Recent News from our friends at the Natural Resource Defense Council (The NRDC) say that Americans’ addiction to two-ply, super soft toilet paper is causing greater harm to our environment than our gas guzzling cars. No shit. How is that so? In order to produce all that perfectly plush paper, companies must harvest tons of virgin trees, which the reaping of means less oxygen for the atmosphere to offset or all the carbon that seems to be frying us here on the surface. So our asses are in trouble. The US is the country that consumes the most forests specifically to fulfill the demand of Charmen Assficiandos far and wide. If you travel abroad, you may find discomfort in the thin one-ply offered up pretty much everywhere else. But that’s because most other countries are more careful about their resourceful trees and/or use recycled and post-consumer paper in the manufacturing of toilet tissue. Click HERE to learn what post-consumer means. I remember visiting India and being astounded to find there wasn’t any paper. Talk about saving trees and not clogging the septic! Instead, there was a water hose next to the toilet and it was recommend you use your hand (which is why you always shake hands and eat meals with your right (and only your right).) So I’m writing this today to invite you to buy only recycled or large percentage post consumer paper for your household, school or office. If you aren’t the one buying it, then encourage your janitorial staff to consider it. The paper isn’t nearly as soft, but it’s just as durable. Click HERE for the Tissue Shopper’s Guide provided by the NRDC. It was while camping in Costa Rica last week that I realized I needed to share this with you. When it came to the limited supply of tissue brought to the jungle, one has to be selective on how and when to use. My friend was amazed at how little paper was actually required for the job. And it has nothing to do with my raw diet, because quite honestly, I’ve been swimming in deeper waters lately, introducing my stomach to rich and indulgently devilish foods. (How dare I!) … Forgive me for being anal about this. I just thought I’d share the news and suggest an eco-friendly solution to one of nature’s biggest pains in the ass. For more helpful blogs like this one, intended to enhance your life and the lives of others around you, check out SuperForest.Org. It’s my personal favorite.

Pura Vida!
-Jason

Well … there you have it. I, personally, had no idea that the use of toilet paper in the Western World caused such a shitstorm for the environment … tho, it does make sense. I have to say, the idea of using recycled (ie. scratchy) toilet paper does not sound all that appealing, in the long run it does make more sense to make little sacrifices where we can. You’ve gotta love that Jason Mraz is always putting out useful information about subjects that he feels so strongly about. I’m also fond for his affinity for sharing such revealing photos … tho, let’s try and not think about what he’s prolly doing in that lake, shall we? Click HERE to read the entire text of Jason’s post which offers a few Toilet Tissue Tips. We can save the planet, one wipe at a time.

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Free The Weed

Happy Birthday Brother.

LOVE IT! And what a great birthday for Jason’s friend Toca. Actually, the randomness of a parade like this coming by right when you wish for it is very reminiscent of the No on Prop 8 protests that were sweeping LA in the weeks following Election Day last November. I was out with friends one Saturday night and we were talking about how upset we were that Prop 8 passed in California and then a protest march came parading down the street! We ran out of the bar we were in and joined the protesters for a little bit. This scenario sounds just like that one. I don’t know Toca Rivera at all but I am glad to know that he had a great birthday with his friend Jason Mraz. Kudos to Jason for so openly advocating a cause he believes in. I have many friends who also champion the same cause. Woot!

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Everyone was lookin’ their swanky best … Jennifer Hudson and Carrie Underwood looked lovely (tho, I preferred the dress that J. Hud changed into for her onstage performance) and Jesse McCartney looked crazed as he latched on to Paris Hilton’s teet for their odd photo op. Dunno what the kid was trying to accomplish but I hope he bathed afterward.

It turned out that Alison Krauss and Robert Plant were the big winners of the evening … along with Adele who took home the award for Best New Artist (edging out Duffy and the Jonas Brothers — thank God!). After the jump, check out some photos from the Grammy Press room of some of the winners with their trophies and find out who won what at last night’s affair …

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss were the big winners at the 51st annual Grammy Awards Sunday night. They won album of the year for Raising Sand; record of the year for their performance of the song “Please Read the Letter”; and three other honors. The duo upset rapper Lil Wayne and British rock band Coldplay; those artists had the best-selling albums of 2008. Lil Wayne took home three Grammys, including best rap album, and Coldplay also won three awards, including song of the year. The pairing of former Led Zeppelin singer Plant with bluegrass fiddler and singer Krauss turned out to be a surprise hit with critics and fans last year. The demure Krauss only spoke once during the Grammy telecast, when she and Plant accepted the album of the year award. “It’s been a wonderful time, and especially [with] Robert, there’s never a dull moment,” Krauss said. “I’d like to say I’m bewildered,” Plant added. “In the old days, we would have called this selling out. But I think it’s a good way to spend a Sunday.” It was an emotional Sunday for singer Jennifer Hudson. Less than four months ago, her mother, brother and nephew were murdered. The former American Idol contestant and Oscar winner fought back tears as she picked up her first Grammy — for best R&B album. “I first would like to thank God, who has brought me through. I would like to thank my family in heaven and those who are here today.” It was Hudson’s second public performance since the tragedy. She sang a week earlier at the Super Bowl. Unheard Controversy The Grammy ceremony was, for the most part, relentlessly upbeat. Members of Coldplay bounded onstage wearing blue, purple, green and red jackets to accept the song of the year award. But the song, “Viva La Vida,” is the subject of a copyright infringement lawsuit: In December, guitarist Joe Satriani filed suit in federal court alleging the band ripped off his 2004 instrumental, “If I Could Fly.” The suit generated a lot of coverage in the press and online, but Satriani may have a tough time proving his case. Some online music lovers have pointed out similarities between his tune and a 2002 release by the Argentine group Enanitos Verdes. Like the charges of musical plagiarism, the biggest news of the night went unmentioned during the telecast. Just as the ceremony was getting under way, the popular 19-year-old R&B singer Chris Brown was turning himself in to Los Angeles police for allegedly assaulting a woman early Sunday morning. Brown was scheduled to perform, as was his girlfriend, Rihanna, and both were nominated for Grammys. Neither won and both canceled — at the last minute. That led to a lot of speculation that Rihanna was the woman Brown assaulted. Los Angeles police declined to name the woman. Meanwhile Grammy organizers scrambled madly to fill their slots. The head of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, Neil Portnow, said the Grammys have never faced a situation like this. “Everybody has certain problems at times in their lives, things that you wish maybe didn’t happen, maybe you’re not proud of,” Portnow said. “I’m not a judgmental kind of an individual. I’m sorry they weren’t there for their moments on the stage. I think that’s the thing that is most unfortunate to me at the moment.” Los Angeles police say Brown was booked on suspicion of making a felony criminal threat and released after posting $50,000 bail.

UGH, it is *impossible* to talk about last night’s Grammys without the Chris Brown story getting a mention. In any event, I was pretty pleased with many of the winners … tho, I didn’t see that Plant/Krauss thing coming. I thought for sure that Coldplay would clean up … I’m kinda glad that they didn’t. I don’t really love them but I do enjoy that Viva La Vida song … but, I was not a fan of the way Coldplay ripped off the Wiggles with their very colorful outfits:

I’m just sayin’. And, it MUST be said that Katy Perry put on the WORST PERFORMANCE of the night:

I’m so over all of her hype, I’m glad that she didn’t win anything … she sounded horrible live in person and I’m ready for her bandwagon to jump the track and go away. Adele and Estelle, on the other hand, are amazing performers and I was THRILLED with their wins. Those ladies can sing and I’m happy they were rewarded for their talents.

David and I had such a great time and it was all due to the kind generosity of our friends at ABSOLUT Vodka … and as a result, I’d like to mention that ABSOLUT debuted a new commercial in relation to their In An ABSOLUT World campaign during last night’s Grammy Awards telecast — the first time the company has aired a commercial in primetime. In case you missed seeing it last night, here it is again:

When asked about his new book in a recent interview, Jason had this to say: For the past five years that I’ve been touring, I’ve taken Polaroid instant film; Polaroid 600, the cheapest kind you can buy. And there’s really something quite novelty and interesting about this film, and now I’ve taken thousands and thousands of pictures.

Love it! This is exactly the thing I’ve been trying to do for the past few months with my Polaroid camera … and the waning stock of Polaroid film that is out there. I already ordered my copy of Jason’s book mainly because I’m still kinda obsessed with all things Polaroid but I’m also hoping it’ll offer some inspiration for my ongoing project. It’s too bad I’m in LA this week instead of NY … it would’ve been great to go to this event.

[Photo credit: Wireimage]

Last year Bob Dylan compiled a song list for Starbucks’ Artist Choice Series. In addition to offering up a keen selection of country, blues, and jazz, he also supplied notes and commentary as to why he held the songs in such regard. BUT, the best part was the forward.

-mraz
Berlin

Oh yeah, this is deffo the kind of thing that I think Equus character Alan Strang would totes be into, don’t you think? I mean … it’s a nice pic. But, I gotta wonder if Jason was engaging in any of THIS activity when he posed for this lovely photo. HMMM. But, more importantly, the message … it should be all about the message, I think … which is … um, yeah, what he said up there. Yeah, sorry, I’m still pretty distracted by the pic … aren’t you?

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Now, we know for a fact that Jason likes to wield sharp cutlery while in his skimpy underwear but we do not know for a fact that he likes to smoke dope. I think it’s pretty safe to assume that he likes to engage in said enterprise but … well, let’s just let the photos speak for themselves. I gotta say, Jason Mraz’s appeal has really grown on me in the past few months. I love his new album, I love his My Space updates and I love that pics like these exist. He looks fun. What do y’all think … is he puffin’ on the happy grass or do any of y’all think it’s just a regular ol’ hand-rolled tobacco cig?

[Photo credit: X17]

Time zone hopping and the hyper robotic routine of touring require energy levels to be consistent and my schedule isn’t one that affords me any sick days. So I travel with a chopping knife and a cutting board. Rather than rely on room service and overpriced restaurant versions of vegetarian cuisine, I shop at local grocers and eat my own delicious homemade meals. The knife, a classic single layer stainless steel, in addition to raising concerns with airport security, is also good for shocking housekeeping staff. My DO NOT DISTURB sign is in constant use during any hotel stay, yet all maids seem to have this incredible urge to assist and clean. Thus, opening the door in bikini briefs gripping a 10-inch blade makes my point. I can make my own bed. I also bring along a Vita-Mix blender, a powerhouse of a tool. I start each day with a crazy ass Superfood Smoothie that most people refer to as, the Green Sludge. It contains a lot of what you see in this mini-bar. Super Greens, Hemp Protein, Goji Juice, Coconut Water, Flax Seed Oil, My own homemade cashew milk, Raw Cacao, Bee pollen, sometimes a banana, a little crushed ice, toad knuckles, agave nectar, Stevia, and/or Natural Vaginal Juices to sweeten to your liking. All this stuff is checked at the airport in what I like to call my “Movable Feast,” a handy box that puts the kit in kitchen. I update the staples when I need to, about every two weeks. But the salad fixins are refreshed daily. If it seems costly it’s not. I think about the cost my body pays for eating processed food and immediately I’m happy about the investment of time finding these natural alternatives. ALTERNATIVES? How did we let nature’s supply take a back seat and become so hard to reach? You are what you eat. And since April 1st, this has been an experiment worthy of the effort. My trusty sidekick, Toca Rivera, has also been eating this way, relying only on raw and natural foods. We started this diet when Toca discovered he was Diabetic. But now, thanks to eating REAL food, his numbers are closer to normal and soon his blood tests will not reveal any sign of Diabetes … I will likely keep this up for a long time. I don’t crave any other foods anymore. Anything processed just doesn’t seem real. I may as well eat cardboard if it has the same nutritional value. And I’ll keep getting creative with food. That’s the best part. I’m starting to see myself in the meals I make. And I have no trouble spending hours in the grocery store reading the labels and talking with other customers. Plus, hot girls fresh from yoga hang out in natural food stores. And I suspect they’re horny. More and more people are getting excited about health and we’re all tired of being offered cheap replicas of food. We want change and we believe we CAN have it. Yes we can.

I dunno what a mostly-nekkid pic of Jason Mraz has to do with anything that he blogged about (except for terrorizing the hotel staff, like he mentioned) … but I’m not complaining. I like the size of his knife … it looks like he wields it well. If eatin’ and drinkin’ all that mess he’s talking about in this post results in him lookin’ like this … well, I have no complaints about that either. Blog on, Mraz … keep the fun pics comin’!!!! [Source]