Rumor around In Touch Weekly is that Nicole Richie and Joel Madden are expecting a boy. This comes from a source close to the couple, who mouths off to In Touch
about how the nursery and all of the baby toys are totally blue. Could it be that Nicole Richie just likes the color blue? It’s a Virgo thing – both Nicole and I are Virgos, and one of out favorite anal-retentive Virgo activities is to decorate in blue. Right after we organize our sock drawer and make a grocery list organized by aisle. So, is it a Virgo thing or is she really having a boy? I’d bet on the newest addition to the Richie-Madden household being a boy!

Nicole Richie and Joel Madden are already the proud parents of an adorable 16-month-old daughter, Harlow, and now, they’re getting ready for the arrival of a bouncing baby boy in August, a friend tells In Touch.

“Joel bought water-based paint for the nursery and — surprise, surprise — it’s blue,” reveals another pal of the couple, who adds that Nicole refers to the baby as “he.”

“Plus, she recently ordered some plush animals and infant toys from FAO Schwarz, and everything just happens to be blue.”

[From In Touch Weekly]

Ho-hum, doesn’t anyone decorate in neutrals anymore? I take that back, I think beige nurseries are sad. Blues and pinks might be retro, but at least they’re lively. This breaking baby news isn’t the only thing Nicole is getting press for – she also is speaking out on environmental causes, urging schools to begin early childhood education on organic food, recycling and energy reduction. Nicole just joined the Young Hollywood Board of the Environmental Media Association, and has begun to spread the word on environmental causes. She gave a mission statement to HollyScoop (story via The San Francisco Chronicle):

Socialite Nicole Richie has urged schools to help save the planet by teaching kids about environmental issues from a young age.

Richie, who has a 16-month-old daughter, Harlow, with boyfriend Joel Madden, has become a passionate green campaigner in recent years and insists her family only eats organic food.

And Richie hopes educational institutes will heed her advice and encourage children to recycle, save energy and maintain a balanced diet.

She tells Hollyscoop.com, “Being in a school with the environment of education, it really doesn’t make sense to educate children on math, science, history and not educate them on nutrition and taking care of our planet. It seems that it is our responsibility to make sure that happens.

“Anyone that is going to eat organic is going to feel different. We only eat organic. We don’t really have plastic in our house, we mostly use glass bottles. People can even help by turning off their lights when they leave the house, it’s just so easy for everyone, if they helped just a little bit, if everyone helped a little bit, it would make such a huge, huge difference.”

[From The San Francisco Chronicle]

Of course, it all comes down to putting your time and money where your mouth is. Which it seems Nicole is doing. Not only living a more environmentally-conscious personal life, but actually going out and working to expand environmental awareness. Nicole recently participated in planting organic gardens
at various Los Angeles schools, all so students attending public school can develop a taste for organic food.

Nicole Richie is shown out in LA on 5/8/09. Credit: Fame Pictures. There’s also a cute picture of Harlow with her dad, Joel, on 5/7/09. Credit: Scott/Bauergriffinonline.