Unlike Paris Hilton and Britney Spears, Bette Midler is a super cool, classy celebrity who uses her celebrity to do really good things.

She’s even married to a German performance artist named Martin Von Haselberg.

Wouldn’t it be nice if the press was obsessed with her rather than say, Paris, Lindsey or Britney? Bette  is the founder of the New York Restoration Project, which in addition to many other activities aims to plant one million trees in and around the NYC area by 2017.

The City Room reported yesterday that Mayor Bloomberg and Bette Midler, formally initiated the
Million Trees NYC campaign yesterday with lots of hoopla and folderol. 

"When I moved to New York, I was very disappointed in how parts of the
city looked. I was so upset, I didn’t sleep for weeks. I love New
Yorkers, and I’m like them—I’m noisy, I have my opinions—but I’m not
used to the kind of carelessness and waste that I was seeing. People
were throwing their garbage out the window, leaving their lunches on
the ground. Finally, I realized I needed to actually do something—even
if I had to pick up the stuff with my own hands." Bette told Good Housekeeping Magazine when she first started the project.

Bette  believes that green neighborhoods are essential components to the quality of life and community. She considers NYRP, a
"conservancy of forgotten places," particularly in New York City’s
underserved communities.

One million trees? Here’s why (from the NYRP website).

Trees curb carbon emissions and water pollution, cool our streets, have
been shown to reduce crime and asthma, raise property values, and
improve the overall health of city residents. Yet over the past 25
years, American cities have lost up to 30% of their tree canopy to
development. NYRP and the City of New York are leading an initiative to
plant one million trees in public and private open spaces throughout
the five boroughs over the next decade. Million Trees NYC is a citywide
collaboration with community, non-profit, government, and corporate
partners, and the citizens of NYC. We will focus on communities with
the greatest need for green. Other core elements of the initiative will
include tree maintenance, urban forestry research, community outreach,
public education, and advocacy.