · 04/13/06

I’m attracted to older men, but for some reason George Clooney just never did it for me. But I’ll tell you what did do something: his energy behind FYI (Film Your Issue).

He is helping promote and judge a special 30-60 second “issue film” competition. It’s open to our peer group of 18-26 and you will be showered with a panoply of gifts if you win, including laptop, internship, broadcast on mtvU, and film fest love. I think everyone over at the Global Warming Guru’s (i.e. Gore) camp (i.e Current TV) should participate.

Eco-Chick, Energy, Global Warming, internship, MTV, tv