Written by: Adrienne Brookbanks
You will often see small snippets on the E! Entertainment Channel where celebrities speak about saving water and electricity (and that “every little bit helps”). While most of the vocal green Hollywood stars have been female, there are quite a few leading men who are not only environmentally friendly, but are actually extremely involved in proactive organisations that protect the planet.
Some of the blockbuster actors have launched their own green companies, trust and foundations, some have written books and others are even United Nations ambassadors for biodiversity. These are the actors who are walking the walk:
Brad Pitt
It’s been almost six years since Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans. Close to two thousand people died and the estimated damages of the storm to residents’ homes and local infrastructure reached a whopping US$80-billion. Many people commented on how America was slow to start helping the people of the city.
Two years after the storm, Brad Pitt founded the Make It Right Foundation to reconstruct and build new houses for less fortunate communities in the area. The best part is that Brad’s foundation is building green houses for these people. The new homes are stronger, storm resistant and include a range of energy saving features such as Photovoltaic (solar power) panels on the roof, tankless waterheaters (which can reduce water heating costs by 50%) and spray foam insulation (this type of insulation is environmentally friendly and it ensures that the house is properly sealed, thereby minimising additional heating and cooling requirements from air conditioners).
Not only are the buildings environmentally friendly, but they’re also well designed, modern and affordable. Brad rounded up 21 architects to volunteer their expertise and time to help design beautiful, green and low cost homes – something that South Africa should be watching closely.
Besides building homes, the foundation also has a cutting edge laboratory that tests new green construction materials and technologies. The U.S. Green Building Council has honoured the area with the title of the largest, greenest neighbourhood of single family homes in the U.S.
Ted Danson
Ted Danson (Sam from Cheers) helped found an NGO that fights ocean pollution – called Oceana – and he has been supporting this organisation for years (way before it was considered cool to be green). He recently launched his first book, called Oceana, which focuses on the many issues around ocean conservation.
In 2009, Ted narrated a documentary about overfishing and in 2010 he won the 2010 Heart of Green Lifetime Achievement Award. During an interview with the Daily Green, Ted said that it’s easier for individuals to become “international activists” than it is to recycle – because all you have to do is sign an online petition or donate to an organisation.
“You want to save the planet, here’s your opportunity. If you want to tackle something big and scary and solvable – how exciting is that? I’ll tell you, the most interesting people in the world are those people who are engaged – in whatever. If you are engaged in life, you are likely doing something to make it better for others,” said Ted. So true.
Edward Norton
Few people know that this Fight Club star’s entire family is green. Edward’s father is the director of the Nature Conservancy’s Yunnan Great Rivers conservation project and his sister has a degree in environmental policy – but that’s not where the Norton family’s eco initiatives end.
Edward uses the subway in New York City, ran a marathon to benefit a wilderness conservation organisation and he has been on the board of Enterprise Community Partners (an affordable green housing company that his grandfather helped found) for eleven years.
Last Year, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon named Edward a U.N. Goodwill Ambassador for Biodiversity, where he is tasked to help young people understand and become more involved in environmental issues.
“People don’t necessarily link themselves as directly to a crisis like biodiversity loss, as much as they will to say a refugee crisis. But I think catastrophic events, such as what is happening in the Gulf with the oil spill, do highlight for people that there is an enormous ramification for human well-being to a loss of biodiversity like a fishery. Environmental conservation, climate change, biodiversity are very much the issues that will define (this) generation,” said Norton.
Orlando Bloom
This well-known Pirates of the Caribbean actor has been involved in an eco company called Global Green for many years. He also drives a hybrid and built an environmentally house for him and his equally eco-conscious wife in London a few years ago. “It’s [the house] is as green as I can make it. It’s got solar panels on the roof and energy efficient light bulbs. It might not be possible for everyone to live a completely green lifestyle, but we can do the little things to help slow global warming,” said Orlando.
The liveeco team
