June 2005 | Conscious Business

Reality TV Starring Someone You Actually Like

Morgan Spurlock, the documentarian whose hands-on exploits in the hit film Super Size Me brought home the point (literally) that McDonald’s is hazardous to your health, has signed on with FOX television to host a reality television project. The new show, 30 Days, will give everyday people the chance to experience life for 30 days in someone else’s shoes. Think: a Christian living as a Muslim, a millionaire enduring the throes of poverty, a police officer in handcuffs.

The first episode, debuting June 15, will feature the exploits of Spurlock and his fiancée Alexandra (a vegan chef Spurlock fans will remember from her supporting role in Super Size Me) as they attempt to live for a month on minimum wage, a challenge recently brought to public attention in Barbara Ehrenreich’s bestselling book Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By In America. “I never realized how difficult it would be to live on minimum wage,” ($5.15/hour in the city of Columbus, Ohio, where the show was taped), said Spurlock. “From having no health care to simply paying our rent and feeding ourselves, every day was a struggle for survival within a system that continually stacks the decks against you. I had no idea, and that’s the ultimate goal of this show: to put people and the audience in situations that force them to see the world through another’s eyes. Most of us cannot relate to the strains, stresses, pressures and prejudices that many Americans face on an everyday basis. 30 Days will close that gap; it’s funny, it’s never preachy and hopefully it will promote some change and understanding along the way.”

www.fxnetworks.com

—Jessika Fruchter

Wear Your Heart on Your Sleeve

Outspoken U2 frontman Bono is at it again. The rocker/activist has teamed with wife Ali Hewson and designer Rogan to launch EDUN (that’s Nude spelled backwards), a new clothing line designed to marry social activism and high fashion. Featuring organic fabrics, sweatshop-free manufacturing and great style, EDUN propels conscious apparel to the forefront of pop-culture. You can find EDUN at Barneys New York, Sacks Fifth Avenue and other high-end boutiques. Visit www.edun.ie for more information. —JF

Half Caf Grande With a Side of Ethos

Santa Monica-based entrepreneurs (and August WLT “Conscious Business” subjects) Jonathan Greenblatt and Peter Thum, the brains and hearts behind the bottled water brand Ethos, have announced their company’s acquisition by Starbucks. Starting later this year, Starbucks customers who bum on buying anonymous bottled water while their socially responsible friends order bags of fair trade beans will be able to soothe their consciences with clean, clear Ethos water—a portion of the sale of every bottle of which goes to supporting water projects in developing countries around the world. For more info, go to www.ethoswater.com. —JGS

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