Martha makes fur a no-no

Martha Stewart is using her super-fame to push more than the latest DIY cake decorations: she's paired with PETA to publicly denounce fur as cruel and unnecessary.

Her five-minute exposé on the cruelties of the fur industry is not for the faint of heart, but it may induce a change of heart, and viewers are encouraged to send it on to their family and friends. Propaganda? Possibly, though the video is a far cry from the highly-edited emotion-wringing idea We have of propaganda. Those who object to it as representing the industry unfairly should watch it, too -- and make a conscious decision whether furry fashions are really a fair trade-off for knowing animals may have been skinned alive to make them. (It's difficult to misrepresent someone who openly beats animals to death, is it not?)

Those who can still say they approve of the fur industry after watching Ms. Stewart's announcement had better be able to prove to Us that they have no pets -- or be branded hypocrites by the Official Seal of the Empire of Green, unless they're willing to admit their pets would be a worthy sacrifice to decorate someone's jacket collar.

Ms. Stewart, on the other hand, wears the creed of the conscious consumer well. As she says in the video, "So much violence in the world seems beyond our control, but this is one cruelty we can stop by being informed consumers." And being an informed consumer can prevent a lot more, too: pointless waste and human cruelty among them.

Designers that spurn the fur craze include Stella McCartney, Vivienne Westwood, Todd Oldham, and Marc Bouwer -- so if you buy designer, consider these stellar beings.

Here's star power used responsibly, and a perfect example of conscientious living. (Ms. Stewart's stint in prison, before anyone comments, is moot as far as Her Imperial Greenness is concerned. We don't judge people's worth by their rigid adherence to a legal system so convoluted it's probably made itself illegal.) Martha Stewart's got influence in her grasp, and in being aware of it, she's using it to change the world for the better.

Well, if Hollywood royalty just happens to catapult a compassionate, considered lifestyle into widespread popularity, that's one trend that'll definitely be worth following.