Joan Jett Goes Green With 'Greatest Hits'

Strategically timed with the upcoming movie about her early career The Runaways, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts released a two-disc "Greatest Hits" collection on Tuesday. Also, Tuesday March 16 will be the release of The Runaways soundtrack, complete with original songs, as well as versions from the movie, in which Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning are cast as the Runaways. But it doesn't end there! In addition to a feature film and two album releases, a book of pictures and interviews compiled with designer Todd Oldham, will hit shelves next month.

Phew ... now that's a busy woman! Jett, however, is no stranger to hard work. She has not only succeeded in the music business, but she smashed the gender barriers that held back her female contemporaries. The Runaways were an all-female band at a time when it was extremely hard to find a woman rocking out without men in the band. Co-founded by Jett at age 15, the group disbanded after a few years. Jett, then moved on to headline her new band Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, whose songs climbed the charts for decades. She then became the first female artist turned record producer when she founded Blackheart Records.

Aside from paving the way for women, the rockstar also likes to pave paths in social movements. She is a staunch advocate of vegetarianism and green practices. The packaging from her "Greatest Hits" release will be eco-friendly (made from 100 percent recycled paper and biodegradable trays). "I've always appreciated nature," she says in her website biography, "trees, grass, birds, sun, and even insects. I obsessively recycle. I almost never turn on lights; I pretty much live in the dark. I don't use a lot of water. I am a vegetarian, so I avoid contributing to the major environmental damage that the meat industry creates. I hope that soon we can make sure that everything we do is earth-friendly."

Photo by pinkBEAT via Flickr.