| Celebrity Environmentalists: The Top-Ten Green Stars |
| Monday, 06 September 2010 | Rick Theis | Article |
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10. Edward Norton helped launch the Solar Neighbor Program, which places solar panels into low-income homes in Los Angeles, and hosted National Geographic’s environmental series, Strange Days on Planet Earth. He also uses public transportation whenever that is an option. 9. Julia Roberts drives a Prius and has a solar home. She and her husband helped spearhead the successful effort to protect New Mexico’s Valle Vidal wildlife sanctuary from the threat of oil drilling. She’s also been a spokesperson for Earth Biofuels, which promotes renewable energy and “is committed to the establishment of retail fueling stations that will carry varying blends of ethanol and biodiesel.” 8. Natalie Portman is a longstanding champion of veganism and animal rights. In this regard, she’s designed a vegan shoe line for Te Casan. Her other environmental efforts have included appearing in the documentary, Saving a Species: Gorillas on the Brink. 7. Stella McCartney, a highly acclaimed designer and longtime vegetarian, has developed an eco-friendly cosmetic line called CARE by Stella McCartney. Her products are manufactured ethically and contain only organic ingredients—no petrochemicals or silicones. Her environmental commitment extends to her stores, where every garment is organic and the electricity comes from wind power. She’s also currently running a campaign called Meat-Free Mondays. 6. James Cameron has a solar-powered home, drives a hybrid car and dabbles in organic farming. At the macro level, he’s fighting the Brazilian government’s Belo Monte Dam project, which would destroy a large swath of the Amazon rainforest and devastate its indigenous communities. He’s used his movie Avatar as a platform for planting a million trees around the world, and planting—in the heads of a lot of action and fantasy movie fans—the idea of living in harmony with the Earth. 5. Leonardo Di Caprio has installed solar panels in his home and started his own environmental foundation. He has also used his stardom to draw attention to global warming issues by, among other things, helping to produce the green documentary, The 11th Hour. 4. Sigourney Weaver, inspired by portraying zoologist and conservationist Dian Fossey in the film Gorillas in the Mist, has been a strong supporter of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International. She has also lobbied the UN and Congress on the issues of deep-sea fishing and ocean acidification, respectively. And she‘s joined James Cameron in protesting the Belo Monte Dam project. 3. Ed Begley Jr. hosts his own reality TV show, Living with Ed, which showcases home and garden topics with a green spin. He is on the Environmental Media Association and the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy boards, and has served as chair of both. On top of all this, he has his own brand of environmentally friendly cleaners, aptly called Begley’s Best. Ever true to his environmental beliefs, Begley has been known to show up for Hollywood functions on a bicycle. 2. Daryl Hannah was arrested in 2007 after a 23-day sit-in to save L.A.’s urban community garden, South Central Farm. She protested again in 2009 against surface mining in West Virginia. Her solar-powered home in the Rocky Mountains was constructed from salvaged materials. Hannah is on the boards of several environmental organizations and cofounder of the Sustainable Biodiesel Alliance. Her DH Love Life website chronicles environmental and other issues. 1. Robert Redford’s work on behalf of the Earth dates back to the 1970s, when he started lobbying for both the Clean Air and Clean Water acts. In the 1980s, he began organizing international conferences to address global warming. More recently he’s been active on the issue of protecting the Utah wilderness and a strong supporter of solar energy, including aiding the group Vote Solar, which is dedicated to “building the economies of scale necessary to bring solar into the mainstream.” He has served on the board of the Natural Resources Defense Council since 1974. In 2007, he launched The Green, a three-hour eco programming slot on the Sundance Channel. At his Utah home he has vegetable gardens, solar panels and a strict recycling program. Beyond the list of eco superstars above, there are other green celebrities who at least rate an honorable mention for their work on behalf of the environment:
These folks deserve our thanks for making an effort to look out for the planet. If you know of a celebrity worthy of being added to EcoHearth’s list of top environmental celebrities, please comment below. Additional resources: [If you know someone who is deserving of an Eco Hero profile on EcoHearth.com, please contact us. – Ed.]
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With privilege should come responsibility. And in the case of the following show-business celebrities, it has. They are using their visibility, popularity and wealth to promote important ecological awareness and initiatives among their fans—and anyone who consumes the media their stardom generates. Not only that, these rich and famous advocates of environmentalism actually practice what they preach. Below is EcoHearth’s countdown of the top-ten eco-celebrities. 
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