The Who’s Who of environmentally concerned actors yields some surprising resultsEvery so often, beneath the glitz and glamour, celebrities will surface who care about something other than fame and fortune…like our environment. While many of Hollywood’s elite tout the importance of sustainability and alternative energy (mostly to enhance their images), others are putting their money where their fabulously-famous “green” mouths are.
While many Hollywood A-listers are fueling up their private jets or their humongous Hummers as we speak, others are embracing issues such as population growth, global warming, green housing and eco-friendly transportation. Following is a partial list of these celebs and the causes they support.
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The “patron saint of Hollywood sustainability” and “Green Cred Ed” lives an eco-life from his home – which is solar and wind powered – to his electric car, which he began driving long before they were fashionable. (Sometimes he evens powers his home himself via stationary bike.) This eco-god has also written a guide to sustainable living and concocted his own brand of eco-cleaners aptly called
Begley’s Best.
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Cameron was one of the first to climb behind the wheel of a Prius hybrid car when they hit the market and it remains her transportation du jour when jetting around Tinseltown. You can join Cameron on her MTV show,
Trippin’, to watch her and some of her friends travel to unlikely getaways with no 5-star hotels, no massages, just them and their bags, which they hoist on their toned backs to venture into the untamed. Her knowledge and passion for the environment so impressed Al Gore that she was chose as a speaker for his award-winning documentary,
An Inconvenient Truth.
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: Who else could convince stars to dismiss their limo drivers on Hollywood’s biggest night and drive themselves to the Oscars in a hybrid? My guess is…not many…but Leonardo can. And joining Al Gore in his eco-documentary role, DiCaprio wrote, narrated and co-produced
The 11th Hour, to bring attention to the impact that humans have selfishly imposed on our environment. Leonardo also maintains a blog on green living and other environmental issues.
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The Sustainability Ninja
This Hollywood icon keeps in all in the eco-family. Coming from a long line of environmental activists, Norton helped to create a nonprofit dedicated to affordable green housing and another that puts solar panels on the homes of L.A.’s low-income families. Norton also hosts environmental programs on National Geographic TV, and supports groups such as
The Wilderness Society and Earthjustice.
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With over 30 years under his “green” belt, Redford can be called an “eco- oldie”. That’s how long he’s served on the board of the NRDC, one of the country’s most powerful environmental groups. During his illustrious acting career, Robert has found time to campaign behalf of local initiatives to address climate change, lobbied Congress in support of environmental legislation, fought for wilderness preservation, and has been promoting solar energy since the 1970’s.
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The mega-millionaire chairman of the Virgin Group pledged to spend all profits from his transportation businesses on investments in bio-fuel research and emissions control. The numbers are estimated at $3 billion over a 10-year period…now THAT’s putting your money where your mouth is! Included in his new eco-ventures is Virgin Fuels, a company constructed to provide cheaper fuels, like ethanol. He even plans to offer commercial space tourism through Virgin Galactic.
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Natalie goes “ape” over environmental concerns by lending her name and voice to the Animal Planet documentary
Saving a Species: Gorillas on the Brink. And her love of the land doesn’t stop there…not only does she wear vegan clothes and footwear, but she designs them too! Natalie is also active in groups such as
Global Green USA, an organization that addresses environmental issues on international levels.
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She hasn’t been on the red carpet lately, but Darryl certainly deserves a spot on the “green” carpet. Driving a car powered by biodiesel fuel, she joined activists in 2006 in support of urban farming by sitting in a tree for 23 days, only to get arrested for her part in the protest. Darryl also maintains a blog dedicated to environmental and social principles.
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What can be said about Brad? While he probably won’t be recognized for population control, his efforts - post Hurricane Katrina - to rebuild the 9th Ward are noteworthy. The houses are architectural showcases, designed and built using state-of-the-art sustainable technologies, including more than 150 materials and techniques that emphasize health, safety and long-term product lifecycles.
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Okay, Paris probably should have been omitted from this list; but anyone who tries to improve their “green” image with a quote like this has got to be on
some list: “Driving hybrid cars is the new way to go. Anyone can do it, no matter how old.” Need we say more?