Chris Noth Wants You to LOVA Tea & Love the Planet

A relentless fixture out and about on the New York City fundraising social circuit, it seems actor Chris Noth will do just about anything for a good cause. From flipping his kilt and baring his goods at the 9^th Annual Dressed To Kilt charity fashion show, to showing up in support of the Samsung Hope for Children Gala last month (June 2011), and more.

Now it’s teatime, and Chris wants you to show some love for the planet by savoring his Sweet Florida Dream—the heartthrob’s all-new signature green tea-based citrus blend. It’s the first in a new series of personalized celebrity tea infusions now available from LOVA Tea, and the second addition to the LOVA Charity Collection.

Featuring an assortment of luxury black, green, and caffeine-free herbal teas and more, LOVA offers a unique selection of loose-leaf teas and signature tea-based drinks. Available online, all blends are gluten-free, 100 percent all natural containing only the finest of premium ingredients. Think fresh fruits, decadent chocolates, savory herbs, and aromatic florals with delectable names like Cloud Nine, Crème Brulée, Toasted Almond Crunch, White Chocolate Mousse, Sangria Rose and Cherry Cheesecake.

A whopping 50 percent of proceeds from sales of Sweet Florida Dream will go toward the Golden Globe-nominated actor’s favorite environmental group—Rainforest Action Network (RAN). Near and dear to his heart for over two decades, the 56-year-old is an honorary board member.

Aiming to achieve safe sustainability by nurturing healthy forests, respecting community rights and ensuring corporate profits are never at the expense of people or the planet, RAN has protected millions of acres of forest worldwide by convincing major corporations to change their ways and adopt more eco-friendly practices.

Chris says the LOVA charity campaign is all about good people doing good things. He anticipates more celebrities will come aboard soon with their own personalized blends. Chris stumbled on LOVA while looking to soothe his chops with an alternative to his regular cup of joe. While he finds LOVA’s dedication to its charitable mission is a major appeal, he swears he loves the taste of the tea.

“I don’t just do it for the charity, I drink the tea,” says Chris. “I love it. It’s gluten-free. It’s all fresh. There are no syrups in it at all. It’s really good stuff…I must say it is a good delicious tea. You got to try it.”

Currently starring opposite Julianna Margulies in the CBS TV series The Good Wife, Chris is well known for his role as leading man, Big, on Sex and the City, and as longtime crime fighter Detective Mike Logan on Law & Order and Law & Order: Criminal Intent.

Fresh off a limited engagement run starring alongside Keifer Sutherland in the Broadway revival of the play That Championship Season, Chris elaborated on his new-found fancy just for A.U.D.R.A.

Pass the crumpets.

So, would you say you’re a recent convert to tea drinking?

I was addicted to coffee, and I’m still a coffee drinker. But tea is far better for you. And it’s easy on my vocal chords.

In terms of the flavors you selected for Sweet Florida Dream, why did these certain notes and flavor combinations resonate with you?

I’m not a huge thinker when it comes to tea, I was just kind of improvising to tell you the truth, and trying to have fun with it. The most fun I had was naming it, actually. I was going to call it Burnt by the Sun, and we all thought that didn’t sound good. [Laughs] Then I came up with Sweet Florida Dream. I thought it’s a very poetic kind of name for a really tasty tea.

It’s especially interesting because your persona is very ultra New York.

New York is such a coffee town, the energy of it and everything. But tea is starting to catch on. Frankly, some of the tea places I’ve seen I don’t like. They use syrups and things like that. So I have a cup of my tea. Not just my tea, I do lemon zest also. And I have a whole range of the LOVA teas.

Why did you decide to get involved with LOVA?

Part of it is the very altruistic nature of this company, the other part is vocally I had to go to tea and I just didn’t want to go to the teas a lot of which I found boring and had syrups in it. So this was a great match, and it’s great for my environmental cause—which does the most amazing work ever for this world. I just thought it was a beautiful fit, so I’m happy to drink it, and happy to hopefully have people buy it so that some of it can go to RAN.

How involved were you with the whole process in terms of coming up with the tea?

It’s pretty simple. I’m trying to get some of my other actor friends involved in this because it’s so simple. You’re given a list of different combinations you can do, and that’s it. And you get to name it. It’s kind of fun. It’s really not that complicated.

You’ve been involved with RAN for so long—you’re even an honorary board member. That longevity and dedication is remarkable. What drew you to them and how have you been able to sustain your interest?

I discovered them back in the day when I was doing Law & Order… I don’t think I do enough frankly. I have had fundraisers here in New York over the last couple years, and had some good stuff there…I don’t find that anything extraordinary, but it seems the right and the fun thing to do. I’ve watched RAN continue to take on some of the big, big polluters and some of the more idiotic governments that just rape land, sea, and air. So I’m behind them.

How does your strong commitment translate into your everyday lifestyle choices and purchasing decisions?

It’s just a question of awareness. I’m glad to say in New York, we recycle. In terms of buying foods, things like that, try to go to the markets and use organic farmers. Be conscious when you shop and support companies like LOVA. I like fast cars, but you know I have a hybrid. That doesn’t mean having a fast car is bad thing. There’s room for that, but it’s also good for the family that you have a hybrid or something that is going to be better for consumption. A lot of it is awareness and support and trying to clean up your act in a lot of little ways that you can. Recycling, giving back, knowing what to shop, and being conscious about what you buy, cleansers and stuff like that. I’m not the Avi Hoffman of environmentalism. I’m just trying to clean up my own act.

Every little bit counts.

Yeah, when you think of it, we’re billions of people. And if only a million people were making a difference, that’s a big difference. But imagine if everybody just did one little thing. If everybody recycled, wrote their congressman or whatever. If everybody just made it like the way you brush your teeth in the morning, then that consciousness, becomes part of your daily habit. That’s what it’s got to become.

These days we’re all trying to be a little more eco-friendly. Care to share any particular personal eco-tips you practice on the daily?

It’s real simple. All recycled paper. Obviously recyclable toilet paper and paper towels instead of buying the stuff that’s not. Detergents and soaps. Going to some of the smaller markets in Union Square supporting some of the farmers that grow things organically.

Your very busy career always keeps you in the limelight, though you manage to do a lot for a good cause. It’s pretty remarkable and really inspiring.

I guess so, but it doesn’t feel that way. There’s always more. One main focus is raising money for RAN because there’s so many great charities out there run by amazing people doing amazing things. I want to create that awareness for Rainforest Action Network.