Hollywood goes Green

I love movies, especially funny ones.  There is nothing like curling up on the couch with my favorite throw and a nice bowl of popcorn to watch a movie.  A good movie is something that stays with you for life, there is a thought or a feeling that it will leave with you that makes you a better person.  Some of my favorite movies to watch have Hollywood’s biggest names, but there is something else hiding within the shadows of these movies.  The “Green” movement.  “What”, you may be saying to yourself so I will explain.  Alot of today’s stars are extremely “Green” individuals and advocates for a better planet.

1. Leonardo DiCaprio

Once “king of the world,” this star often flies commercially and drives himself around in a hybrid Toyota Prius. In 1998, he started the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation to promote environmental causes. More recently, he’s been working on 11th Hour, an environmental documentary featuring interviews with global green leaders.

2. Robert Redford

The Sundance Kid has campaigned for Utah wilderness, promoted solar energy, convinced mayors to tackle climate change, and served 30 years on the board of the Natural Resources Defense Council. In April, he launched a weekly three-hour slot of eco-programming on his Sundance TV channel.

3. Cameron Diaz

This bombshell ain’t trippin’ (though that was the name of her eco-themed MTV show). The avid surfer drives a hybrid car, got trained to give Al Gore’s climate presentation, and helped make the big announcement about Live Earth.

4. Cate Blanchett

Take notes on this scandal: Recently part of an ad campaign promoting Sydney’s Earth Hour blackout, Cate Blanchett and her playwright hubby have converted their own home to solar power. As co-artistic directors of the Sydney Theatre Company, the duo also plans to green that venture and hopes to power an entire theater season off-grid.

5. George Clooney

This leading man not only earned an Oscar last year but also a prime spot on the cover of Vanity Fair’s first green issue. In association with his award-winning role in Syriana, Clooney launched Oil Change, a campaign to say good night and good luck to America’s dependence on oil. And to drive the point home, he’s frequently seen out and about with his eco-friendly Tango electric car.

6. Ed Begley Jr.

We’re Ed over heels for this electric-car-driving, solar-powered-home-owning star. He’s got his own brand of eco-cleaners (Begley’s Best), a reality show that puts a domestic spin on green issues (Living with Ed), and a morning routine that involves powering his toaster with a stationary bike.

7. Edward Norton

The eco-commitment of this Hollywood heavyweight is no illusion. Norton used his star power to help launch BP’s Solar Neighbors Program, which gets solar panels onto low-income homes in L.A., and he hosted an award-winning, four-part National Geographic TV special about the unnerving effects of global environmental problems.

8. Daryl Hannah

Arrested last year for staging a 23-day tree-sit in a bid to save L.A.’s South Central Farm, an urban community garden, this steel magnolia is a longtime environmentalist who drives a biodiesel car and runs her green home on solar power. Hannah has also recently made a splash online with the eco-video blog dh love life.

9.Amitabh Bachchan

Concerned about his native India’s vulnerability to climate change, this top Bollywood star helped launch a partnership between Global Cool and the International Indian Film Academy to use the power of cinema to build awareness of the issue.

10. Julia Louis-Dreyfus

She may be starring in The New Adventures of Old Christine, but being a devout environmentalist is nothing new for Louis-Dreyfus. Her solar-powered home is a showcase of green design and energy efficiency, and she’s long been active with organizations like Heal the Bay, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and the Trust for Public Land.

11. Pierce Brosnan

The world is enough for this 007, who focuses his activism on the planet — marine mammals and wetland protection in particular. Brosnan — who was named “Best-Dressed Environmentalist” in 2004 and serves on the board of the Environmental Media Association — has long fought for dolphin-safe tuna rules and protested the U.S. Navy’s widespread use of sonar, which can harm whales and other cetaceans.

12. Rosario Dawson

Though she’s soon to reprise her Sin City role, Dawson’s environmental involvement leans more toward the virtuous. In 2005, she brought her star power to a U.N. summit on preserving the environment and ending poverty, and, more recently, she’s dialed up her work with Global Cool’s mobile texting campaign, which steers money to clean energy and energy-reduction projects

13. Will Ferrell

He got guffaws during his blaze of glory on TBS’s “Earth to America!” eco-comedy special, but this funnyman’s commitment to the environment is no laughing matter. He’s an active supporter of the Natural Resources Defense Council, and, though it may sound stranger than fiction, he’ll soon be driving his electric car into the driveway of an eco-friendly home.

14. Tom Hanks

An avid supporter and volunteer for The Nature Conservancy, this Forrest had the gumption to order the very first eBox electric car, delivered earlier this year. And Hanks often goes the extra green mile to make mention of his environmental leanings when he makes major TV appearances

15. Brad Pitt

Twice named “Sexiest Man Alive” by People magazine, Pitt isn’t just a pretty face. A major architecture buff, he’s been hot on the trail of the emerging green-building movement, helping with efforts to rebuild New Orleans in an eco-friendly way, narrating a sustainable design TV series, and supporting Ed Norton’s Solar Neighbors Program.

16. Julia Roberts

This pretty woman was featured on the cover of Vanity Fair’s green issue last year — and for good reason: She’s a spokesperson for Earth BioFuels and frequently talks up green issues on Oprah and other TV shows. Plus, the Erin Brockovich star will soon be playing another green activist, wildlife conservationist Joan Root, who was shot and killed in 2006.

17. Matt Damon

The talented Mr. Damon has been a good shepherd for the earth, narrating the documentary Running the Sahara and participating in the related awareness campaign about the water crisis in Africa. Damon also narrated the Journey to Planet Earth series on PBS.

18. Alicia Silverstone

A longtime vegetarian — and PETA’s “Sexiest Female Vegetarian” in 2004 — this blonde bombshell certainly isn’t clueless about real environmental commitment. Silverstone is quick to talk the green talk in interviews, but she also walks the walk in her own green home, complete with solar panels and a table made from the flooring of an old bowling alley.

19. Matt Dillon

There’s something about Matt Dillon: He recently teamed up with Global Green USA and Yahoo! to announce a “Greenest City in America” challenge as part of the web engine’s new “Be a Better Planet” program, which urges Americans to take action against climate change

20. Charlize Theron

This South African beauty is no monster when it comes to green issues. She’s traveled in eco-style to the Oscars and teamed up with a number of other celebs to fight the installation of LNG terminals off the coast of Malibu, Calif.

These stars were listed on the Grist, and I admire each and everyone of them for their efforts and help.  There are so many more stars who are advocates on climate control, organic foods, solar energy, wind energy, etc….So if you are passionate about a certain foundation or federation look up and see if your favorite movier actor or actress is a spokesman.  Also most of these stars are vegetarians or vegan and offer websites with recipes, and earth friendly tips.  So “Let’s go to the Movies”, Action!!!!!!!!!

Written By
Tiffany Bare
Karmafarm LLC

Excerpts taken from “Grist.org”