Nowadays celebrities are lending their names and their support in the global
message for environmentalism. Leonardo Dicaprio, who spearheaded the film that
raised awareness of environmental issues, “The 11th Hour” has been a committed
activist for years and walks his talk by living green every day.  Leonardo’s
home runs on solar energy and he drives a Toyota Prius which is the new hybrid
car of the 21st century, emitting 90% less green house gases than its gasoline
powered rival.  Leonardo believes that we now have the technology to produce
more inexpensive, environmentally friendly, energy efficient cars.

Brad Pitt brought New Orleans under the microscope with his “Make It Right”
project in a bid to build cleaner, greener more energy efficient “eco-homes”
from sustainable materials for Hurricane Katrina survivors.  His goal was to
build 150 homes and pledged to match up to $5 million dollars in donations of
his own money.  The project was born out of frustration at the lack of effort
from the government to rebuild New Orleans.

Sheryl Crow is another activist passionate about the environment and does her
part by visiting colleges around the country spreading her message about the
consequences of global warming.  She also encouraged youths to rally at Capitol
Hill to influence the change of laws and policy governing the environment.

She lives what she preaches by using only the cold water cycle for washing her
clothes, she drives a hybrid and proudly sports solar panels as a permanent
fixture of her home. Sheryl is the prime example of how celebrity can be used as
an influence for the better and how it can help unite society in a common goal
for the positive.

The Hulk’s Edward Norton wanted to make the hulk more “green” than ever before
by reducing the productions carbon footprint, setting the tone from the very
beginning starting with the first production meeting which included an environ-
mental consultant to help keep their green vision tightly within focus.

They reduced the amount of plastic bottles and utensils used on the set which
markedly reduced the amount of throwaway garbage.A green perspective was used
with regards to set construction, resource management and conservation, recycling
and energy usage making “The Hulk” the first ever film to feature the Green Seal
of the Environmental Media Association in its closing film credits.  The goal of
the film industry is to proudly sport more Green Seal logos in more films for
the future.

Not only are celebrities pushing the green message but the film studios that
back them are also supporting the cause in an effort to create more environment-
ally friendly productions.

Tom Shadyac's film "Evan Almighty" took green thinking to a whole new level by
donating around 2,000 trees to the Conservation Fund to offset any greenhouse
gases emitted during its production.  The tons of wood used for the elaborate
sets were also dismantled and donated to anyone that needed them, reducing the
amount of wastage that usually ends up in landfills with a production of this
scale.

Fox Studios “24” made a pledge to introduce both solar and wind energy for
providing power to their productions where all materials would be recycled and
reused.

Film sets used on the film “The Matrix” were re-used in the construction of
homes in Mexico.  Nonprofit organization “ReUse People Of America” believe that
it costs less to reuse materials than it does to demolish them, an encouraging
incentive to reuse and recycle.

You’ll find celebrities driving their Hybrid Prius cars, opting for green
cleaning products and recyclable cloth bags with the “Apple” brand of computer
being at the top of the list for its sustainability through its recyclable parts.

So as you can see, celebrities are more than just pretty faces and can lend
their status to good causes to give our planet a voice.

Tags: biodiesel, environmental awareness, energy footprint